1. Lithuanian Aviation

2. What is aviation?
Lithuanian Aviation History
The most famous Lithuanian Pilots

3. What is aviation?
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. The word "Aviation" was coined by French writer and former naval officer Gabriel La Landelle in 1863, from the verb "avier" (synonymous flying), itself derived from the Latin word "avis" ("bird") and the suffix "-ation"

4. Lithuanian Aviation History
In 1851 published the first book describing the Lithuanian attempts to fly - Alexander Grishkevichius "Žemaičio garlėkys”. Lithuanian military aviation began in 1919 January 30, when in the Engineering Design Company formed a special squad and later found the Military Aviation School. The first aircraft - the Sopwith Type 100 HP. In 1927 after the establishment of the Lithuanian aeroclub the civil aviation was began to develop. Since 1931, Lithuania started to spread gliding.

5. Lithuanian Aviation History

6. Lituanica
Lituanica was a Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker airplane flown from the United States across the Atlantic Ocean by Lithuanian-American pilots Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas in After successfully flying 6,411 km, it crashed, due to undetermined circumstances, 650 km from its destination, Kaunas, Lithuania.

7. Antanas Gustaitis
Antanas Gustaitis (March 26, October 16, 1941) was an officer in the Lithuanian Armed Forces who modernized the Lithuanian Air Force, which at that time was part of the Lithuanian Army. He was the architect or aeronautical engineer who undertook the task to design and construct several military trainers and reconnaissance aircraft.

8. Jurgis Dobkevičius
Jurgis Dobkevičius (born March 23, 1900 in Saint Petersburg, died testing his own construction airplane Dobi-III in a crash June 8, 1926 in Kaunas, was a Lithuanian aviator and aircraft designer.

9. Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas
On July 15, 1933, Steponas Darius with Stasys Girėnas, attempted a nonstop flight from New York City, USA to Kaunas, Lithuania - a total of 7,186 km, in a Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker airplane named Lituanica.

10. Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas

11. Air crash
After successfully crossing the Atlantic Ocean in 37 hours and 11 minutes, they crashed on July 17, at 0:36 AM, by the village of Kuhdamm, Germany, most probably because of difficult weather conditions combined with engine problems. Both aviators were killed in the crash. They had covered a distance of 6,411 kilometers without landing, and were only 650 km short of their final destination.

12. Vilnius Airport

13. Thank you for your attention!