Műegyetemi Sportrepülő Egyesület
M-24 made by:
Patrik Ungár
translated by:
Gábor Fekecs
2014
We are expressing our thanks for the the
published pictures and documents to:
Gábor Fekecs
László Winkler Jr.
Sándor Katona
to the FORTEPAN Archive
and the Hungarian Vintage Glider Club
The history, main characteristics and the structure of the M-24:
The main characteristics of aircraft designed by the Technical University’s After the unsuccesful Budapest-New York transportation flight the Society
Sportflying Society were their simplicity and they were easy to build. All of started to build the two aircraft for King Farouk.
these can be found in the M-24 as well however all features contemporary tour
and training aircraft had were also included in this aircraft. During 1939 four M-24 were completed of which two were for Egypt,
getting the registrations HA-BAA and HA-BAB. These aircraft took off
The aircraft was designed in 1937-38 at the design bureau of the Thechnical for Egypt in June. One of them was piloted by László Vadas accompanied
University’s Sportflying Society by József Szegedy and Endre Jancsó who were by count Imre Andrássy as passenger. The other one was piloted by Lász-
helped by engineers András Szokolay and Jenő Tóth. Such a new training ló Tasnády with Lajos Rackó as passenger. The two aicraft were officially
aircraft was the main target which is suitable for touring as well as for aerobatics. accepted by King Farouk at June 25, 1940. The fate of the aircraft in Egypt
Production started in 1938 at the Society’s workshop which was located in the is unknown.
basement of the University’s main building. The construction was led by Jó-
zsef Szegedy. The work advanced in a normal pace till the Society got the letter In August 1942 László Vadas flew a record attempt with a modified M-24.
in which Hungary was invited to participate on the 1939 New York World’s On a closed circuit of 2000 km he reached 224,6 km/h average speed in 9
Fair. From this time onwards the construction continued in a forced tempo. hours.
The prototype was finished in 1938 and got the HA-NAE registration. After a
short test flights program the designers came to the conclusion that the aircaft Further aircraft were produced during 1940 and 1941. Among these 1 or 2
meets all the expected requirements. were destined for the military.
Following the test flights the aircraft was immediately prepared for the World’s The success story was ended in 1945 as all M-24 aircraft had been destroyed
Fair flight, and on the side a speed record attempt was performed to break the but the HA-NAN survived.
record held by the Czech Tatra T-101.2 type aircraft (231 km/h).
All in all (according to our sources) 9 M-24 type aircraft were built:
For the transportation flight to New York László Vadas and Vilmos Békássy,
the MSrE’s two best pilots were choosen. The newest Hungarian sport aircraft HA-NAE (M-24 prototype, which was destroyed in a hangar fire at Érd in
took off from Budaörs international airport at February 15, 1939. Their first 1942)
landing spot was Rome, then they arrived to Cairo via Catania, Tripoli and HA-BAA (for King Farouk)
Benghazi, where King Farouk visited the Hungarian pilots. The King had HA-BAB (for King Farouk)
so valued the new Hungarian aircraft that immediately placed an order for HA-NAM (her fate is unknown)
two. The pilots continued their route crossing Africa from north to south. HA-NAN (at December 11, 1944, two persons escaped with her to Italy)
Unfortunately the aircraft was damaged twice during the flights. First at the HA-NAV (her fate is unknown)
airport of Malacali at March 3, 1939, then in Tabora. Because of the second HA-NAW (fitted with a HM-605 160 HP engine, her fate is unknown)
damage the route had to be interrupted and the M-24 was transported back I.284 (military)
to Hungary. I.285 (military)
1
Endre Jancsó (1906-?) József Szegedy
One of the most outstanding designer and pilot of the He was also one of the exceptional designers and aircraft
The designers and Technical University’s Sportflying Society. When Ernő builders of the Technical University’s Sportflying Society.
Rubik left the MSrE Jancsó became the head of the de- He had learned to design and to build aircraft under An-
the best known pi- sign bureau up to 1945. The excellent performance and tal Bánhidy’s guide. Later the MSrE’s motorplanes and
aerobatic glider, the M-22, the two-seater basic trainer sailplanes were built under his leadership in the work-
lots of the M-24: aircraft, the M-25 ‘Nebuló’ and the EM-29 side-by-side shop at the basement of main building of the University.
two-seater advanced training aircraft are all connected to
his name. The M-24 was the second aircraft in the design of which
he played an important role. The first one was the M-21
He had designed with József Szegedy one of the most “Harag” aerobatic biplane. In 1945 he left Hungary and
excellent Hungarian aircraft, the M-24, which was com- immigrated to South-America.
pleted in 1938.
The M-24 prototype, HA-NAE, at Budaörs airport in 1938. In front of the aircraft
2 from left to right: Endre Jancsó, József Szegedy, László Vadas, Vilmos Békássy
The technical
specification of the
M-24:
Wingspan: 9,5 m
Lenght: 7,10 m
Height: 2,16 m
Wheel track: 1, 70 m
Wing area: 14,60 m2
Wing loading: 48,50 kg/m2
Empty weight: 475 kg
Take-off weight: 710 kg
Engine:
Hirth HM-504 A2 (105 LE)
Hirth HM-506 A (160 LE)
(HA-NAW)
3
Building the fuselage of the firts M-24 at the basement of the University.
