100 years have passed since the birth of the elite aviator Tudor Greceanu, on May 13, 2017, in whose memory the Flight School from Tuzla was named.
To mark the historic moment, Regional Air Services (RAS) ordered a badge, but also an anniversary stamp that was used for the entire correspondence sent until the end of that week from Tuzla Post Office. In addition, 1000 postcards dedicated to Tudor Greceanu’s centenary were made available by RAS at the Post Offices close to the Airport (Tuzla, Eforie Nord, Eforie Sud, August 23, Costinesti, Neptun, Mangalia 1), for free use.
“I wish that graduates of Regional Air School leave Tuzla not only with a license, but also with a model and I chose this model to be Tudor Greceanu. I am also concerned that the iconic figures for aviation to be better chosen and better promoted, and the aeronautical culture to be no longer just a privilege of those who can afford to attend flight courses or of the culture of Regional Air Services (RAS) organization – but of all young people who seek solid and clear moral standards. Therefore, the entire year of 2017 will stand under the sign of the 50th anniversary of the first flight on Tuzla airfield and 100 years since the birth of Tudor Greceanu”, said Adrian Vasilache, General Manager of Regional Air Services – Tuzla Airport.
TUDOR GRECEANU is an emblematic figure of Romanian aviation, both through his performance and professional exigency, but also trough his character and destiny.
Greceanu fought on both the Eastern and Western fronts and obtained the medal for 800 missions carried out in the enemy territory, but also the Aeronautical Virtue in the rank of officer with an oak leaf crown, that was awarded only four times in our history up to him, and, after that, the order of Mihai the Brave, the Iron Cross cls. I, Iron Cross cls. II, Star of Romania in rank of knight, Crown of Romania in rank of officer, Aeronautical virtue in rank of knight with two bars, Aeronautical virtue, Golden cross etc.
In 1940, Tudor Greceanu achieved the unique performance among his colleagues in the fighter pilot school, obtaining seven licenses, one after another: the fighter pilot’s license, the flying instructor’s license, the twin-engine pilot’s license, the high-acrobatic license, the night flight license, the no-visibility flight license at the Buzau flight school, and later in Ghimbav. Tudor Greceanu’s professionalism has become a profession of faith or, in his own words, those of a fighter pilot having over 1000 flight missions: “I never lost a teammate, I never lost a plane that was under my protection and in I never broke even a tire. I did my job.”
Despite these realities, Tudor Greceanu spent a long period of detention in the communist prisons (not less than 16 years) and was even sentenced to death. Eventually, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. During the investigations he was kept for 48 hours with his feet buried to his knees in an ice block. As a result of this torture his legs were later amputated. He was released from prison in 1964 when all political prisoners were released. The prison damaged Tudor Greceanu’s body but did not subdued his spirit.
Tudor Greceanu personality stands for excellence: more durable than any aircraft, it is the reputation of the pilot flying it, more durable than the human, it is the exemplary model it offers to future generations. Taking the name of Tudor Greceanu, Tuzla flight school assumes this model.
“TUDOR GRECEANU” Tuzla FLIGHT SCHOOL is one of the first private flight schools in Romania and holds courses for obtaining pilot and helicopter pilot licenses such as:
PPL – Private Pilot License (basic level, allows operation on a single-engine aircraft for own or private interest; does not allow operations of commercial nature)
CPL – Commercial Pilot License (professional level, allows the operation of an aircraft for commercial purposes as pilot-commander for aircraft with less than 19 seats or co-pilot for public air transport aircraft or pilot on aircraft intended for aerial work – aero photography, agriculture, recreation, aero-taxi)
ATPL – Airline Transport Pilot License (higher professional level, allows operation for commercial purposes as pilot commander on aircraft within specialized airline operators for public air transport of passengers, cargo and mail)
The school fleet consists of:
Diamond DA-20 Katana, VFR, SEP(L)/SPA
Diamond DA-40 TDI, IFR, G1000, SEP(L)/SPA
Diamond DA-42, IFR, G1000, MEP(L)/SPA
Cabri G2 – EASA CS-27 and FAR-27 certified – for PPL(H)
Flight simulator FNPT II
Investment for the future
The graduates of Tudor Greceanu Flight School from Tuzla are accepted in the evaluation and training programs of some of the most important airliners to become commercial pilots.
REGIONAL AIR SERVICES – Tuzla International Airport (RAS) is the company that took over the ruined airbase in 1999 and placed it in 2016 on the second place after Otopeni in the Romanian ranking of airport aircraft movements. Today it is the market leader in General Aviation in Romania, with a 18 years activity in the field. In Tuzla there is one of the first private aviation schools in Romania – both for helicopter and airplane pilots and the first skydiving school. The first OPITO approved survival school in Central and Eastern Europe also operates here.
RAS is the organizer of the most famous private air show, AEROMANIA, that reached this year its 11th edition and the first and only operator in Romania that organized rides (Bucharest – Tuzla / Constanta) in the Uber network.
Since 2013, Tuzla International Airport has been opened to international air traffic and has a boarding terminal built under the Schengen standards.