Nemzetközi Repülőversenyek (International Flying Contests)
Budapest, Hungary, June 5th - 17th, 1910

The Budapest Rákosmező airfield

Rákosmező has been called the cradle of Hungarian aviation. At the beginning of the 20th century it was a cavalry practice ground, around six kilometres east of central Budapest. Ágoston Kutassy made Hungary's first experiments of powered flight there, and after Louis Blériot's flights in Budapest in October 1909 the first hangars were built. In the end there were sixteen hangars, and a flying school was established. It was the obvious place to hold the 1910 aviation meeting.

The expansion of the Hungarian aviation industry led to the construction of other airfields and it gradually lost its importance, particularly after WW1. In 1922 the Mátyásföld airfield was extablished and took over the position as Budapest's main airfield. Today only a monument reminds of the airfield, and although large parts are still undeveloped the area is increasingly used for housing.
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A plan of the airfield, from the German-language version of the meeting program. It was originally intended that flights should be made clockwise, with turns to the right, but it was immediately overruled when the pilots started arriving. We don't know the exact layout of the course, but one source referred to it as "a perfect hexagon". North is at twelve o'clock. Click here for a high-resolution version!





Two of the heavily decorated entry gates on the western side of the airfield, the nearest to the 10-Kronen area and the other to the 20-Kronen area. (1)





An interior from the grandstands. (2)

Approximate maps of the airfield, the cross-country race course and Pischof's flight. Too see more details, open them in Google Maps by clicking the "full screen" symbol at the top right of the menu bars!
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