The IAR-23 and IAR-24 were low-wing

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

light multipurpose

aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...

with a

conventional undercarriage Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Ter ...

, built by IAR of

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

Development

The IAR-23 was created in 1934 by the Romanian company

Industria Aeronautică Română Industria Aeronautică Română (IAR) (now IAR S.A. Brașov), or Romanian Aeronautic Industry in English, is a Romanian aerospace manufacturer. It is based in Ghimbav, near Brașov, Romania. IAR was founded in 1925 with the aid of the Romanian g ...

(IAR) as an attempt to design a next-generation fighter for the

Royal Romanian Air Force The Air Force branch of the Royal Romanian forces in World War II was officially named the (ARR, ), though it is more commonly referred to in English histories as the (Royal Romanian Air Force, FARR), or simply (Romanian Air Force). It provided ...

, but because its low power, it was classified only as a civilian touring aircraft. However, it contained many advanced features for its time, including uniquely designed wings. After the installation of additional fuel tanks, it turned into a long-haul touring plane, with a maximum range of 2300 km. An improved version, the IAR-24, was created in 1935. It used the same airframe, but had a modernized cockpit and a slightly more powerful engine that yielded a higher cruising speed.

Operators

The sole IAR-23 built was registered YR-IAR. and delivered to Major

Gheorghe Bănciulescu Gheorghe Bănciulescu (28 December 1898 – 12 April 1935) was a Romanian early aviator. He is believed to be the first pilot in the world to fly with his feet amputation, amputated. Biography He was the son of an infantry officer, he attended ...

in September 1934, who undertook several cross country flights with the aircraft through Europe (from

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Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

and

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

). The next year, the IAR-23 was flown to

Tel-Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

and back.''Avioane Tricolore'', Romania's Aircraft Production - The First Twenty-Five Years The sole IAR-24 was registered YR-ACI. The fates of both aircraft are unknown.

Specifications (IAR-23)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iar-23 1930s Romanian airliners 23 Aircraft first flown in 1934 Low-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear