Celier Aviation 2012 delivery their first new Xenon G2

At the end of 2011 the two key business partners at Celier Aviation ( the manufacturers of the Xenon gyrocopter ) went their separate way. They both wanted to continue building gyrocopters and so two new separate companies were formed - "Aviation Artur Trendak" and "Celier Aviation (2012)".

The new Celier Aviation have recently built a small batch of three Xenon G2 gyroplanes at their facility in Biskupice. The first test flight took place in May 2013 with the first customer delivery going to an owner in Germany in June.

New Celier Aviation Xenon G2 arrives at Muritz Airpark, Germany 6.13  - photo Celier Aviation

Celier Aviation will now focus on the development and test flying of the first Xenon G4 model whilst rival Aviation Artur Trendak continue with production and development of their own Zen1 gyrocopter.

UPDATE 18.6.13 - Celier Aviation have now delivered the second and third new Xenon G2 ( from a batch of 3 ) - these two machines are both painted black and were delivered to Germany on 13.6.13. 

Steve

Air Res - a new Jungmann

Back in the early 1990s Janusz Karasiewicz started to build Bucker Jungmann biplanes in Poland. The company was called Serwis Samolotow Historycznych ( SSH ) and they used plans and drawings from the Czech company Tatra. During World War 2 with Czechoslovakia occupied by the Germans the Tatra factory had licensed built Bucker Bu 131 Jungmann for the Luftwaffe as the T-131.

The first Polish built SSH T-131 Jungmann SP-PPF first flew in summer 1994 powered by a Walter Minor 4-111 engine. Production versions ( T-131PA ) used the more powerful M332AK suited for inverted flight and offering 140HP. The new build T-131 Jungmann sold well with many examples going to owners in Germany and Austria and others to Netherlands, Italy and South Africa. In 2006 Janusz Karasiewicz was killed in a FK-12 Comet accident at Bydgoszcz. Production continued until 2010 by which time approx 30 Jungmann had been built by SSH - the production rights were sold on in 2011 to Air Res.

Air Res T-131PA Jungmann SP-YFB c/n PA200 - photo thanks to Air Res

Air Res are based at Jasionka airfield just north of Rzeszow, Poland. Their first T-131 Jungmann SP-YFB first flew in January 2013 - this is also powered by the M332AK engine. The aircraft was exhibited at the Aero 2013 trade show at Friedrichshafen in April 2013. The aircraft has been painted to match that worn by Bucker Bu 131 Jungmann aircraft that took part in the 1936 Olympic games held in Berlin. A second Air Res Jungmann c/n PA201 is currently in production.



Steve

Warsaw - Polish Army Museum

The Polish Army Museum is located right in the centre of Warsaw city, on the Al Jerozolimskie just before the bridge crossing the River Vistula.

Outside the museum is a good collection of aircraft and fighting vehicles - you can access these free of charge. I've been here many times since 1994 and the collection has expanded over the years. Don't let the snow trick you into thinking I visited mid winter - these images were taken on 5th April 2013.  

Yak 40 044 c/n 9840659 was built in 1979 and served with 36 SPLT in the VIP transport for 30 years being based at Warsaw Okecie international airport. This aircraft is the latest addition to the museums collection.

Mig 21PF 0615 was delivered circa 1965 - this aircraft wears the Syrena emblem of 1 PLM based at Minsk airbase ( approx 30 miles East of Warsaw ) .

Mi-2 1449 c/n 531449040 was built at the PZL Swidnik factory in 1970 - it arrived at the Museum in 1996 and wears the red/white tail band of 42 ELT the last unit it served with, based at that time at Warsaw - Bemowo airfield. This Mi-2 is currently "under renovation".

An-26 1602 c/n 1602 served with 13 PLT based at Krakow - Balice - delivered new in 1973 this An-26 took on the identity SP-LWC in 1991 ( and latter SP-KWC ) for flights into Western Europe painted in an overall grey colour scheme with "Cargo" titles. The aircraft is fitted with additional navigational kit. It reverted to serial 1602 in 1996 and took on this camouflage colour scheme circa 1999 - it was retired from use in 2008 ( replaced by the new Casa 295M ) and arrived at the museum in 2010.   

