Dragan Petkovich

Dragan Petkovich - NEW YORK CITY, NY - Dragan Petkovich, 86, passed away February 2, 2011 in New York City. A native of the former Yugoslavia, Mr. Petkovich moved to the United States in 1966 and became a naturalized U.S. citizen. He was an aeronautical engineer who is known as the designer of the "UTVA 56", which was a utility oriented light aircraft manufactured in Yugoslavia. In the U.S., Mr. Petkovich worked for Cessna, where he is credited with designing a system that made retractable landing gear affordable and feasible for small general aviation aircraft. In 1975, Mr. Petkovich and his family moved to Savannah where he began working for local operations of Grumman, which subsequently became Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation. During his time spent as an engineer at Gulfstream, he was involved in the programs for the G-III, G-IV, and G-V. He retired from Gulfstream at the age of 76 and in 2006 moved with his wife to New York City to be closer to his daughter. A private service was held in New York City on February 5, 2011. Honorary donations can be made to the Atlanta Humane Society at www.atlantahumane.org . He is survived by his wife, Dr. Mila Petkovich, two daughters, Dushka Petkovich and Nela Pocuca, and his son, George Petkovich. Savannah Morning News February 9, 2011 Please sign our Obituary Guest Book at savannahnow.com/obituaries .