Z letových zápisníků rotmistra letectva Eduarda Šimka (1903–1957)

Pages	67-88
Citation	MAJTENYI, David. Z letových zápisníků rotmistra letectva Eduarda Šimka (1903–1957). Journal of the National Museum. History Series. Prague: National Museum, 2017, 186(1-2), 67-88. ISSN 1214-0627. Also available from: https://publikace.nm.cz/en/periodicals/jotnmhs/186-1-2/z-letovych-zapisniku-rotmistra-letectva-eduarda-simka-19031957

Journal of the National Museum. History Series | 2017/186/1-2

Flight Sergeant Eduard Šimek’s (1903–1957) flight record books. This study came about on the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of Eduard Šimek’s death. Last year, ANM man¬aged to acquire a number of unique materials about his person for digitisation from his son, PhDr. Eduard Šimek, CSc’s personal archives. These include, e.g., fully preserved flight record books from 1924 to 1939 and a number of unique period photographs. Using this basis, along with records from VÚA–VHA in Prague, a colourful picture of this First Republic pilot has been produced. He was born on 17 March 1903 in Veselí nad Moravou, and after training as an ironworker, he volunteered to become a military pilot. He underwent pilot training in the Military Flying School in Cheb between 1924 and 1925. He then served in the General M R Štefánik 3rd Aviation Regiment at the airport in Košice, and in the Dr Edvard Beneš 2nd Aviation Regiment in Olomouc. In 1928, he graduated from fighter plane school and worked in subsequent years within the TGM 1st Aviation Regiment in Prague. In su¬mmer 1937 he was transferred to the Military Technical and Aviation Institute (Vojenský technický a letecký ústav – VTLÚ), where he first worked as an aviation photographer, and from July 1938 as a test pilot. Until the country’s occupation in March 1939, Flight Sergeant Eduard Šimek had recorded information on 5139 flights in his flight record books, during which time he had flown 1610 hours and 10 minutes. Between 1939 and 1945, he held a clerical position at the District Office in Pelhřimov’s Economics Department. Following the country’s liberation, he did not return to the army and was transferred to the reserve forces. He worked for the district government in Pelhřimov until 1948 when he was moved and worked within the Benešov district government administration, and from 1951 worked as an ironworker in Benešov’s armoury. He died as a consequence of previous health issues on 19 August 1957.

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