National Aviation Day in Romania is observed annually on June 17. On this day in 1910, Romanian engineer and inventor Aurel Vlaicu flew his first powered airplane, the A Vlaicu I, for the first time.

The first Romanian aircraft capable of sustained flight was designed and build by Aurel Vlaicu. Having earned his engineering diploma in 1907, Vlaicu worked for Opel for a couple of years before leaving the company to focus on airplane construction. He started with building a glider and then obtained funding from the Ministry of War of Romania to build his first powered airplane.

On June 17, 1910, Vlaicu flew his airplane for the first time over the Cotroceni airfield in western Bucharest. The anniversary of this flight is now celebrated as National Aviation Day in Romania. In September 1910, Vlaicu participated in military exercises and flew his plane from Slatina to Piatra Olt.

In April 1911, Vlaicu presented his second aircraft, the A. Vlaicu Nr. II. In June 1912, he competed with it at the International Flight Week in Vienna, winning a total of 7,500 Austro-Hungarian Kronen in prize money. Sadly, Vlaicu did not finish building his third airplane; on September 13, 1913, he crashed and died while attempting to fly across the Carpathian Mountains in his A. Vlaicu Nr. II airplane.

Vlaicu’s aircraft are credited with boosting the development of both military and civil aviation in Romania. The Romanian Air Force was officially founded in 1913, and the development of civil aviation in the country officially kicked off in 1920. Romania has been a member of the International Civil Aviation Organization since 1965 and the European Civil Aviation Conference since 1991.