Allstar SZD 55-2 Nexus with FES first flight

Glider manufacturer Allstar of Bielsko-Biała, Poland have flown the first example of their SZD 55 Nexus glider with a nose mounted FES sustainer motor. Designed in conjunction with Breunig Aerospace  ( Germany ) the modified Allstar SZD 55-2 Nexus e-motion glider is being tested at Giebelstadt airfield ( EDQG ) in Germany with the registration D-KSZD. The first flight took place on September 27th 2023.

 

The glider was initially aero-towed up to 1,000m before switching on the front electric sustainer ( FES ) engine. 

 

More details on the Allstar SZD website

 

 

SP-1979 - the marvelous Fauvel AV-36C glider

An excellent archive photo of Fauvel AV-36C SP-1979 taken at Warsaw Bemowo ( EPBC Babice ) in 1984 - this most unusual tailess glider was built in France in 1958 and was registered in Poland in June 1959. For many years it was flown by the Politechnic Warszawa. 

 

This glider still exists and for the past twenty years it has hung on the wall of the Aeroklub hangar at Bemowo, still in good condition.  

Bocian G-DFLL - the last from Krosno

Browsing through my old photos I came across this lovely red Bocian G-DFLL I took in December 2009. I had seen this Bocian many times over the years at both Keevil and also as shown here at The Park - Kingston Deverill. 

 

 

This glider was built at the SZD factory at Krosno in 1965 with c/n 877 ( F-877 ) as a SZD 9 Bis Bocian 1D - in fact it was the last SZD glider to be built at their Krosno factory ( note that  Bocian production continued at SZD Jezow ). 

It was delivered new to Finland as OH-336, later becoming OH-KBP. It came to the UK in 1988 taking up the BGA registration BGA 3345 with trigraph "FLL". In September 2009 it moved onto the UK "G" register as G-DFLL with the Bath, Wiltshire and North Dorset Gliding Club at The Park. The registration was cancelled in 2012 with the glider listed as permanently withdrawn from use after 47 years of flying.   

 

New SZD 55-1 Neo from Allstar

Glider manufacturer Allstar SZD test flew their new SZD 55-1 Neo in December 2019 - the glider is registered as SP-4076 and is painted white/blue with a sharksmouth too. This is the 12th example of the 55-1 built by Allstar ( with a further 110 production examples built during the 1990s by the original SZD ).

Photo courtesy Allstar SZD


Production continues with at least two further new build examples for completion in 2020.

G-CJFK Schleicher ASW 20L glider sold to Poland

On the 5th December 2013 the UK CAA cancelled glider registration G-CJFK as "sold to Poland".

G-CJFK is a Schleicher ASW 20L glider, built in 1979 with construction number 20201 - it originally operated in the UK registered as BGA 4477 and prior to that in Germany as D-5979.  It will now take up a Polish glider registration likely to be in the sequence "SP-38......"

UPDATE - this glider became SP-3880


Photo link to glider ASW 20L G-CJFK

Steve

SZD Jezow - News - PW-6U sold to Japan and Czech Republic

SZD Jezow have recently exported two examples of the PW-6U two seat training glider with one example going to Japan and another to the Czech Republic.

The Aeroklub at Mlada Boleslav in the Czech Republic have recently taken delivery of PW-6U c/n 78.04.09.

This PW-6U was registered locally as OK-3751 in December 2011 - this glider ( c/n 78.04.09 ) was newly built in 2008 by the SZD Jezow factory in Poland and was registered in Poland as SP-3751 in July 2008.

The glider was used as a factory demonstrator and travelled to several countries across Europe, including the UK in the summer of 2009. 

Link to Photo of PW-6U SP-3751 in Britain in 2009

The PW-6U exported to Japan was c/n 78.04.10 and registered locally in Japan as JA60YG in October 2011



If you have a jpeg photo of either PW-6U OK-3751 or PW-6U JA60YG then please email me - thank you.

Link to Aeroklub Mlada Boleslav - Czech Rep

Link to SZD Jezow glider factory - Poland


Steve

PW-5 Smyks in Argentina

The PW-5 Smyk world class glider is very popular in Argentina - in fact there are more Smyks registered in Argentina than any other country - If you include the two recent examples exported from New Zealand to Argentina a total of 38 Smyks have been registered since 1997.

I'd like to thank Raul Macchi of Argentina for supplying the following two photos of the PW-5 Smyk in Argentina.

LV-EOZ c/n 17.08.002 - this Smyk was built in 1997 and originally exported by PZL Swidnik to New Zealand where it became ZK-GSJ in November 1997 registered to an owner in Queenstwon. In 1999 this Smyk was sold to Argentina with just 30 flight hours where it was registered as LV-EOZ, operating with the Gliding Club Rosario - it is interesting to note that this Smyk still wears the tail code "SJ" from its previous New Zealand registration and appears to lack LV-EOZ.

