To fly, to fly, how nice it is to fly – says a famous nursery rhyme. And it is known that some of the most wonderful children’s literary works talk about flying. This is why it was completely natural to acquaint the Savremena’s young ones with flying not just from an artistic point of view, but also from the scientific one. They went to the Aeronautical Museum and became little aviators for a moment.

This place is important for lots of reasons. The Aeronautical Museum is one of the leading objects of this kind in the whole world and it was founded in the early 1957. The documentation from all periods and fields of aviation history of Yugoslavia and Serbia is kept in this very museum. It also contains many objects related to foreign, civil and army aviation.

Rare and well-preserved airplane collections are an invaluable resource for comprehensive understanding of aviation development in our region from 1911 to this day. And the smart youngsters, upper-grade students, brought on this trip by Maja Erić, their class teacher, had a plethora of questions, which helped complete their knowledge about flying.

WE SAT INTO THE FAMOUS AIRCRAFTS FROM THE PREVIOUS CENTURY

Among the Museum objects, located within the facility of Belgrade “Nikola Tesla” Airport, one can find over 200 aircrafts. The children had a chance to, during an organized tour, obtain information on some of the most beautiful and important ones. Those beautiful airplanes are located within the Museum building, and on the plateaus around it. The students could touch the aircrafts, and it was even possible to sit in some of them, which made them feel like true pilots.

Furthermore, the children learned which aircraft was the most important one – the Italian “arrow”, Fiat G.50, the only remaining specimen in the world. Another special place is taken by the Yugoslav Soko G2 Galeb, the first national airplane with a jet engine, which was produced and used in mass quantities. The first airplane made in Serbia was also exhibited – the Fizir FN that was made in “Ikarus”, the first airplane factory in Serbia.

Besides domestic airplanes, the collection also comprises a number of World War II airplanes originating from several belligerent countries. Among them can be found Hawker Hurricane, Spitfire, Thunderbolt, Yak-3, II-2 Shturmovik, Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2, and others. The students also learnt a lot about the Museum building itself, which is especially important because of its transparent glass exterior, which further contributes to the blend of the museum exhibit and the airport facility. Ivan Štraus, the architect, received many prestigious Yugoslav awards for this original solution.

CONTACT WITH SCIENCE IS THE FUN PART OF EDUCATION

Everything that children learn in Primary School Savremena is interesting and useful. One of the fields that we devote lots of attention to is science. In this manner, students enter the world of science, technology and engineering from an early age, not just through curricular activities, but also through many extracurricular ones. Visiting the Aeronautical museum is a such activity – it offers additional information regarding the world of aviation which students can enjoy, but it is also an extremely complex branch of science.

Children could express themselves through playing and talking about the peaks of aviation industry. With their imagination and constant encouragement, they will also, if they wish, “make” airplanes one day. This is how they actually have fun and enjoy education. They do not think about how difficult a job is, but their first thoughts focus on creativity, innovation, and maybe even creating a new history.

Fly, fly.