S-70i Black Hawk - first flight in Poland

On 15th November 2010 the first flight of the second Polish built S-70i Black Hawk took place at Mielec in Poland. This helicopter is registered as SP-YVA and is the second example built at Mielec but the first to fly in Poland.

Photo courtesy of Sikorsky UTC

The first prototype was rolled out at Mielec in March 2010 before being shipped to the USA, where it first flew as N4905N in July 2010.

Photo link to S-70i N4905N, built at Mielec but now test fling in the USA

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24526864@N03/5191864581/in/photostream/




Saudi Arabia are the launch customer with three S-70i Black Hawks on order for the Ministry of Interior  ( MOI ) and due for delivery during 2011.

More info on the Sikorsky press release via the link below


Sikorsky Press Release


Steve in UK

Virtus - Gyrocopter designed by Jan Romaniak

A new design from Poland is the Virtus gyrocopter designed and built by Jan Romaniak. The Virtus is an enclosed two seater gyro powered by a Honda CBR 1000 engine. This gyrocopter first flew in December 2009. The prototype Virtus is shown in the photo below

Mr Romaniak has previously built and flown two kit built gyrocopters in Poland  - his first gyro was an AX-02 Gepard which initially operated as F-WTYD before being re-registered as LA-0461.

In 2004 he built an Averso Aviation Delta gyrocopter which was initially registered as AP-MSWQ before being re-registered as SP-MSWO.


For more information about the Virtus and other gyros built by Jan Romaniak please see the web link below


http://www.wiatrakowce.net/


Steve in UK

1507 - New C-130E Hercules arrives in Poland

The Polish Air Force recently took delivery of another C-130E Hercules - this example has Polish serial 1507. The Hercules passed through RAF Mildenhall in the UK at the end of September 2010 in USAF colours as serial 21856 callsign REACH 104 - it arrived at Powidz air base in Poland on 1st October 2010 and was re-painted with Polish Air Force roundels and new serial 1507.

1507 arrived at Krakow, Poland on 24th October 2010 for a few days of para dropping - this Hercules was built by Lockheed with c/n 3820 was operated with the USAF as 62-1856 for almost 48 years  - the final USAF unit to fly this veteran Herc was the 61 Airlift Squadron ( 61 AS ) as Little Rock, Arkansas.

1507  - photo courtesy Polish Air Force website - http://www.sp.mil.pl/

The Polish Air Force purchased five re-conditioned 1970 vintage C-130E Hercules to be numbered 1501 - 1505 - the overhaul process has taken longer than expected and only 1501 and 1502 have so far arrived -  so the USAF loaned an additional aircraft to Poland in November 2009 as serial 1506. Unfortunately 1506 was badly damaged when it clipped the side of a mountain in Afghanistan in February 2010 just 3 months after delivery.

The recently arrived 1507 fills the gap.

Photo Link below to C-130E Hercules 1507 at Krakow on 24.10.10

http://iv.pl/images/48890206441424548769.jpg

Rotorway Exec 162F G-BZXD sold to Poland

G-BZXD Rotorway Exec 162F helicopter was cancelled from the UK CAA "G-..." aircraft register on 3rd August 2010 as sold to Poland.

This small helicopter was built in 2001 but had flown only 17 flight hours by 31.12.09 - it is painted in a very distinctive red/yellow/green colour scheme - more details on the web link below

http://www.rotorway.co.uk/content/view/32/18/

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


Steve

TS-11 Iskra - 827 1H-0827 for sale June 2010

Currently being shown for sale on the WWW is former Team Iskry TS-11 Iskra serial 827 c/n 1H-0827.

This aircraft operated with the Polish Air Force display team "Team Iskry" during the 1990's with tail code "10".  By 1999 this code had changed to "6".

The aircraft was withdrawn from use several years ago as "Team Iskry" changed to operate the more modern Block 3 ( 3H-..... ) TS-11 Iskra aircraft. As a result this aircraft was stored at Deblin airbase until recently.

