Hungarian aerobatic ace Peter Besenyei's recent success in the Red Bull Air Race World Championship flying his locally built Corvus Racer 540 has given a massive kick to the country's small aerospace industry.
That is the view of Mihaly Hideg, chairman of the Hungarian Aviation Industry Foundation, who is heading the nation's efforts at ILA to attract foreign investment and find new markets for its suppliers and general aviation manufacturers.
Unlike its central European neighbours the Czech Republic and Poland, Hungary had little investment in aerospace in the communist era. Although Hungarian aviation celebrates its centenary this year, "we have had to start again three times" after two world wars and after 1990, says Hideg.
As a result, Hungary's aerospace sector consists almost entirely of family-run start-ups, created since the free market was introduced in the 1990s, with no government ownership and little foreign investment. Many, including ultralight builder Corvus Aircraft and amphibian aircraft developer Avana Industries, are in the GA sector.
HAIF was established four years ago to promote Hungary's aerospace sector. "We have not developed in the same way as other countries," says Hideg. "But we are hoping to get more attention thanks to our successful airplanes."
Source: Flight Daily News
