Short History of the OMRE Központi Repülögépjavító Üzem, Budaörs (Central Aircraft Repair Plant of the OMRE, Budaörs) and its successor plants.
Historical background

After the second world war sportflying activity in Hungary was banned by the Control Commission of the Allied Powers up to June, 1947. Then gliding activity started in pre-war and newly established aero clubs. However at the beginning of 1948 a new organization, the OMRE - Országos Magyar Repülö Egyesület (National Hungarian Flying Association) - was created with the task to control all sportflying activity in Hungary. All the aero clubs with all their assets were incorporated into this new organization, and all sport airfields were managed and financed by OMRE as well. New flying schools were established at the largest airfields, new gliders were ordered. To meet the required restoration, maintenance and repair work new workshops were founded, among them the OMRE Központi Repülögépjavító Üzem, Budaörs (Central Aircraft Repair Plant of the OMRE, Budaörs) at June, 1948. Budaörs became the central sport airfield of OMRE. To the proposal of two noted designers, Béla Samu and Hugó Nagy, a central designing office was also organized to produce all the necassary documentations restoration and repair works required.

OMRE conducted a design contest for gliders in 1948 as well. Designs prepared for this competition formed the backbone of the Hungarian gliding fleet in the 50s and first half of the 60s: R-15b Koma, R-16b Lepke, K-02 Szellö.

The OMRE was dissolved in 1951 and the Magyar Repülö Szövetség (MRSz- Hungarian Aeronautical Association) took over its assets and tasks.

OMRE Központi Repülögépjavító Üzem, Budaörs (Central Aircraft Repair Plant of the OMRE, Budaörs). 1948-1951

At the beginning the plant most important task was the restoration of motorplanes and gliders survived the fightings. Before and during the war a considerable number of Bücker Bü-131s were used as trainers both in sport and military flying. As other smaller workshops restored a couple Bü-131 aicraft as well, the exact number of aircraft restored in the Central Plant is not known. Altogether 35 Bü-131s were restored in the country of which 13 went into the OMRE’s fleet.

The other important task was to finish the construction of aircraft having been started to build during the last years of the war. One of these was the M-28 Daru four-seater utility and towing aircraft. It was completed and delivered to the Air Force in February, 1950. However after a minor accident the airaft was passed to OMRE wher it was used for towing gliders. The other item was the M30 Fergeteg two-seat performance glider the design work of which had been started in 1942 by the MSrE and the construction of the prototype also had commenced in 1944. The OMRE’s plan was to build a series of this glider. The central designing office first task was to finish the documentation of the M-30. The plant built the prototype which first flew in August, 1950.

With the dissolvation of OMRE, one part of the plant at Budaörs, which was engaged in building new aircraft, was moved to Mátyásföld airport in 1951. The other part was taken over by the military.

MRSz Központi Repülögépjavító Üzem, Mátyásföld (Central Aircraft Repair Plant of the MRSz, Mátyásföld) and MRSz Központi Repülögépjavító Üzem, Dunakeszi (Central Aircraft Repair Plant of the MRSz , Dunakeszi). 1951-1955

The new plant at Mátyásföld started to build the OE-01 high performance glider designed by the central design office which was also taken over by MRSz and became a department of the plant. Ferenc Zsebö was appointed as the head of the design office. The OE-01 was built and test flown at Mátyásföld.

The plant was moved to the new Dunakeszi sport airfield in 1952. The new versions of the Fergeteg, the M-30B, M-30C, M-30C/1 as well as the M-30C/1S were built here between 1952 and 1954. The building of the redesined Bene two-seater, which was the runner up of two-seater trainer catgory at the design contest of OMRE in 1948, started at Mátyásföld in 1950, however it was finished at Dunakeszi in 1952.

At the beginning of the 50s the trend to use gliding as preliminary training for military flying was gaining momentum. A design contest for two-seater trainig gliders which meet such requirement had been opened in 1950. The winner of the contest was Ferenc Zsebö’s design, the Z-03 Ifjúság. After the construction of the new plant had been finished at Dunakeszi its layout was shaped and its equipment was choosen to accomodate the serial production of this type. Producing the Ifjúság the plant learned the new technogy to build metal gliders. After the first series of Ifjúság had been finished a new version, the Z-03B went into production.

The plant up to March, 1955 was under the control of the MRSz. However at this date the plant was taken over by the Kohó- és Gépipari Miniszterium (Ministry of Metallurgical and Mechanical Industry) and became Alagi Központi Kisérleti Üzem (Central Experimental Plant, Alag).

Alagi Központi Kisérleti Üzem - AKKÜ (Central Experimental Plant, Alag). 1955-1958

One of the first new product finished under the new name was the Z-04 Béke aerobatic glider the test flights of which started at July, 1955.

Back in 1954 an order was placed at the factory by the MRSz to develop a medium performance single-seater glider with easy flight handling characteristics. The aim of MRSz was to have a glider suitable for first solo flights as well as silver badge leg flights. There was a requirement concerning the technology to be applied: the production of the new glider has to adopt the technology had been developed during the production of Ifjúság. In 1956 Erno Rubik became the head of the design deepartment. The designs of two all-metal gliders, the R-23 Gébics and the R-24 Bibic were developed to meet these requirements. The R-23 Gébics first flew at June , 1957. However the construction of R-24 Bibic glider never was finished due to the new profile assigned to the factory.

The controlling ministry changed the profile of the factory and all the aviation related works were moved to the Sportárutermelo Vállalat, Esztergom (Factory of Sport Appliences, Esztergom) or gradually ceased. The AKKÜ was dissolved in 1958. The factory establishied on the site had a totally different profile.

AKKÜ last tasks on the field of building gliders were the development of the high performance A-08 Sirály glider and later a new version, the A-08 Sirály II. However the two gliders built of this latter type were finished in Esztergom.
Repairing motorplanes as well as aircraft engines were also on the agenda of the plant during its existece. The modification of the landing gear of M-28 Daru, or the redesign and modofication of R-18 Kánya towing aircraft to accomodate the M-11 radial engine were done in this plant.

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