The photo shows the aircraft temporarily stored in a yard in the Praga district of Warsaw in June 2010 - it is up for sale via TDM Electronics.

For more details see the Link below

http://www.moto.allegro.pl/item1085532052_samolot_iskra_ts11.html


Steve

New VIP aircraft for Poland - Embraer 175 SP-LIG

The Polish Prime Minister Mr Tusk flew for the first time on board the new Polish Government VIP jet SP-LIG on 9th June 2010.

After the fatal accident of the Polish Air Force Tupolev Tu-154M serial 101 the Polish Government has leased an Embraer ERJ-175 from LOT Polish Airlines registration SP-LIG c/n 17000283.

This aircraft was delivered brand new to LOT from Embraer in Brazil in October 2009. It was repainted into the Polish Government white/red VIP colour scheme in May 2010 with Republic of Poland titles - note that this aircraft does not carry the Polish Air Force square military symbol as previous VIP jets have. The aircraft is operated with a LOT flight crew.

The Polish Air Force still has one other VIP Tupolev TU-154 which is currently in Russia undergoing deep maintenance. They also still operate several Soviet era Yak-40 jets but these are 30 years old.

A new VIP aircraft type has been under discussion for several years prior to the fatal crash of "101" in April 2010 at Smolensk, Russia.

A second Embraer ERJ-175 is also to be leased too - the lease contract for both aircraft will run until 2013

Mr Tusk flew on the new VIP jet to a European Union meeting in Brussels.

External LINK to photo of SP-LIG in the new VIP colour scheme

Steve

SP-YNZ - SBLim-2 - Mig 15 UTI flies again in Poland

On 26.5.2010 after many years of restoration "006" SBLim-2 ( two seater Mig 15bis ) took to the air again on its first flight post re-build.

"006" c/n 1A-06006 is now registered as SP-YNZ and took to the skies at Deblin air force base. This aircraft was once preserved as a display exhibit at the aircraft museum at Lodz. It arrived at Goraszka for re-build to flying standard by 2001. In May 2006 the aircraft was undergoing engine trials.

Congratulations to the restoration team - it's great to see this aircraft flying once again.

See photo link below for action shots of SP-YNZ at Deblin 26.5.2010

http://s557.photobucket.com/albums/ss14/7d_samples/EPDE/2010_05_26/


See video link below of it flying at Deblin, Poland on 26.5.2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVUM7h2pTy8


See another video link below of it flying at Deblin, Poland on 26.5.2010

http://youtube.com/watch?v=XlZU6MWf9n0


Steve

SP-FDO An-26 crash landed in Estonia - 18.3.10

SP-FDO an An-26 cargo plane operated by Exin Airways on behalf of DHL crashed shortly after departing from Tallinn airport in Estonia en route to Helsinki Finland.

The aircraft came down on a snow covered frozen lake near the airport - the six crew on board all managed to escape - the concern is now to remove fuel and contaminates to prevent water pollution.

SP-FDO is c/n 10503 and was built in 1980 - it was registered in Poland as SP-FDO in 1999 having previously been operating in Russia as RA-26031.

SP-FDO crashed onto a frozen lake - photo courtesy of the Estonian Rescue Service

More details on the link below


http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/transport/?doc=24858




http://balticreports.com/?p=13280


Exin Airways


http://www.exin.pl/eng/


Steve

SP-FYB - Pitts S-2 in the UK - November 2009

The one and only Pitts S-2 Special on the Polish civil aircraft register is currently in the UK. The S-2S aircraft was built by Aviat and arrived in Poland back in 1993. It was seen at Modlin in the 1990s marked as SP-FYB although it was not officially registered until 2006.

It arrived at Booker airfield near High Wycombe in England by road transport in November 2009 for some maintenance.

