2023-04-18 08:23:41
Bridge of memory
Bronius Oškinis – a famous glider designer and a pioneer of gliding in Lithuania – was born on April 15, 1913 in Šakiai County, Barzda village, in the family of Jonas and Agnieska Oškinis. In 1920, the family moved to Kaunas. After graduating from six primary schools and two classes of “Aušra” gymnasium, he continued to “cross” the bitter roots of science at the Kaunas Higher Technical School (ATM).
Bro. Oškinis designs and manufactures a glider.
B. Oškini was always interested in aviation. He was one of the founders of the Kaunas ATM Aviation Circle, founded on December 13, 1931. After completing aviation courses, he managed the construction of gliders in the ATM workshop. Using the drawings of the German training glider RRG-23 “Zoegling” received from the Lithuanian Aeroclub, he fundamentally changed its design, prepared the T-1 working drawings and supervised its construction.
in 1932 on August 15, the glider T-1 was consecrated by canon Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas. After military pilot Gregor Heidriks tested the glider in the sands of Pažaislis, B. Oškinis himself took to the air and made the first flight. This glider was called BrO-1 after World War II.
In 1932, he was the first in Lithuania to meet the standards of an A-class pilot and pass the A-pilot exam. In 1933, together with other gliders, he participated in an expedition in Nida. B. Oškinis led the construction of a uniquely constructed hangar and dormitory during the creation of the Lithuanian Aeroclub Gliding School here. In Nida, he also fulfilled the standards of a class C pilot with the T-1 glider and became the first glider C pilot in Lithuania. However, he never lost sight of his main hobby – building gliders.
In the spring of 1934, a new training glider BrO-2 (T-2) was tested. Also, three new training gliders BrO-3 were created: “Pūkas”, “Aras” and “Giriūnas”.
B. Oškinis learned to fly in the IV program of LAK pilots, he did not lack talent and after receiving a scholarship, he learned to fly an airplane and independently flew the Š-18 airplane. Later, as a graduate student, he entered the Military Aviation Workshop and became a second-rank military pilot. In 1936, he was appointed deputy head of the Zoknii military aviation workshop, and later served as a military pilot in the 3rd squadron.
Another unique glider BrO-3 “Rūta” designed by B. Oškinis, designed for aerobatic gliding, was tested in 1937. It was one of the first such gliders in Europe. In the same year, together with Jonas Pyragius, he went to the international arena for the first time, participated in the world flight in the USA, where B. Oškinis flew with the LAK glider “Biržietis”, and his colleague J. Pyragius – with the BrO-5 “Rūta-II”.
After returning from the flight, B. Oškini was awarded a military scholarship to study at the Berlin School of Higher Technology, at the Faculty of Aircraft Construction. After his studies, when he returned to Lithuania in 1940, the Red Army already hosted him here, and he was appointed engineer of the repair workshop of the National Aviation Separate Squadron of the Twenty-Ninth Territorial Rifle Corps.
Glider designer Br. Oškinis, glider V. Šliumba, director V. Pakarskas and head of KSK A. Jonušas with like-minded people.
During the war, he studied at the electrical engineering department of the Faculty of Technology of Vytautas Magnus University. German bombers were repaired in the aviation workshop in Freda. In September 1944, he was arrested and taken to the filtration camp in Podolsk. After being released from the camp and arriving at the assigned army unit, he was demobilized in June 1945.
After returning to Kaunas in 1947, he did academic work and lectured at Vytautas the Great University. He also did not abandon his passion and continued to create new gliders. In the fall of 1949, the first post-war glider BrO-10 “Pūkas-III” was tested, and in the summer of 1953, the initial training glider BrO-11 was built.
In 1956-1962, he worked as the chief of the Kaunas Gliding Station. Serial production of B. Oškinis gliders was started in Simferopol, Kropotkin and other aviation workshops. About 2,000 BrO-11 gliders were produced, at that time it was the most massive glider in the world.
The life path of B. Oškini took him to Palanga in 1962-1969, where he worked as a contractor for the construction board. B. Oškinis was the first in 1963. Head of Palanga Amber Museum, the exhibition department of the Lithuanian Art Museum, which has started to operate. He held this position in 1963-1967.
In 1969, after establishing the experimental sports aviation factory in Prienai, Vytautas Pakarskas gathered a team of young and experienced engineers. One of them was B. Oškinis. While working as a designer, he paid special attention to creating gliders for young people. They introduced many innovations, used slotted wings, wings and ailerons. He created gliders of various modifications and thus opened the way to tires for many young people. While working in Prienai, he contributed to the growth and popularity of the factory.
The experimental sports aviation factory, which was born in Prienai and grew up in the Prienai district, became the only glider factory in the Baltic States. At more than one international exhibition, Lithuanians, who presented their products and received excellent evaluations, made their name famous in the world.
Bronius Oškinis never ceased to amaze with his achievements and records. In 1973, the first hydro-glider in Lithuania BrO-17V “Antenėlė” took to the air, a little later, two-slit wing hydro-gliders and the three-slit smallest glider in the world BrO-18 “Boružė”, the lightest glider in the world BrO-20 “Pūkelis”, fiberglass glider-glider BrO-22 “Rūtelė” and other gliders created by him. In total, he built 23 types of gliders, four of which were produced in series.
in 1982 B. Oškinis designed, managed and himself mainly worked on building models of the Albatros B.II and WACO airplanes for the feature film of the Lithuanian Film Studio about Darius and Girėnas. He also assisted the creative group in filming.
The merits of B. Oškinis in the development of gliding have been evaluated both in Lithuania and abroad. He was awarded with the awards of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania and the International Aeronautical Association. The Kėdainiai Children’s Aviation School is named after him. In Palanga, in his honor, the street was named after B. Oškinis.
The life path of a famous glider, glider designer, pioneer of gliding ended on April 7, 1985 in Palanga.
Rūta Žiobaitė
Priene region
museum curator
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