The SIM-VIII (

Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet (, ), also known as the Serbian script, (, ), is a standardized variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language. It originated in medieval Serbia and was significantly reformed in the 19th cen ...

:СИМ-VIII) was a 1931 Yugoslav, single-engined, 2-seat, sport, tourist and training aircraft, designed by

Sima Milutinović Sima Milutinović ( sr-cyr, Сима Милутиновић, 12 July 1899 – 11 December 1981), was a Yugoslav mechanical engineer and a professor at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, at the University of Belgrade, the most prolific Yugosl ...

and built at the Rogožarski factory in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

from 1931 and by Ikarus at

Zemun Zemun ( sr-cyrl, Земун, ; ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality in the city of Belgrade, Serbia. Zemun was a separate town that was absorbed into Belgrade in 1934. It lies on the right bank of the Danube river, upstream from downtown ...

from 1933.

Design and development

The SIM-VIII was designed by

at the end of 1930, with a desire to contribute to the development of aviation in Yugoslavia. The prototype was built at the expense of the constructor and the first test flight was conducted at Zemun in the autumn of 1931. After certification the aircraft was purchased by the

Yugoslav Royal Air Force The Royal Yugoslav Air Force ( sh-Latn, Jugoslovensko kraljevsko ratno vazduhoplovstvo, JKRV; sh-Cyrl, Југословенско краљевско ратно ваздухопловство, ЈКРВ; (, JKVL); lit. "Yugoslav royal war aviatio ...

and the Yugoslav Aeroclub at

. The SIM-VIII was a

parasol wing A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

ed monoplane powered by an

Siemens-Halske Sh 14 The Siemens-Halske Sh 14 was a seven-cylinder air-cooled radial engine for aircraft produced in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s. First run in 1928, it was rated at 93 kW (125 hp). It was briefly distributed in the United States by Ryan A ...

engine driving a wooden 2-bladed

propeller A propeller (often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon a working flu ...

, seating two crew members in tandem open cockpits. Construction of the SIM-VIII employs several new construction solutions designed to reduce cost and streamline production, without compromising aircraft flight characteristics, built mostly of wooden construction with steel fittings at high stress areas. The fuselage is entirely made of wood covered with plywood, and the wings have supporting structure made of wood covered with fabric. On each side, the wings are supported by a pair of inclined struts attached to the lower fuselage longerons, and the fuel tank is also located in the centre fuselage. The control surfaces are made of welded steel tube, covered with fabric and the fixed V-strutted landing gear was built up from high strength steel tube enabling the SIM-VIII to handle rough landing strips.

Operational history

Three SIM-VIIIs were produced by Rogožarski 1931, owned by the Yugoslav Aerocub at Belgrade, (registered YU-PBC, YU-PBD and YU-PCI) which used them for propaganda flights and training sport pilots. The first of the listed aircraft flew until 1937, when it was withdrawn from use and the other two have no recorded history. The two aircraft built in the Ikarus factory at Zemun in 1933 were not placed on the civil registry and are most likely to have been produced for the

. Accolades awarded to the SIM-VIII include 1st place at the 1932 International Air Rally (''Rundflug''), held from 19 July 1932 at

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

Operators

; *

Royal Yugoslav Air Force The Royal Yugoslav Air Force ( sh-Latn, Jugoslovensko kraljevsko ratno vazduhoplovstvo, JKRV; sh-Cyrl, Југословенско краљевско ратно ваздухопловство, ЈКРВ; (, JKVL); lit. "Yugoslav royal war aviatio ...

- 2 aircraft * Yugoslav Aerocub - 3 aircraft

Specifications

Notes

References

External links

goldenyears - Yugoslovenski registar civilnih aviona

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rogozarski SIM-VIII SIM-VIII 1930s Yugoslav military aircraft Trainer aircraft High-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1931