Web link for Polish Army Museum


Steve

Replica FK-51 Mustang to be built at Krosno

FK at Krono, Poland will shortly start work on building the first example of the FK-51 Mustang. This is a 70% scale replica of the famous American WW2 P-51 Mustang fighter designed to be capable of aerobatic flights with a maximum load of +8g or -4g

Photo shows U.S. Army Air Force North American P-51 Mustang fighters from the 375th Fighter Squadron, 361st Fighter Group, from RAF Bottisham, Cambridgeshire (UK), in flight taken on 26 July 1944.

The project is a collaboration between FK-Lightplanes and Scalewings ( Austria ). The Krosno based company is very experienced in building composite material aircraft such as the FK-9, FK-12 and FK-14 light aircaft.

More info on the video link below which includes details of the master moulds being cut by CNC.

The aircraft will be offered in two versions, as an ultralight ( approx 472kg ) and as a ELA/LSA ( approx 600kg )  - engine choices include Rotax and Suzuki.


External Web Link to FK-51 Promo Video


Scalewings FK-51 Mustang website



Steve

LOT - Boeing 787 Dreamliner

The first flight of the very first LOT 787 Dreamliner is now imminent with the first aircraft SP-LRA ( line number 061 ) now fully painted at the Boeing Everett factory in Washington state.

The LOT Dreamliners will be powered by Rolls Rocye Trent 1000 engines and when delivered will be the first 787 of any European airline.

Delivery of the first aircraft for LOT is due in November 2013 - the aircraft will then undertake a short series of validation flights in Poland before passenger services commence in December.  LOT have trained five flight crews in the USA in readiness. LOT will use the new 787 aircraft on a variety of routes across Europe to build up flight crew experience and help promote the airline and the aircraft.

The Polish airline has announced that the 787 will operate from Warsaw into London Heathrow over the busy Xmas period.

Details of the first few LOT 787s are show below


SP-LRA - line number 061- c/n 35938  - first flight imminent - October 2012
SP-LRB - line number 078
SP-LRC - line number 086
SP-LRD - line number 087
SP-LRE - line number 088


UPDATE - The First Flight took place on 18th October when the very first LOT Boeing 787 took off on its first flight - SP-LRA was wearing the temporary US registration N1026G



Steve

ULC approves ELA 07 gyrocopter

The ULC ( Polish CAA ) has recently given type certificate approval to the ELA 07 Cougar two seat open cockpit gyrocopter.

This is major step forward for the liberalisation of the gyro market in Poland as previously the only type certified was the Polish built Xenon/Zen1.

Half a dozen of the Spanish built ELA 07 gyros have been operating in Poland since 2008 with most registered on the American "ASC" register and one with a Czech ( OK ) registration.

The first ELA 07 with a Polish registration is SP-XELA - this gyro had previously flown with the ASC registration "A21-KAC".

The local agent "Wiatrakowce" recently imported an agricultural version of the ELA 07 equipped with spray bars  - this was exhibited at a recent farm equipment trade show in Poland.



Find more info about the ELA gyrocopter in Poland on the web link below

http://wiatrakowce.org/

Aero deliver new AT-3 to Fly Polska

Aero of Mielec have recently delivered the first of two new build Aero AT-3 training aircraft to the Fly Polska flight training school. This AT-3 is fitted with a Garmin glass cockpit flight display.

This aircraft is SP-GDK c/n 063 - Fly Polska have a small fleet of training aircraft that operate from the airfields at Mielec and Rzeszow.

The second example will be registered as SP-GDL c/n 064 and is due to be handed over to Fly Polska in late September 2012.

External Web Link to Fly Polska website

Thanks to Aero Sp zoo and EPML Spotters


Steve

G-UFCJ Cessna 172 sold to Poland

The latest UK CAA aircraft register update shows that Cessna 172S G-UFCJ c/n 172S10485 was cancelled as "sold to Poland" on 2nd July 2012. This aircraft was built in 2007 and spent three years flying with the Ulster Flying Club ( UFC ) at Newtownards between 2008-2011 ( hence the registration G-UFC... ).

Link to photo of G-UFCJ

If you see this aircraft in Poland please let me know - thanks Steve

I-28 Tractor Gyroplane

Poland has a long history of designing new and innovative aircraft  / helicopters / gliders - the Instytutu Lotnictwa ( IL ) aviation academy in Warsaw is currently working on a new gyrocopter, the I-28.

