Brata Edvard in Josip Rusjan iz Gorice - Začetki motornega letenja med Slovenci
Publisher: Puhek d.o.o. Ljubljana
Published: 2004
Place of publication: Izola, Slovenia
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 87
Table of contents: title: The book talks about Edvard and Josip Rusjan, two brothers of the barrel maker Franc Rusjan  family from Gorica. They successfully performed first attempts of the motor flying in this part of Europe in the first years of the 20th century.; title: Gorica as well as also all the Goriško – Gradiščanska region together with the rest of the Slovenian regions belonged into the frame of the middle-European state known as multi-national Austro-Hungarian Empire then. Slovenian inhabitants were in majority, and in the town of Gorica their number was approximately the same as the Italians'. Fast tempo of economic and social development was enabled by tolerant international circumstances which formed also good conditions for existence of  Slovenian economic and cultural organisations which were a necessary factor for ensuring material and logistic support to the developing projects of their members – including Edvard and Josip Rusjan – at that point of social development  (progress, growth).; title: Armed with stubbornness, professional knowledge from the domestic workshop and fast developing surroundings they started to applicative research at that time relatively little known area of aircraft construction and practical motor flying hoping to grow into the »Airplane factory of the Rusjan brothers«. Edvard was more capable in designing the aircraft machines, Josip was handier in manufacturing them. Edvard in contrast to his brother also tested and piloted (flied) them. Some knowledge was passed to Edvard by scarce litterature available then, more by his aquaintance engineer Franc Miller from Torino, and even more he learned when visiting the best world airmen (fliers) meeting in Brescia in 1909.; title: In 1909 and 1910 the Rusjan brothers manufactured seven aircrafts which were fundamentally different in flying and constructive characteristics. The planes were called after shortened Edvard's name EDA and followed by a consecutive number. The airplanes were tested in the meadows of  Male Rojce west and Velike Rojce south of the town. There one can still find the airport (Aeroporto Duca d'Aosta). They were assisted by Slovenian sport associations, craftsmen and other townspeople, most importantly also family members. Beside the mother Grazia Cabas from Medeja there were five sisters and two brothers in the family.; title: In the second half of the year 1910 the conditions for the two brothers in Gorica deteriorated. The surroundings did not help any more and the work conditions were no more favourable. But the ambition remained.; title: Circumstances connected with Edvard's cycling activities enabled them making the acquaintance of Mihajlo Merćep, a wealthy photographer from Zagreb, who offered them a cooperation in continuing aircraft manufacturing for sale. They moved their activities to Zagreb.  First they made one airplane (the first Merćep-Rusjan airplane) and started with building another one (Sokol). In the first days of the year 1911 the first airplane together with Edvard the pilot crushed during performing propaganda flying in Belgrade from the height some tens of meters. Edvard did not survive the accident.; title: After the death of Edvard Josip continued his work with Merćep. They manufactured some more aircrafts and trained new pilot, but there was neither commercial success nor money. That was the reason why Josip emigrated with his family to Argentina, where he was successful craftsman and innovator. He is also buried there. The majority of the Franc Rusjan children also left for Argentina.; title: Of the entire family only Grazia Rusjan, their youngest brother's daughter Carlo, lives in Gorica today.