An engineer and pilot, he was a pioneer in aviation, working on numerous aircraft. However, it was whilst piloting his own self-styled safety plane, that he ironically met his death, crashing into an Illinois field. However, his aircraft company carried on for a good few years after his death. Fernic first got interested in aviation through his involvement in World War 1, serving in an air squadron. He built two planes, the Fernic T-9 and the Fernic T-10. It was in the latter that he was killed. After his death, Fernic was honoured by Romania, when they awarded him the very first Order of Aeronautical Virtue (Ordinul Virtutea Aeronautica), an award to mark outstanding achievements in the flying world.

Biography last updated 10 Feb 2017