Come fly with me: Fascinating exhibition shows off some of the best in Polish aviation

Science | History | News

Magda Dercz October 23, 2018

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Designed and constructed during the early 30s, the PZL P.11c was Poland’s first fighter aircraft and for short time was considered the most advanced fighter plane of its kind in the world.

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At the outbreak of WWII the PZL P.11c scored the first Allied air victory when Polish ace Władysław Gnyś shot down a pair of Dornier Do 17s. It was also the first aircraft to successfully ram an enemy plane during the war.

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The Polish fighter aircraft could manoeuvre better than its German counterparts and despite the Luftwaffe’s general superiority, the P.11 managed to shoot down a considerable number of German aircraft, including fighters.

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First flown on April 24, 1962, the PZL-104 Wilga (Golden Oriole) is a short-takeoff and landing civil plane in which a number of Polish pilots have been awarded prizes in the FAI World Rally Flying and Precision Flying championships. In military service, the plane was typically used to carry out liaison and recovery missions.

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A 15-metre glider, the SZD-56 Diana has been winning awards since 2005. This year Łukasz Grabowski won the gold medal in the Ostrow Glide, Polish Nationals 15m in his Diana glider.

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The Student space association of the Warsaw University of technology (SKA) is made up of the rocket group, the rover team, the stratospheric balloon group and the PW-Sat 2 team.

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The TuCAN rocket, designed by students at the Warsaw University of Technology, was first launched in 2016. Designed to take small research instruments into the atmosphere, the TuCan is over 2 meters long and can climb to 5km. The FOK1 reaches an altitude of 1,700m and is aerodynamically guided by a module which 4 control surfaces called “canards. The Grot1 rocket is the newest member of the Polish rocket family and can reach 15km.

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The Orlik Olimpijski is a single-seater, high-performance glider constructed entirely of wood. Made of pine and covered with birch plywood, it was originally designed in 1938 and took second place at a completion in Littorio, Italy.

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This multi-purpose PZL SW-4 chopper which entered service in 2002. Powered by a Rolls-Royce turboshaft engine, the SW-4 can carry five people and is well-suited to passenger transport, primary and advanced training, patrol and surveillance missions.

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A newly-opened exhibition at the Warsaw University of Technology tells the fascinating history of Polish aviation. Running from October 22-23, the ‘Per aspera ad astra’ exhibition shows off some of Poland’s greatest aerial achievements, from fighter aircraft to rockets.

Tags: Exhibition, aircraft, aviation, Warsaw University of Technology

Come fly with me: Fascinating exhibition shows off some of the best in Polish aviation

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