'Bazu' Cantacuzino's life in Spain, Some new facts of BNazu's biography.

During the war, The Bazu's nephew Mihai Brancoveanu, also a pilot, married the daughter of the Spanish Ambassador in Bucarest. That marriage produced close contacts between 'Bazu' and the Spanish residentes in Bucarest. Mihai Brancoveanu was KIA during the war and his widow came back to Madrid. There in Madrid were also his relatives, Princes Stroza-Mavrocordato, and his good friend -from the Bucarest pre-war times- Luis Beneyto, former Spanish Consul in Bucarest.
So, when his purposes to perform with Max Manolescu in air shows in France (in 1948-1949) failed, he was advised to install himself in Spain.
'Bazu' arrived to Madrid in early weeks of 1950 in a total bankrupcy. He was hosted by his relatives, the Stroza-Mavrocordato and was introduced in different sectors of the Spanish aeronautical world searching for a job.
Through Luís Beneyo he knew Jose María Ansaldo, then Chief Pilot of Iberia Airlines and also a "big stick" in other aeronautical companies. As it was impossible that Cantacuzino flew as a pilot for Iberia (then a State-owned Company) due his condition of foreigner, Ansaldo offered him other possibilities, the most profitable of all these being to fly as a crop-sprayer pilot.
Ansaldo was, also, the General manager and the public face of a US company that -for having the possibility of obtaining state contracts, forbidden to foreing enterprises in the General Franco's autarchic economy- had created a Spanish branch wich linkage with the public administration was Ansaldo.
The company name was "Servicios Aereos Agricolas S.A." and flew Boeing Stearman PT-13 and PT-17 spraying mainly in the vast olive-tree fields in Andalusia.
'Bazu' worked there from 1950 to 1956, and maybe this work permit him don't lose the acrobatic feeling.

Have you information about the 'Bazu' facts in Italy and Paris in 1948-1949.

Thanks a lot
Julian

At the end of 1950, Bazu Cantacuzino bought a plane in Spain. As has been said, he worked them as crop-spraying pilot and although those pilots were then well paid, his financial possibilities were not enough to buy a plane. So, he was aided by his friends, mainly by Juan Beneyto, the former Spanish Consul in Bucharest.
'Bazu' wished to fly a Jungmeister, like the YR-BIZ that he had left in Romania, but the only Jungmeister in Spain were those belonging to "Ejercito del Aire" (Spanish Air Force). So, he employed his relations and his friends for asking the Ejercito del Aire to withdraw from service one of those planes and to sell her to him. All these deals were successful done but, when the decission was taken by the Air Force Command for selling the aicraft, a new problem would be appear: The Spanish Law (then and now) requires a public auction for selling goods belonging to the State, and the Law about public auctions don't permited (then) a foreigner to bet for bought.
The problem was solved with the aid of Francisco Pons, one of the Bazu's friends that was a member of the "Real Aero Club de España" (Royal Aero Club of Spain) executive board.
Francisco Pons bought the plane for himself and some weeks after this transferred the aircraft. Now 'Bazu' had his own plane.
The aircraft, a Bücker Bü-133 Jungmeister with c/n (WkNr) 1015, was one of the 30 Jungmeisters that the RLM (German Air Ministry) sold to Spanish uprising moviment of General Franco in 1937 and 1938. She was an original German aicraft powered by a Siemens Sh-14A, not one of the 25 Spanish licence-built Jungmeisters.
In the "Ejército del Aire" that plane wore the indicative 35-30 and, from 1945, ES.1-30. When transferred to the civil register, she wore the register EC-AEX.
'Bazu' ordered some modifications to the workshops (smaller wheels, enlarged rudder) in order to have the same flying characteristics he had in the YR-BIZ. As said himself to the press, in an interview in 1957, the EC-AEX flew as well as the YR-BIZ.
The EC-AEX wore the same decoration as YR-BIZ. All grey-silver fuselage with a red flash and the letters EC-AEX in black on both sides. The rudder wore the Spanish national colours, as compulsory, and in the fin was the crest of the "Real Aero Club de España" (Royal Aero Club of Spain). The upper wing wore a scalloped yellow leading edge.

I hope give more information about the Spanish period of Bazu's life in following messages.