LV-EOV PW-5 Smyk c/n 17.12.022 - this Smyk was built by PZL Swidnik in 2001although it wasn't registered until August 2003 as ZK-GHK in New Zealand ( hence HK tail code in this photo ). In May 2009 it was cancelled from the aircraft register in New Zealand and sold on to Argentina where it became LV-EOV. This Smyk is flown by Raul Macchi and operates from Gliding Club Bolivar.

If anyone can give me an update on the two most recent Smyks to be imported into Argentina ( during 2010 ) please let me know - these are

Smyk c/n 17.03.004 ex ZK-GWN

Smyk c/n 17.08.016 ex ZK-GES


Steve in UK

PW-5 Smyk - c/n 17.08.016 ZK-GES leaves New Zealand

The PW-5 Smyk single seat glider has always been very popular in New Zealand - in fact since 1995 twenty five different examples have been registered on the ZK New ZEalnd aircraft register - second only to Argentina with approx 36 examples.

Smyk ZK-GES c/n 17.08.206 was built at the PZL Swidnik factory in eastern Poland in 1997 and was exported brand new to New Zealand where it became ZK-GES on 4th November 1997. The glider was cancelled from the New Zealand aircraft register on 10th September 2010, cancelled as "exported" - can anyone tell me where this glider has gone please ?

Earlier in 2010 another Smyk was exported from New Zealand - this was ZK-GWN c/n 17.03.004 a 1994 vintage example.

If you can tell where these two PW-5 Smyks have gone then please do get in touch - thanks

UPDATE 1.10.10 - Both these PW-5 Smyks have been exported from New Zealand to Argentina

Steve

ZS Jezow - PW-6U glider in the UK

The Cotswold Gliding Club are based at Aston Down airfield near Cirencester  - they operate many gliders including a pair of modern PW-6U two seater trainers.

The PW-6U was originally designed by the Politechnic Warszawa ( PW ) in Warsaw, Poland. Serial production was underataken by PZL Swidnik - between 2000 and 2004 approximately 30 PW-6U gliders were built at Swidnik with examples exported to New Zealnd, Japan, USA, France, Germany, Norway, Canada and Egypt.

Production at Swidnik ceased in 2004.  The licence and certificate to build the PW-6U was acquired by Henry Mynarski of Zaklad Szybowcowy Jezow ( ZS Jezow ). Mr Mynarski has a long history of glider construction in Poland.

ZS Jezow completed their first newly built PW-6U in 2007 c/n 78.04.01 - this first example was exported to Canada.  To date nine PW-6U have been built at ZS Jezow including exports to the USA, UK and Australia.

The Cotswold Gliding Club operate two PW-6U,

G-CKRU c/n 78.04.07
G-CKRX c/n 78.04.08

 

Link to Cotswold Gliding Club, UK

Link to ZS Jezow builder of the PW-6U glider



Steve

PW-6U LN-GCV - cancelled from "LN" register

Norwegian PW-6U LN-GCV was cancelled from the "LN-" register on 6th January 2010 ( 6.1.10 )

This two seat glider was built at PZL Swidnik with c/n 78.03.09 - it was delivered new to Norway in August 2003 and was operated by the Oslo Seilflyklubb ( Oslo Gliding Club ).

This glider has been exported to a gliding club in Sweden.

The photo of LN-GCV below is courtesy of the Oslo Seilflyklubb


The Oslo Seilflyklubb also operate another PW-6U - LN-GZZ c/n 78.03.06 which has tail code "L6".


UPDATE - this PW-6 was registered in Sweden as SE-UUJ on 18th Feb 2010.


Steve

New SZD 59 Acro glider delivered to Denmark

Allstar PZL have recently delivered a new build SZD 59 Acro to Denmark. This single seat glider was built at the Allstar factory in Bielsko-Biala and was registered in Denmark as OY-TOX in November 2009 with c/n 590.A09.012 - ie the 12th Acro built by Allstar.


For more information about the SZD 59 Acro please see the external LINK to Allstar PZL below

http://www.szd.com.pl/pdf/szd-59_acro_doku_en.pdf




Steve

SZD 25A Lis - HB-750

In the early 1960s the SZD glider factory at Jezow built 30 SZD 25A Lis gliders - this is a very distinctive design and is now a rare glider type as few remain today.

Lis c/n 727 was built in 1961 - it was originally registered as SP-2343 before being exported to Switzerland as HB-750.

HB-750 operated from the Swiss airfield at Porrentruy - it was cancelled from the HB register on 12.11.09 - let's hope the glider will be restored one day in the future.


If you have a photo of HB-750 please let me know - Thank you.



External Link to more information about the SZD 25A Lis

http://www.piotrp.de/SZYBOWCE/pszd25.htm




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