Ivan Sarić - Aviation pioneer

 Ivan Sarić - Aviation pioneer

Ivan Sarić (27 June 1876 – 23 August 1966) was a Yugoslavian sportsman and aviator. He was one of the most important pioneers of aviation in Eastern Europe. 

He is a successful cyclist and a football player.  He won several awards in cycling competitions. while visiting Paris in 1909, Sarić met some of the French flight pioneers,  including Louis Blériot.  He saw his planes and instantly became fascinated with the prospect of flying. Upon his return to Subotica, he immediately started building his own aircraft. His first construction was made entirely from materials he had like wood, linens, motorcycle wheels, and even piano strings.

In early 1910, he completed his one-winged Sarić 1 aircraft by incorporating the 24-horsepower Delphos engine.  On 16th October 1910, in front of 7,000 of his fellow citizens, Sarić took to air successfully.  In 1911, he constructed a more improved plane with 50-horsepower. He tried to build helicopters. World war 1, slowed his experiments, but till his end, he continued his inventions and constructions.

The below stamp was issued by Serbian Post on 9th December 2010 on account of the 100th anniversary of aviation in Serbia.