Gheorghe (George) Balș

After high school, he attended the Faculty of Law in Bucharest, and in 1930 he became a founding member of the Association for the Advancement of Air Tourism "Mircea Cantacuzino".

He obtained, in 1934, the second degree certificate and received, in Poland, the C certificate as a glider instructor at the school in Bezmiechowa. He is the first in the golden series of Romanian gliders with a flight instructor certificate, being followed by Eugen Cernescu, Gheorghe Goşman, Nicolae Blebea, Vasile Scortea and others.

In 1936, he took part in the first air race organized by Tempo newspaper on the route Bucharest - Constanta - Galaţi - Cernăuţi. During this period, he also publishes propaganda articles for gliding in the Air Magazine of the Romanian Aeronautical Federation.

In July 1941, he began working on the front within the 112th Link Squadron. He died during a mission on November 15, 1942, his plane being shot down by Soviet anti-aircraft near the city of Surovkino. In 1943, he will be awarded the Aeronautical Virtue, the Golden Cross with Swords and the Star of Romania post mortem.