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 The registration was cancelled in 2012 with the glider listed as permanently withdrawn from use after 47 years of flying.   

 

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