4
The wings of the M-24 are in production at the basement of the
University.
5
The building team of the M-24 aircraft somewhere in
Budapest in front of a just completed airplane.
6
The HA-NAE, the M-24 prototype at the Budaörs intarnational airport. The aircraft was fitted with a 105 HP Hirth HM-504-A2 en-
gine. The exhaust stub which was used only on the prototype can be observed clearly. This cream-claret colour combination were used on
the aircraft delivered to King Farouk, the HA-BAA and HA-BAB besides of the prototype. All other M-24s were silver coloured with a
yellow stripe at the end of the fuselage.
7
A M-24 prototype, the HA-NAE,
at Budaörs airport in 1938.
8
To Africa with an M-24
The logbook of Vilmos
Békássy (fragment)
László Vadas in the M-24.
Vilmos Békássy and László
Vadas at the M-24 cabin.
Start from
Budaörs.
9
HA-NAN The last surviving M-24 (Gábor Fekecs)
The M-24 type two-seater touring aircraft which had been designed and built by the Thechnical University’s Sportfly-
ing Society and had been registered as HA-NAN, was stolen in December 11, 1944, by Dénes Szücs, private test pilot
of the Experimental Institute of Aviation, who flew her to Italy carrying a Polish engineer as passenger. They landed
in Tortoretto which was occupied by allied forces. The aircraft was confiscated and after the war it was delivered to the
Italian authorities. The aircraft later was sold to an aeroplane collector. The M-24 was repainted to red and a nonexist-
ent registration, I-TITI, was painted on the wings and on the side of the fuselage. At the end of the 1970s this collector
donated his collection consisting of seven or eight aeroplanes to the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science
Test pilot
and Technology in Milan. These aeroplanes were exhibited hanging from the roof of the Museum’s main exhibition hall.
Dénes Szücs.
Hungarian tourists visiting Milan discovered the M-24 in the Museum. On the initiative of Péter Zsille the Hungarian
Museum of Transportation made steps to get the airplane back to Hungary. The Hungarian Agricultural Crop Service
via Dr. László Takács offered other aircraft in exchenge for the M-24. These efforts were unsuccessful
because of the very strict Italian law concerning museums. According to this law
Italian museums can not despair of the ownership of any items they own in any form
(selling, exchanging).
The M-24 diappeared from the exhibition hall at the beginning of the 1990s. Péter
Zsille in 2008 continued his efforts to get the M-24 back. He tried to discover inter-
national legal aspects of the case. However because of the disinterest of the concerned
Hungarian authorities (and probably their dread of international law matters) no
steps in effect were taken. At the same year József Kasza and György Kúnár, enthusi-
astic supporters of the case, informed Sándor Katona, living in France, hoping that via
his contacts he would be able to help. Sándor Katona was briefed by Péter Zsille in a
detailed way, moreover he got from György Punka the copy of the report on the M-24’s arrival to Italy prepared by
the allied forces in the end of 1944. I was at this time communicating with an Italian aviation historian on gliding
history matters and learned by chance from him that one of his friends is aviation consultant of the Museum in
Milan. I asked him if his friend were able to get information on the history and fate of the M-24 in Italy. I got the
above mentioned history of the M-24 from this person. Unaware of the efforts of Péter Zsille and Sándor Katona’s
familiarity with the case I mentioned it to Sándor Katona on the phone what I had learned. The result of this was
that three of us decided to do something following our consultant friend’s advice.
By chance Sándor Katona, who in the last decades earned quite a reputation as a trainer in gliding aerobatics, in
2009 trained the Italian national gliding aerobatic team for the World Air Games organized that year in Torino,
as well as for the following world championships. He was successful as one of his trainees got the overall gold medal in The HA-NAN
M-24 after lan
Torino beating more previous world champions. The enthusiastic Italian team in cooperation with the aviation consult- ing in Italy wit d-
h American m
ant of the Museum in Milan found the location of the M-24’s storage. Sándor was transported to there where he shot ings painted ove ark-
r the Hungaria
nearly forty pictures of the aircraft. registration. n
10
M-24s registered as HA-NAV, HA-NAM and HA-NAN are flying to a meeting in Kolozsvár.
11
HA-NAN The last survived M-24
12
A peaceful moment in Érd.
On the extrame right is Dé- The M-24 registered as HA-NAM
at
nes Szücs, and left of him is a rally organized at Balatonkiliti.
László Vadas.
ore
o s E ö rs i N ag y sportflyer. M
aj
ragment) of L ed by the Tec
hnical
The logbook (f
A selection of flights perform
ed with ai
S o
rc
ci
ra
et
ft
y ca
d
n
es ig n
be observed, am
ong them
ortflying
University ’s Sp
pictures and th e M -2 4 re g is tered as HA-N
AW.
documents of
Military M-24 with uniform war
the M-24. marking. The aircraft on the picture
is probably the I.284.
13
