Bánhídi Antal Plaque

“Did he ever regret that fateful swim?” I often wonder, standing here before the Bánhidi Antal Plaque. This plaque commemorates Antal Bánhidi, a man whose life was a whirlwind of daring flights and groundbreaking achievements. The Bánhidi Antal Plaque, located in Budapest’s 14th district, marks the building where he lived and worked for over four decades. Bánhidi’s story began in 1903 in Szatmárnémeti, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1920, at just 17, he made a daring escape from Romania, swimming across the Szamos River to Hungary. He arrived with nothing but determination. This very plaque tells us he later attended the Technical University of Budapest. There, his passion for flight ignited. He helped establish the university’s flight club, EMESE. Bánhidi’s talent didn’t go unnoticed. Árpád Lampich, a renowned aircraft designer, took him under his wing. In 1929, he piloted a Lampich L-2 Róma ultralight aircraft on a remarkable 5,000-kilometer journey to Sweden and back. Imagine flying over the sea in a plane with a mere 18-horsepower engine! This was just the beginning for Bánhidi. He designed the Bánhidi Gerle, a versatile biplane used for flight training, aerobatics, and even towing sailplanes. In 1931, his expertise was instrumental in the first transatlantic flight from the USA to Hungary. Bánhidi carefully chose and prepared the Lockheed Sirius 8A plane named “Justice for Hungary” for the historic journey. Bánhidi and Tibor Bisits achieved another first in 1933, completing a roundtrip flight along the Mediterranean Sea in the “Gerle No. 13.” This 12,500-kilometer journey took over 100 hours of flight time. He even circled the Great Pyramids, capturing the attention of the famous desert aviator László Almásy. The plaque quietly speaks of his later expeditions to South America, flying over uncharted Amazonian territory. Bánhidi’s life took a somber turn with the outbreak of World War II. He witnessed the mysterious bombing of Kassa in 1941. This event pushed Hungary into the war alongside Nazi Germany. The Bánhidi Antal Plaque stands as a tribute to a remarkable aviator, engineer, and designer. It reminds us of a life fueled by passion, marked by daring feats, and dedicated to the advancement of Hungarian aviation. So, as you stand before this plaque, remember Antal Bánhidi, the boy who swam to freedom and soared through the skies.