SP-ECA PZL 104 Wilga 35A

Wilga SP-ECA s/n 62154 was built at PZL Okecie in Warsaw in 1972 and officially registerd on the 31st August 1972 as rejestracja #1382. It was one of many Wilga 35A aircraft delivered to the state run Polish Aeroklub ( AK ). The photo was taken at Inowroclaw airfield ( EPIN Inowroclaw-Kujawsko ) in August 1997 and shows SP-ECA without an engine. 

 

The registration was cancelled in February 2004 and SP-ECA sat withdrawn from use at Inowroclaw until the aircraft was sold on to Lithuania becoming LY-XCN.

New Pa-34 M350 - SP-WAC(4)

February 2025 - JB Aviation announced the recent delivery of a new build Piper Pa-46 M350. The M350 was delivered via Wroclaw in a silver/blue colour scheme on 22nd February 2025 as SP-WAC(4) - 

 

This registration was previously been used as SP-WAC(1) Gawron 1967-1969, SP-WAC(2) Wilga 1983-1983 and SP-WAC(3) Turbo Kruk 1990-1995.

Historical - RWD 13 SP-MSZ

The Polish national archive has a huge online collection of historic images and among them are some photos of aircraft.  Pleased to see the image below of RWD 13 SP-MSZ taken in 1948. This aircraft has a lot of history - prior to WW2 it was registered as SP-BMY with s/n 231 operating as an air ambulance. During the war it escaped to Romania and is believed to have used YR-MSZ, YR-INT and serial "2". 

 

 

It returned to Poland in 1947 and became SP-MSZ on 31st October 1947 ( Rejestracja #212 ) operated by the Foreign Ministry ( M.S. Zagran ie "MSZ" ) and was based at Warsaw Goclaw airfield. In 1951 the aircraft was used by defectors to flee to Sweden before it was returned to Poland.  

New BRM Bristell 916iS for Poland - SP-ADEX

Skydream the Polish agent for BRM aircraft have published a photo of a new Bristell 916iS under construction at the BRM factory  - the aircraft is painted in an attractive red/silver colour scheme with the ultralight registration SP-ADEX - it appears to be s/n 787

 

 

 

 

New aerobatic glider - I-45 Jay

February 2025 - The Instytut Lotnictwa ( IL ) has designed a new aerobatic glider called the I-45 Jay. The single seat mid wing glider had its first flight in early 2025 and is registered as SP-GUST. The Jay has been designed to bear loads of +10g / -8g. First flight took place in December 2024 at Czestochowa-Rudniki airfield.

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 The IL will be looking to partner with a local manufacturer to produce this new aerobatic glider.

Four new Bell 407 GXi for National Police

Four new Bell 407 GXi helicopters were registered in Poland during the summer of 2023 as SP-NYA ( s/n 56322 ), SP-NYB ( s/n 56341), SP-NYC ( s/n 56346 ) and SP-NYD ( s/n 56347 ).

Imported via local dealers JB Aviation at Obory Konstancin ( just south of Warsaw ) these four new build helicopters will be delivered to the Polish National Police, increasing their current fleet of three Bell 407 GXi to a total of seven. The current three examples operate with the Police as SN-80XP to SN-82XP ( side codes A-104 to A-106 ).

The four new helicopters will likely become SN-83XP to SN-86XP once delivered - to be confirmed.  

All four were delivered to the Police aviation unit at Warsaw Bemowo in mid December 2023 with side codes A-109, A-110, A-111 and A-112.

 

 

 SP-NYA and SP-NYB in flight - photo via JB Aviation

 

Link to more info and photos about the Polish Police helicopter fleet

 

 

LOT Antonov An-24 SP-LTU history

The Polish National Digital Archive has a vast library of historic items covering a wide range of subject matter and among them are some photos of Polish aircraft.

 

This photo shows LOT Antonov An-24 SP-LTU, the photo is dated 1975-1980 and taken at Warsaw Okecie airport. This An-24 was registered on 1st October 1974 by the GILC as aircraft #1914. It was built in 1970 and initially delivered to the Polish Air Force with serial 015 prior to becoming SP-LTU with LOT. It was named "Drawa" ( a Polish river ).  LOT received their first An-24 ( SP-LTA ) in 1966.

SP-LTU was destroyed in an accident on 26th March 1981 at Redzikowo near Slupsk.  

SkyTaxi receive first 767-300 frieghter - SP-MRG

SkyTaxi a Polish cargo airline recently added a third 767 to their fleet SP-MRG - this is their first freighter version of the longer 767-300, joining two shorter 767-200 freighters SP-MRE and SP-MRF.

SP-MRG was registered in Poland on 27th September 2023 - the aircraft was built in 1992 with Boeing S/N 26388 and was originally delivered new to Air Europe Italy as S7-AAV. The new freighter wears a white and blue colour scheme with the SkyTaxi "Iguana" logo on the tail. The SkyTaxi fleet is home based at Ostrava airport in the Czech Republic. 

