Doru Davidovici
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Doru Davidovici (; July 6, 1945 – April 20, 1989), was a
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 ...
n
aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators because they a ...
and writer. Born in a Romanian-Jewish family, Doru Davidovici became one of the most loved Romanian
fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...
writers in the 1980s. During the
communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
years, his books gave an unusual sense of
liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...
and new horizons by describing the experience of flying, and the closeness it forged – both between pilots and between pilots and their machines. The plane is seen by Davidovici not simply as a machine that enables one to fly but as an actual character, with its own personality and almost with its own soul.


Biography


Early life and military career

Doru Filimon Davidovici was born on 6 July 1945 to Paul and Etti Davidovici. He attended the Higher School of Active Aviation Officers, graduating in 1967 with the rank of
Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
. He continued his studies at the Military Academy between 1977 and 1979. After he completed his conversion training on
supersonic Supersonic speed is the speed of an object that exceeds the speed of sound (Mach 1). For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 Â°C (68 Â°F) at sea level, this speed is approximately . Speeds greater than five times ...
fighters, he was assigned to the 86th Fighter Aviation Regiment in 1984 where he flew on
MiG-21 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet aircraft, jet fighter aircraft, fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan, Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB, Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Its nicknames in ...
aircraft. Between 1981 and 1986, he served in various roles such as patrol commander, squadron commander, and inspector in the Military Aviation Command. From 1986 until his death in 1989, he worked as an instructor on the MiG-21.


The cockpit incident

In 1974, soon after taking off on a mission, the
canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...
of his airplane broke off knocking him unconscious. When he woke up, the aircraft was diving towards a forest but soon he managed to regain control and bring the airplane to
level flight Steady flight, unaccelerated flight, or equilibrium flight is a special case in flight dynamics where the aircraft's linear and angular velocity are constant in a body-fixed reference frame. Basic aircraft maneuvers such as level flight, climbs an ...
. Under the instructions of his flight leader, he then began the process of landing. While everything else was under control, he noticed a piece of the broken
plexiglass Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a synthetic polymer derived from methyl methacrylate. It is a transparent thermoplastic, used as an engineering plastic. PMMA is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass, as well as by the trade names and bran ...
still attached to the metal frame of the cockpit. Fearing it could tear off and hit him in the face, he grabbed the piece with his right hand while keeping the controls of the aircraft with his left hand. Unsuccessful in his attempt, and with an injured hand, he tried again with his other hand, eventually managing the tear off the piece. While on approach he tried to lower his visor, but his arm got twisted by the air current and flung backward, outside the cockpit, dislocating his shoulder. He managed to land the aircraft while his right arm was still twisted. Soon after landing, the medics managed to save his arm.


Writing career

He began his writing career in 1973, publishing the book titled ''Caii de la VoroneÈ›'' ("The Horses of VoroneÈ›"). With this book, he received the First prize at the publishing house's debut contest. His works soon gained popularity, giving readers a sense of liberty by describing the experiences of flying and presenting new horizons, and in other works of his presenting
UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...
s and aliens. Due to his writing about flight, his books were particularly popular among aviators. Young pilots even asking for his autographs on books while at the Air Base, with him always happy to sign them right on the wing of his MiG-21 RFMM.


Investigation by Securitate and censorship

Due to his family's close ties to
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
, he became a target for the
Securitate The Department of State Security (), commonly known as the Securitate (, ), was the secret police agency of the Socialist Republic of Romania. It was founded on 30 August 1948 from the '' Siguranța'' with help and direction from the Soviet MG ...
. His father, Paul, had been investigated two times in 1953 and in 1963, while his mother, Etti, was arrested on suspicion of treason being released two years after her arrest. Davidovici's wife, Agnes, worked as a translator for
Agerpres ''Agerpres'' (stylised in all caps; ) is the national news agency of Romania. History ''Agerpres'' is the oldest Romanian news agency and the first autonomous agency in Romania. It was established in March 1889 at the initiative of Foreign ...
and had many contacts in Israel,
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, and the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. Thus, both Doru (under the codename "Aron") and his wife were investigated by the secret police. In 1987, the Securitate intercepted one of his letters to writer Cornel Marandiuc. In this letter, Doru complained that his newly released book ''Lumi Galactice'' was censored with "incompetent erasures and clumsy additions".


Later career

Sometime at the end of 1987, or the beginning of 1988, Davidovici wanted to leave military aviation and wished to become a pilot flying internal routes for
TAROM TAROM (; legally ''Compania NaÈ›ională de Transporturi Aeriene Române TAROM S.A.'') is the flag carrier and oldest currently operating airline of Romania, based in Otopeni near Bucharest. Its headquarters and its main hub are at Henri CoandÄ ...
. He was however denied this request.


Death and legacy

Doru Davidovici lost his life together with Dumitru Petra on 20 April 1989 during landing procedures while returning with his
MiG-21 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet aircraft, jet fighter aircraft, fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan, Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB, Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Its nicknames in ...
UM from a training flight to the Borcea air base. The place where he crashed near the village of
Perișoru Perișoru is a commune in Călărași County, Muntenia, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Mărculești-Gară, Perișoru, and Tudor Vladimirescu. As of 2021 the population of Perișoru is 4,705. The commune is situated in the Bărăgan P ...
() is marked with a pile of boulders. His work was influenced by writers like
Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury ( ; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, Horror fiction, horr ...
,
Radu Tudoran Radu Tudoran (; born Nicolae Bogza; March 8, 1910 – November 18, 1992) was a popular Romanian novelist. He was born Nicolae Bogza in Blejoi, Prahova County, the younger brother of Geo Bogza, and son of . After graduating from the military high ...
, and
Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...
. He is often compared with French aviator and writer
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, vicomte de Saint-Exupéry (29 June 1900 – 31 July 1944), known simply as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (, , ), was a French writer, poet, journalist and aviator. Born in Lyon to an French nobility, aristocratic ...
. Both found a source of literary inspiration in their profession, and they both died, at about the same age, flying a fighter plane. The MiG-21 modernization program, which later became known as the
LanceR A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as and subsequently by India, Egypt, China, Persia, Greece, and Rome. The weapon was widely used throughout Eurasia during the M ...
program, was initially called the "DD Program", meant as a tribute to Doru Davidovici. Davidovici was married to Agnes-Ruth, ''née'' Valentin, and had two children, Irina and Ștefan.


Literary works

His published works include: *''Caii de la Voroneț'' (1973) *''Ultima aventură a lui Nat Pinkerton'' (1975) *''Insula nevăzută'' (1976) *''Intrarea actorilor'' (1977) *''Zeița de oricalc'' (1977) *''Celula de alarmă'' (1979) *''Culoarea cerului'' (1981) *''Aripi de argint'' (1983) *''Lumi galactice'' (1986) *''V de la Victorie'' (1987)


Published posthumously

*''Ridică-te și mergi'' (1991) *''Dezmințire la Mit'' (1991) Besides his narrative work, Doru Davidovici is known for his essay on the
UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...
s, ''Lumi Galactice – colegii mei din neștiut'' (''Galactic worlds – my colleagues from the unknown''), published in 1986. Here Davidovici regards, once again through his pilot eyes, the UFOs and the issues raised by their presumed existence.


References


External links


webpage dedicated to Doru Davidovici

"Winged Child of the Blue", article about Doru Davidovici
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidovici, Doru 1945 births 1989 deaths Romanian aviators Romanian Air Force officers Jewish Romanian writers Romanian male novelists 20th-century Romanian novelists 20th-century Romanian male writers Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1989 Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Romania Writers from Bucharest