The I-28 is a two seat tractor gyrocopter, ie the powered propeller is at the very front of the aircraft rather than the more conventional ( in modern terms ) pusher type gyro where the powered propeller is behind the cockpit cabin.

The concept of tractor gyrocopters is not new with several designs flying in the 1930s ( Cierva designs )  - the  Instytutu Lotnictwa project brings this concept into the 21st century using the latest design techniques and materials. The design features a very sleek carbon epoxy aerodynamic fuselage with a two wheel undercarriage and a novel tail down design. At the moment the only tractor gyros being built are made in the USA by Little Wing Autogyros.

The first prototype is now nearing completion and the first test flight is due in late 2012.


More information on the link below

I-28 Gyrocopter



Steve

Sky Guards - Xenon gyrocopter

The Sky Guards have recently taken delivery of their first Xenon gyrocopter, registered as SP-XESP - this gyro was built by Aviation Artur Trendak at Jaktorów - Kolonia, Poland.

The Xenon will be used by the volunteer fire service to help patrol Polands many large forests and road network to coordinate the emergency service response to fires and vehicle accidents and other incidents.

Eight local volunteer firemen have now been trained to fly the gyrocopter - the Xenon will soon be fitted with a FLIR turret to assist with the observation task.

With thanks to Darek Szymanczak for the photo and to Paul Komander for info.



Steve

Aero-Service - new Panda ultralight

Aero-Service will be exhibiting their new Panda ultralight aircraft at the Aero 2012 trade show in Friedrichshafen, Germany in April 2012.

The Panda is a high wing ( no struts ), T-tail two seat aircraft built primarily from duralumin metal with a MTOW of 472kg.

The prototype made its first flight in November 2012 at Modlin airport and is registered with the Czech registration OK-QUA-06.  A second Panda is currently under construction.

More information on the Aero-Service website, see

http://www.aero-service.com/



Steve

New Xenon - Aviation Artur Trendak

Aviation Artur Trendak will soon deliver a new Xenon G3 gyrocopter to a customer in Turkey. The gyro has been painted and is ready for dispatch - this will be the second Xenon in Turkey.

 
The photo shows the new forward opening doors which are a feature of the G3 model and the revised windscreen / nose profile.

The Aviation Artur Trendak factory continues Xenon production at Jaktorów - Kolonia, Poland, located at the site of the former Celier Avation facility.
 

Steve

EM-11C Orka - deal with China

In December 2011 Marganski and Myslowski ( M and M) announced that an investment agreement had been reached with a consortium of aviation companies from China for a general aviation partnership. M and M have been seeking investment to facilitate serial production of the four seat twin engined Orka.

The deal will see EM-11C Orka aircraft built at the factory in Bielsko-Biala, Poland being sold to China  - the Orka aircraft will operate in the Hainan region of China.  Support in China will be provided by the China International General Aviation Industry Group ( CIGA ) and China Aviation Pioneer Technology Ltd.

 
The EM-11C Orka was granted a EASA Type Certificate in April 2011 and offers a range of 1,700 km.

The Chinese consortium will visit Bielsko-Biala in early 2012 for further talks including the proposal to build the EM-11C Orka in China.

Link to Marganski and Myslowski ( M and M) press release - 12.11  
  




Steve

PZL Swidnik announces new W-3A Sokol order

January 2012 - PZL Swidnik ( part of the AgustaWestland group ) have announced that five new build W-3A Sokol helicopters have been ordered by the Polish Air Force for VIP use. The new helicopters will be delivered by the end of 2013 and will replace the remaining Mil Mi-8 currently used in the VIP role.

The Polish Air Force already operate two W-3A Sokols in the VIP role, serials 0915 and 0916 - these two are painted in a VIP white/red colour scheme and were delivered in 2008/2009.

More details on the PZL Swidnik press release on the link below,

PZL Swidnik Press Release January 2012


Steve

The Xenon gyrocopter

Over the past 5 years "Celier Aviation" having been building the successful Xenon gyrocopter at their Jaktorów-Kolonia factory ( just south west of Warsaw, Poland ).  By the end of 2011 approximately 140 examples had been built and delivered to customers all over the World.

The company was owned by the Xenon designer Raphael Celier and his business partner Artur Trendak.