The external link below shows this aircraft in the ATS hanger at Booker in December 2009 - photo by Clive Glaister.


http://www.pbase.com/denham/image/120037138



UPDATE - This aircraft was registered as G-OSZS in the UK on 23-2-10 to an owner in Gloucestershire

LINK to UK CAA register entry for G-OSZS


Steve

Polish Army Mil 8P arrives at UK Museum

On the 5th February Mil 8P serial 618 arrived at the Helicopter Museum in Weston Super Mare, Somerset, England.

Photo courtesy of the Helicopter Museum at Weston Super Mare UK

The Mil 8 had travelled by road from the Polish Army airbase at Leznica Wielka. This Mil 8 has square windows and was originally delivered in 1972 to 36 splt as a VIP transport based at Warsaw Okecie airport. It was later passed on to the Polish Army endings its services with 37 Dywizjon Lotnicze ( 37 DL ) at Leznica Wielka in central Poland.

More photos can be found on the link below


http://www.hmfriends.org.uk/mi8polish.htm



Steve

New 3Xtrim aircraft registered in Canada - C-ILSA

3Xtrim based in Bielsko-Biala Poland have delivered several new build aircraft to their US dealers in New York state during 2009 - these SLA are known locally as Navigator 600. One of these new aircraft was N50PL c/n E68 and this has now been sold on to Canada.

It was cancelled from the US aircraft register in October 2009 and became C-ILSA in December 2009 based in Ontario province.

The photo above shows sister aircraft N59PL c/n E67.




Steve

SSH T-131 Jungmann - OE-CTS

In November 2009 Jungmann SP-YTS was registered in Austria as OE-CTS. This T-131PA aircraft was built in Poland in 2000 by SSH Serwis Samolotow Historycznych as c/n 109 and was first registered as SP-KTS, before becoming SP-YTS in 2002.


External LINK to photo of T-131 PA Jungmann SP-YTS

http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1057925/


The Jungmann built by SSH follow original plans used by the Tatra aircraft company in Czechoslovakia whilst building Bu 131 Jungmann under licence from Bucker.

There are now many SSH Polish built Jungmann registered in Austria including

OE-VCD, OE-ABJ, OE-AMG, OE-APY, OE-ARP, OE-AHA, OE-ATB, OE-AHS, OE-AKD, OE-AFS, OE-CGH, OE-ACS, OE-AWG, OE-ALF, OE-ARM and OE-CTS.

Not all of these fly in Austria - some of these actually operate from home airfields in Holland, Germany and Italy.



Please see LINK below to the SSH / Service of Historical Aircraft website


http://www.planeclassic.com/index.php?action=m1




Steve

New Polish Ultralight Helicopter Register

Today I found a photo of SP-HLMM a Revolution Mini 500 ultralight helicopter. This is yet another new registration range issued by the ULC in Poland - I think the category is limited to under 270 KG.


Please let me know if you know the details of any more Ultralight Helicopters in Poland - thank you


The helicopter is currently for sale - more details via


http://moto.allegro.pl/show_item.php?item=842035295&msg=Tw%C3%B3j+e-mail+zosta%C5%82+wys%C5%82any.



Steve

New Polish Ultralight Glider Register

The Polish ULC ( Polish CAA ) have started a new register sequence for Ultralight Gliders with a weight of under 70 KG.


I have found details of 2 gliders in this new registration range,


SP-GAAB Axel

SP-GAAC Axel


The "Axel" is a new glider type that I knew nothing about - it appears to use the fuselage of a PW-5 Smyk with a wing similar to that of the PW-3 Bakcyl.

SP-GAAC Axel ultralight glider - photo by Gazda

The Link below shows many other photos by "Gazda" of the Axel ultralight glider project


http://picasaweb.google.com/gazdazakopane/ProjektAxelSzybowiecUltralekki#


If you know about any other Ultralight Gliders in Poland please do let me know - thanks.




Steve