Regards from Spain
Julian

Hi Julian,
This is very interesting stuff. I have a photo of Cantacuzino's Bu133, but the registration is EC-ALP. Was the plane re-registered or is it a different one?
Radu

Hi, Radu

EC-ALP was not the aircraft owned by 'Bazu' but by other big Spanish Pilot, Jose Luís Aresti, the creator of Aresti Code for Acrobatic Flight.
EC-ALP has survived and now belongs to Pipe Aresti, son of Jose Luis Aresti. The plane can be seen in the FIO collection and performs (when airworthy) every first Sunday (except January and August) al Cuatro Vientos airfield, in Madrid.
In 1957, some months prior his death, 'Bazu' bought a second Jungmeister fron the "Ejercito del Aire" that recived the civil registration EC-AMO. The plane was sent to workshops for modifications (small diameter wheels, bigger rudder, etc...).
Thinking he would have the EC-AMO for the next Airshows season, 'Bazu' sold his old EC-AEX to a U.S. citizen and the plane was sent to North America.
I've not been capable to found information of EC-AEX after going to America.
'Bazu' don't arrived to fly his new EC-AMO, when he died the aircraft was yet at the workshop.

Regards
Julian Oller

Thnaks Julian for the clarification. This is very interesting.
Radu

In 1951 and already with his new Bücker EC-AEX, 'Bazu' took part in an Airshow held at Toussus-le-Noble Airfield, in the Paris townskirts and also in airshows in the United Kingdom, as those that accompanied the Hartfield and King's Cup Races and also in the Swansea Airshow, in Summer 1951. In all his performances, 'Bazu' achieven a high success and in all them the Press and mainly the Specialized Press wrote great praises about his actuations.
In reference to the Toussus-le-Noble, "France-Soir" noted "that through ten minutes performed the most audacious acrobatics, finishing with a barrel close the ground very dangerous".
"Sporting Life" with reference to the Airshow accompaining the Hartfield National Air Races, said that Cantacuzino "performed the most spectacular and best quality acrobatics in every times".
Similar judgements can be found in reference to other french or british airshows.

In 1952 he multiplies his interventions in british airfields. "Sunday Times", "Newcastle Journal" and "Northern Echo" wrote specially about a "shuddering inverted flight at only three feet off the ground".

In August 1952 flies in the Hsy Airshow and, from his performances, serious and relevant magazines like "The Aeroplane" and "Flight" considered that his actuation has totally eclipsed the other pilots.

In these years his flights in Spain were only profesional crop-dusting ones.

I hope this information would be useful.
Regrads from Spain
Julian Oller

Hi Julian

To add to your very interesting account of Bazu in Spain, he did fly EC-AMO because I saw him display it at RAF station Woodvale in NW England on 12 June 1957. I was a teenager at the time and I have never seen a display so spectacular. He also flew at the Blackpool Squires Gate Airshow the same day. I am told that EC-AMO had a Lycoming engine.

Thank you for adding information to this chapter in 'Bazu' Spanish life.
It's true that EC-AMO was powered by Lycoming.
I have the full participation of Cantacuzino in airshows in Spain in 1951-1957, but I've some holes in the information about Airshows in other countries.
Regards
Julian

Hello Daviator,

Do you think below picture with Bazu was taken somewhere in England. Take a look at the tail of the plane ( in the background) with UK registration. Picture courtesy " Aeromagazin"


This post has been edited by Cantacuzino on October 29, 2007 08:31 pm

Bazu famous " rasmoote" inverted flight. Picture courtesy Razvan Bujor.

The EC-AEX was modified with a extension enlarging rudder (as can be seen in the photo posted by Cantacuzino) and with smaller wheels in order to reduce drag.
The photo is very interesting because showns clearly the rudder modification.
Regards
Julian Oller

Hello everyone, sorry for the delay in responding. I have asked friends in England for information on the photo. The location is possibly Yeadon in northern England (today's Leeds-Bradford Airport) One of my friends was at the airshow there on 7 June 1954 in which Bazu displayed, but the aircraft in the background (a GAL Cygnet) was not there on that day. In my opinion, Bazu was one of the best pilots ever and his career needs to be documented in detail.

I think that only using the information from this topic, it could be the a nice start for a great articol in an aviation magazine ?!

For Julian and anyone else interested, the British magazine Flight International has just put its archive back to 1909 (?) online. There are many references to Bazu and also another Prince Cantacuzino who flew in England in 1912. Was this Bazu's father? Sorry I cannot give a link because my computer crashes! Google flightglobal archive and you will find the site. Search using Cantacuzene, as this was the English spelling of his name. There are dates of all his performances at British airshows and some details of them. This is real treasure for a Bazu researcher!

THanks for the hint, Daviator. Indeed, there are real treasures to be found in The Flight's archive.
Here is one caption referring to Cantacuzino, in 1951: 'The dashing Prince Cantacuzene — a romantic figure with a highly practical turn of mind and an aerobatic pilot of the first rank'.

Gen. Dénes