On October 20, 1915, the first Aeroplane School in Bulgaria was established in Bozhurishte. It marked the beginning of the systematic training of Bulgarian pilots, observers and technical personnel at a time when the country was already building its own military aviation.
Historical information distinguishes the establishment of the school from its official opening. The Aviation Museum indicates October 20, 1915 as the date on which the school was established, and Captain Prodan Tarakchiev was appointed its temporary head. According to other historical publications, the grand opening took place on November 26, 1915. Then Captain Simeon Petrov was appointed as the chief, appointed to this position on November 22.
The first cadets and aircraft
At that time, six of the ordered 12 LVG.S-II reconnaissance aircraft were delivered to Bozhurishte. The military command decided that the training of Bulgarian pilots would be carried out at the new school, instead of depending entirely on foreign aviation centers.
The first group included seven pilots and nine observers. The German pilot Franke participated in the training, and the mastery of the aircraft was completed in less than a month. Observers played an important role in reconnaissance, aerial photography and directing actions from aboard the machines.
Early aviation was associated with high risk. The planes have no protected cabins, and the pilots do not have parachutes. The diary of the aviation department about the death of Lieutenant Hristo Toprakchiev records: “Testing the airplanes over the airfield. Fatal fall of Lieutenant Toprakchiev“.
Bozhurishte becomes an aviation center
The establishment of the school is part of the wider construction of the aviation base in Bozhurishte. Hangars, repair facilities and buildings for personnel and trainees are located there. The airport gradually becomes the main center of Bulgarian aviation.
The aviation school continued to operate until the end of World War I, but was demobilized in 1918 due to the restrictions imposed on Bulgaria after the war. Its activity was resumed in 1923-1924, when the training of pilots and observers began again in Bozhurishte.
The history of the place continued in the following decades. In 1925, the State Aeroplane Workshop was established in Bozhurishte, which turned the airport into a center of Bulgarian aircraft construction. Thus, the field near Sofia remained connected not only with the first Bulgarian pilots, but also with the construction of the entire aviation infrastructure of the country.
Sources: airmuseum-bg.com, old-news.bnr.bg, vestnikstroitel.bg