"Utva Privrednik was the first exclusively agricultural aircraft of indigenous origin, design and manufacture. It was designed in 1965 engineers Branislav Nikolić, Mirko Dabinović and Smiljan Cotič in only eight months! Due to unification, and in order to reduce production expenses, they applied wings, tail unit and landing gears of Utva 60. Due to easier maintenance of plane’s structure, and approach to the equipment, the skinning on the fuselage left side could be opened. The chemicals tank of 700 kg capacity was made of glass plastics, thus eliminating negative effect of chemicals against tanks walls, and in case of emergency, it was possible to drop, empty liquid in 6 seconds, only.
During designing an extra attention was focused on pilot’s safety. The structure of forward art of fuselage, cockpit and pilots harnesses was calculated to overloading of 25 G units. IN the case of turning over of the plane, besides strengthened top of cockpit, pilots could use one of two side retractable emergency exits. At last, windscreen and landing gears legs were supplied with electric wire cutters.
In operation Utva 65 proved itself as a trustful and economical aircraft, thus a number was exported to Turkey, (8), Algeria (5), Bulgaria *2), Sudan (2) and India (1). It was produced in series in two variants, of which the second, (65C), was made in 10 examples, supplied by a stronger engine and increased wings, and thus better load-carrying.
The last, of total of 66 manufactured planes was withdrawn from use in 1986. The same year the Air Museum took over the plane from Agricultural Aviation, Vršac, and included it into exhibition."
