Tom's Romania August 2007

Smaranda Braescu

The one called later "Queen of the Heights" was born in May 21st, 1897 in Hantesti-Buciumeni, as one of the two twins of a local farmer. She finishes elementary school in Vizuresti, then continues her studies in Barlad.

At May 12th, 1912 she has the first contact with the world of flight, when Gheorghe Negrescu lands his plane on a plain next to Barlad. This is an event that changes her life, awakening the desire to conquer the skies. After graduation she becomes teacher in the same school she was a student before. In 1918 she has the occasion to fly for the first time in a pleasure flight with a Farman piloted by Lt. Radu Naidinescu. This flight has been arranged by one of her students, who knew the commanding officer of the squadron from Tecuci.

In 1928 she's student at the "Belle Arte" in Bucharest. Here she has the possibility to see regular flight demonstrations. This is the moment where she first comes in contact with parachutists, meets the parachute constructor Heinlecke, who offers her the possibility to practice this sport. At July 1st she leaves for Germany, and there she jumps for the first time from 600 m at July 5th. This makes her the first Romanian women who ever jumped with parachute, and classifies Romania as the fourth in the world. She obtains an international certificate and participates to a lot of demonstrations in Romania and in Europe. Her goal already is to become the best, and nothing will stop her.

The European record of the moment was of 4000 m and belonged to Germany, and the American record was 5384 m. To beat these records, she starts the training with Lt. Alex Papana They choose October 2nd, 1931 for an attempt from 6000 m. The plane carrying her was piloted by Alex Papana, and two other planes were accompanying them, one piloted by Cpt. Al. Gavela, the other one by cpt. av. Cosma Constantin. Cpt. dr. Victor Emanuel was also in the second plane. He medically supervised the training and the jump itself.

After one hour of climbing, the "umbrella" appears on the sky. Smaranda Braescu floats for 21 minutes and 25 seconds and lands close to the Saratinca railway station, 28 km away from Slobozia. This jump becomes the absolute national record and is rewarded with the Golden Cross of "Virtutea Aeronautica".

Soon , at December 25th, 1931, Smaranda Braescu arrives to New York to repeat in the United States her record. Before she left Romania, she declared that:" My life means nothing if I'm keeping it for myself. I dedicate my life to my country, and I want to live it in glory. I will only come back as a winner." At January 10th 1932 Smaranda Braescuarrives to a military base in Sacramento. The the great jump is schedule dfor May 19th, 1932 from 7200 m (24000 ft), in order to beat the American record of 21733 ft. It is a success, and after that the name Smaranda Braescu becomes well-known all around the world. This new record will stand a long time, only in 1951 will be beaten by another Romanian, Traian Demetrescu-Popa.

She continues to stay and to jump in the States, under a contract signed in June 1932. At August 20th she's invited to participate to a demonstration in Montreal -Canada. Her plane is escorted in the way to Canada by 30 other planes, transforming this flight into a real triumph. At October 8th, 1932, she gets her pilot license. In November Smaranda Braescu is celebrated by the Romanian community from New York at a banquet. Here is presented a documentary about the activity of Smaranda Braescu in the United States. In the end this film is donated to her.

She was invited by the producer Nat Black to join two other famous parachutists, Helen Schmidt and Jackie Dore, in a glamorous air-show, with night jumps in fascinating, shiny flight-suits. The producer promised to" cover her with dollars", but she refused and continued her contract as test jumper for the Irvin and Schroeder parachute producing companies. She said: "I brought a record to my country, and I can't transform the glory into a business. I'm represent Romania and I must act according to that."

She return to Romania in 1933. On her way back she stops in Genova, where she's honoured as a hero by the minister of aviation, marshal Italo Ballo. The Pope invites her to Rome. She's a legend. In Romania, Octavian Goga, member of the Academy, proposes her for the "Premiul pentru Virtute" as a reward for her merits. She'll never receive it.

In 1935 she takes part in a great flight demonstration in BucharestIn1935. In 1936, sponsored by some Romanian companies, she manages to buy alight ,Milles Hawk airplane, and tries to keep up with the performances of the great wingmen of the world. She even intended to cross over the Atlantic, an idea that appeared once, when she was travelling across the Channel in a bad weather.

At April 26th 1936 she flies over the mountains of Yugoslavia, well know nas the moodiest, stormiest zone in Europe. Using the same plane, named "Aurel Vlaicu" in honour of another great personality of the Romanian flight history, she crosses the Mediterranean sea from Rome to Tripoli, anew world premiere .The plane was prepared for the flight by the mechanic, later pilot Nicolae Marinescu. The 1100 km long flight took 6 hours and 10 minutes and ends in with an emergency landing in Benghazi, caused by a violent storm. Smaranda Braescu returns to Bucharest on May 30th.

The crossing of the Atlantic remains only a dream, because dark years are coming. Romeo Popescu, one of her permanent supports, dies. After 1940,when the Ribbentrop-Molotov secret agreement mutilates the borders of Romania, she signs up for military service, and in 1942 she is, accompanied by other famous female pilots like Nadia Russo, Virginica Ditescu, Eliza Vulcu, Mariana Dragescu and a lot others, in the "White Squadron", a squadron of light transport, on the eastern front. After August 23th 1944, when Romania joined the Allied armies against Germany, she's in the 13th squadron, fighting in Transylvania, later in Hungary at Nyiregyhaza, Miskolc and in Czechoslovakia at Rimaska Sabota, Trencin and Piestany.

She did her best on both fronts, honoured her duty as a patriot, but after1945, when the communists took the power, she had the same problems the entire elite of the Romanian had after the war. The communist government decided to destroy the army as it was before, and threw in jail the entire leading class of it. It was a even worse that she had strong democratic beliefs, and was constantly against the abuses of the authorities. Shejoins the underground organization "Sumanele Negre", that acted against the spreading of the communism and she also signed a petition addresses to the UNO, next to various personalities of Romania, that revealed the abuses happened at the 1946 elections, pretended to be won by the communists. The petition has been handed to the Allied Control Commision, but ended in the hands of the Russians, so immediate measures have been taken against the ones who signed it. Smaranda Braescu has been hidden by her friends and acquaintances, like the priests Anton Pet, Matei Dumitru and Gheorghe Pet, the policeman from Richiteni, later Prof. Dr.. Ion Ghiorghiu, his son Mihai Ghiorghiu and N. Falcoianu. She stays for a while under a false identity (Maria Popescu) in a monastery's farm in Cluj.

She gets breast cancer. Prof. Dr. Falcoianu performs surgery in secret at the University Clinic in Cluj and she remains under the medical surveillance of Prof. Dr. Iuliu Hateganu. With all this care she dies at February 2nd 1948 and had to be buried under the name of Maria Popescuin the central cemetery in Cluj. The people who helped her in these last months payed with long years of detention the sin of helping one of the great personalities of this country. This was the way the communists rewarded all she did for her country.

Photo and text from Aeroclubul Romaniei