Short history of the workshop of the Technical University's Sportflying Society (MSrE) and the EMESE Experimental Aircraft Factory
The workshop

In November, 1921, after an invitaion had been published by four students - Árpád Lampich, József Maier, László Kintses and Lajos Rotter - of the Technical University, Budapest, the Technical University’s Sportflying Society (MSrE) was founded. Besides the four initiators among the founding members can be found Antal Bánhidi, Gyula Feigl, Ernő Horváth, Hümér Hültl Jr. and Péter Thoroczkay, all of whom later have became outstanding personalities of Hungarian aviation.

The contribution of MSrE to rebirth of Hungarian sportflying, aircraft design activity as well as aircraft production after WWI is considerable.

Working at MSrE’s workshop and design bureau students of the University got opportunity to gain experience in aircraft design, aircraft production and testing of materials. And at the last years of the 1920s opportunity of actual flying opened up as well.

The first new aircraft design was the L-1, „Mama Kedvence” („Mummy’s Darling”), designed by Árpád Lampich and built at the locksmith-workshop of Sándor Svachulay, the propeller workshop of Oszkár Asbóth and at the Neuschloss-Lichtig woodworking factory, the latter of which occupied the previously closed premises of the First Hungarian Aircraft Factory.

After the construction of L-1 was completed the Society got an independent room from the University to use it as its workshop. The success of the workshop was demonstrated by another four rooms given to MSrE by the University, into one of which the design bureau moved in. Moreover the head of the Department of Polytechnics let the MSrE’s workshop to utilize the Department’s and its Experimental Workshop’s machines and equipments and even their premises. The workshop got financial support from the Hungarian Aero Assiciation as well.

For a long period the head of the design bureau was Árpád Lampich. Under his leadership a group of excellent designers grew up such as Antal Bánhidi, Ernő Rubik and Béla Samu. They were followed by András Szokolay, Ferenc Zámolyi, Lajos Beniczky and Márton Pap. Among others who were actively engaged in the work of the design bureau can be found Antal Lenkei, Hugó Nagy, János Cserkuti, Emil Lakatos and József Cziráky. On the field of aircaft engine design Péter Thoroczkay excelled. At first the head of the workshop was Árpád Lampich who were followed by Antal Bánhidi, József Szegedy, Ernő Rubik and Endre Jancsó. The workshop was functioning up till the end of the Second World War. An excellent group of mechanics, fitters and carpenters grew up as well in the workshop, such as Gyula Bendlos, János Kangyal, Lajos Kéri, Norbert Mérei, Lajos Őri, Nándor Szappanos, Gyula Szabó és Gyula Tóth. The first decade of the workshop’s life was characterized by powered aircraft designs and production though regular flying activity and pilot training started only at the end of the 1920s. Glider designs and production were also boosted when the gliding section whithin MSrE was founded in 1929.

The most important aspects of the workshop’s existence and work were that a series of new designs enriched Hungarian sportflying and that the basic technical personnel of the reviving flying activity in Hungary comprised of people emerged from this workshop. More aircraft types designed by MSrE were built by other factories and workshops as well.

Powered aircaft and glider types designed and built by MSrE

Year	Type	Designer	Engine & performance (kw)	Character	Built
1924	L-1 Mama Kedvence (Mummy’s Darling)	Lampich	Thorotzkay 8,8	Single seat light monoplane	-
1925	L-2 Róma (Rome)	Lampich	Thorotzkay 13,2	Single seat light monoplane	1
1926	L-4 Bohóc (Clown)	Lampich	Thorotzkay 25,7 later WM/Siemens SH-10 44	Single seat aerobatic biplane	1
1927	BL-6	Bánhidi and Lampich	WM/Siemens SH-11 62,5	Two seater trainer biplane	2
1928	BL-5	Bánhidi and Lampich	Bristol Lucifer 88,2	Two seater trainer and aerobatic biplane	2
1930	L-9	Lampich	Thorotzkay 25,7	Two seater tourer monoplane	1
1930	L-9-II	Lampich	Thorotzkay 62,5	Two seater tourer monoplane	1
1930	Gerle (Dove)	Bánhidi	Genet Major MK-I 73,5	Two seater tourer biplane	1
1932	BL-7 Holló (Crow) (Rebuilt BL-5)	Redesigned by Rubik and Pap	WM/Siemens SH-12 88,2	Two seater trainer and aerobatic biplane	2
1932-1934	Gerle (Dove)	Bánhidi	No.12: Thorotzkay 73,5 later WM/Siemens Sp III 95,6 No.13 and 15: Genet Major 73,5 No.14: WM Soport-1 73,5	Two seater trainer and tourer biplane	4
1935	BL-16	Bánhidi and Lampich	WM/Siemens SH-12 88,2	Two seater trainer and towing biplane	1
1936	EMESE-B	Rubik and Jancsó	-	Single seater primary glider	1
1937	M-19 (R-02)	Rubik	Gypsy Major 95,5	Two-seater tourer monoplane	1
1937	M-21	Szegedy	WM/Siemens SH-14A 110	Single seater aerobatic biplane	1
1937-1938	M-22	Jancsó and Szokolay	-	Single seater high performance and aerobatic glider	3
1937	EMESE-C (Rebuilt EMESE-B)	Redesigned by Tasnádi	-	Single seater training glider	1
1938-1940	M-24	Jancsó and Szegedy	Hirth HM-504A-2 77	Two-seater tourer monoplane	7
1940	M-25 Nebuló (Urchin)	Jancsó	Hirth HM-504A-2 77	Two-seater tourer monoplane	3
1942	M-27	Jancsó and Szegedy	Argus As 10/C 176	Tandem two-seater fighter trainer	-
1942	M-29 Csóka (Jackdaw)	Jancsó and Szegedy	Hirth HM-504A-2C 77	Two-seater tourer monoplane	1
1943	M-28 Daru (Crane)	Zámolyi and Lakatos	- (117-176)	High-wing towing monoplane	-
1944	M-30 Fergeteg (Storm)	Beniczky	-	Tandem two-seater high-performance glider	-

Notes:
- The M-27 prototype was built by the EMESE Experimental Aircraft Factory.
- Only the design of M-28 Daru was completed before the end of the WWII. The aircraft was built in 1950 and fitted with Argus AS-10C 176 kW engine.
- The construction of the M-30 was not completed till the end of the WWII. It was redesigned and rebuilt in 1950, and later different versions was designed and built as well.

Selected Aircraft of MSrE video clip

EMESE Experimental Aircraft Factory Ltd.

The factory was founded by the MSrE and the Miklós Horthy National Aviation Fund in 1940 at Ferihegy (the location where at present the airport of Budapest is located) to build the prototypes of the designs of the design bureau of MSrE, and to build the successful designs in series. With 240 employees the factory started to build the EM-29 (M-29) side-by-side two-seater low-wing taraining and laison monoplane which was designed by Endre Jancsó and József Szegedy. The type was fitted with a 77 kW MÁVAG-Hirth HM 504-A2 engine and up to the end of 1943 25 EM-29s were built. The prototype of the EM-27 (M-27) tandem two-seater fighter trainer was built in 1943 as well. This type which was also designed by Endre Jancsó and József Szegedy was fitted with a 176 kW Argus As 10/C engine. The serial production of the EM-27 never started due to the heavy bombing of Ferihegy and the approaching frontline. There had been no time to move the factory to the western part of the country and it was totally destroyed.

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