In December 2011 a statement on the "Celier Aviation" website made mention of a major re-structuring at the company. A brief message from Mr Celier suggests that he is currently in Russia ( I understand he is part of  French Aviation Technologies ( F.A.T ) which is in Moscow, Russia ).

At the same time a new company and a new website has appeared relating to "Autogyro.eu" - this appears to be managed by Artur Trendak and offers Xenon gyrocopters - the company is also located at Jaktorów-Kolonia.

The new Autogyro.eu website can be found on the link below
 
Autogyro.eu website



The F.A.T website can be found on the link below

French Aviation Technologies website


The Celier Aviation website can be found on the link below

Celier Aviation website



UPDATE - on the 3rd January 2012 I received a copy of a press release from Raphael Celier confirming the separation of the business between the two partners.  Raphael Celier confirms his intention to build Xenon gyrocopters at a near location near the centre of Warsaw, Poland.

So at this moment ( 3.1.12 ) it appears that there are two separate companies both offering to build new Xenon autogyros in Poland. 

In addition I wonder what will happen to the KISS gyrocopter that was under development.



Steve

News from Aero-Kros - MP-02 Czajka

Aero-Kros have recently finished the 5th and 6th MP-02 Czajka light aircraft.

Czajka #05 first flew in November 2011 and has been registered as SP-SKRU - the new aircraft will be delivered to a customer in south eastern Poland very soon.

MP-02 #06 was delivered to Belgium in October 2011 and is now registered as OO-G92 - this is the first example with the modified larger cabin area.

Production continues with aircraft #07, 08 and 09 currently in assembly.

Thanks to Aero-Kros for this news.

Steve

Cameron balloon G-XSKY sold to Poland

The latest UK CAA aircraft register shows that Cameron N-77 hot air balloon G-XSKY c/n 2508 was cancelled as "sold to Poland" on the 12th September 2011.  The balloon was originally built in 1991.

If you see this balloon in Poland please let me know - a photo with its new Polish "SP-B....." registration would be great - thanks


Link to photo of G-XSKY below

http://www.caa.co.uk/applicationmodules/ginfo/ginfo_photo.aspx?regmark=G-XSKY&imgname=G-XSKY001&imgtype=jpg


Steve

G-CGTN Beech C90A sold to Poland

On 30th June 2011 G-CGTN Beech C90A King Air c/n LJ-1734 was cancelled from the UK CAA aircraft register as "sold to Poland".

This aircraft was built in 2005 and was previously registered in the Isle of Man as M-GLAS.  It became G-CGTN in January 2011 and has been operating in Poland with this UK registration for several months with the registered owners having an address in Warsaw, Poland.

More information on the UK CAA website via the link below

http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=60&pagetype=65&appid=1&mode=detailnosummary&fullregmark=CGTN


Please let me know if you have a photo of this aircraft with its new Polish "SP-...." registration - thank you.





Steve

Aircraft sold to Poland from the UK - May 2011

The latest UK CAA aircraft register changes show two aircraft sold from the UK to Poland,


G-BVKH - Thunder AX8-90 hot air balloon - built in 1994 this balloon has c/n 2574. It was cancelled from the UK CAA "G-" aviation register on 18th May 2011 as sold to Poland. The balloon is coloured red/yellow/grey/blue.


Photo Link to balloon G-BVKH

If you see this balloon in Poland please let me know - thanks


G-DRBN - Embraer EMB-500 Phenom 100 c/n 0055 - built in 2009 this small executive jet was cancelled from the UK on 10th May 2011  as sold to Poland - this has now been registered in Poland as SP-AVP.

Photo Link for Phenom G-DRBN

Photo Link for Phenom SP-AVP


In addition Polish built PZL 110 Koliber 160A G-BXLR c/n 04980077 was cancelled from the UK register in May 2011 as sold to Spain.

Photo Link to Koliber G-BXLR

Steve

Aero AT-3 news - Spring 2011

The Aero AT-3 light aircraft continues to sell well with almost 60 aircraft built to date  - new customer deliveries for Spring 2011 include AT-3 aircraft for clients in Belgium ( 2 aircraft ), The Netherlands ( 1 aircraft ) and Poland ( 2 aircraft ).

The photo above shows production of the Aero AT-3 at Mielec, Poland


The AT-4 light sport aircraft is also in production with over 30 aircraft built to date and recent deliveries in 2011 includes several examples to South Korea.

Steve