 

 Photo via SkyTaxi

More info about SkyTaxi on this weblink

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

 

 

First JK-2 Nanocopter in Australia

Summer 2023 - Fusioncopter have delivered the first examples of the ultralight JK-2 Nano gyrocopter to Australia. The first example is now registered locally as G-2023 and operates with Gyrocopter Flights Australia at York in Western Australia. 

Five examples of the JK-2 Nano were shipped to Australia in early 2023.

By August 2023 Fusioncopter had produced over thirty five Nano gyrocopters with many of these being exported to pilots in the USA.

More information via the Fusioncopter website below,

 

https://fusioncopter.eu/

Fusioncopter JK-3 Juan

The first flight of the new JK-3 Juan took place in late January 2023. This is an ultralight tractor style gyrocopter, in the Polish 115kg category. Tractor gyros ( ie with the engine at the front ) are rare beasts and this design and the name "Juan" is a tribute to the gyrocopter pioneer Juan de la Cierva and his tractor designs of the 1920's. The JK-3 Juan is powered by a Hirth F23 engine ( 50 HP ) and has a 7m rotorblade.

 

 

The JK-3 Juan was test flown with the Fusioncopter factory test registration SP-ZNAN - photo courtesy Fusioncopter  

Argon GTL

The Argon GTL is an enlongated development of the well known Xenon family of gyrocopters offering a lot of luggage space and an extended range for the pilot who wants to tour by gyrocopter. The Argon GTL is powered by a Rotax 915iS engine and is built by Manufaktura Lotnicza at Sobienie airfield ( EPSJ ) south east of Warsaw. 

 

 

 

The first GTL ( orange ) was registered as SP-XOZE in December 2021 with the second example ( dark green and gold ) becoming SP-XSON in April 2022. A blue and silver GTL was shipped to the USA in December 2022.     

Web Link for more information about the Argon GTL

New LPR Learjet 75 SP-MXR delivered

Brand new Learjet 75 Liberty SP-MXR arrived in Warsaw on 16th December 2021 for the "LPR" state medical air ambulance service. The aircraft routed in via Wick, Scotland.

photo via LPR

This aircraft has been fitted with seven medical systems and can carry two patients at high speed across Poland - the LPR have two examples on order. The LPR operates a large fleet of EC135 helicopters and two Avanti fixed wing aircraft.

New Dynali H3 ultralight helicopter - SP-HART

Hi-Tech Aviation of Poland shared a photo of another brand new Dynali H3 Sport ultralight helicopter heading to Poland as SP-HART from the Dynali factory at Thines (30km south of Brussels) in Belgium.

This will be the fourth Dynali H3 to be registered in Poland after SP-HELI, SP-HELO and SP-HITH. The D3 Sport is powered by a 135 HP engine based on a Rotax 912 ULS block and certified with a MTOW of 530 kg.

 

 

 

 

New McDonalds balloon - SP-BGR Cameron N-90

 

A new balloon to be seen over the skies of Poland is SP-BGR - this yellow Cameron N-90 c/n 10239 with McDonalds titles was recently added to the Polish balloon register in April 2021. 

 

This balloon was previously operated in Germany as D-OMAC(2) - it now flies with the Grudziadz balloon club.

 

New PC-12 NGX delivered to Poland

On 25th May 2021 brand new Pilatus PC-12 NGX HB-FSG c/n 2084 was delivered from the Pilatus factory at Stans, Switzerland to Wroclaw, Poland. 

 

 
The aircraft is painted in an attractive blue and silver colour scheme and will soon be registered as SP-NCC(2) - photo with thanks to JB Aviation. 

The following PC-12 aircraft have been registered in Poland over the years - SP-ARC, SP-CIZ, SP-CMR, SP-EMA, SP-KKB, SP-KKW, SP-MBW, SP-MIX, SP-MIY, SP-MKM, SP-NAP, SP-NCL twice, SP-NPC, SP-NUT, SP-NWM, SP-ORT, SP-PPP, SP-SAB, SP-THC, SP-WBW and SP-ZIW

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.   

 

Opegieka - Survey P68 SP-GEO visits Britain

In early April 2021 the Polish registered P68 TC Observer SP-GEO arrived in the UK. This aircraft is one of three survey aircraft operated by Opegieka. The company is based at Elbląg but often have an aircraft detached at Warsaw-Bemowo airfield.

SP-GEO was built new in 2011 by Vulcanair in Italy ( the P68 design was originally built by Partenavia ) with serial number 461-13-OTC and was registered in Poland in June 2011. This P68 has a transparent acrylic nose to help the crew see directly ahead during survey flights. 

On Sunday 4th April 2021 SP-GEO flew from Gloucester airport up to Leeds-East ( formerly RAF Church Fenton ) from where it has operated a number of survey flights over northern England. On Tuesday 13th April SP-GEO flew on to Hawarden airfield near Chester. The aircraft has used its registration as its radio callsign. 

Opegieka also operate two other survey aircraft - SP-OPG P68C ( solid nose ) and Beech C90A King Air  SP-ISS.

 

More info on this web link to the Opegieka website

 

 

30 Years ago - PZL Swidnik at Paris Air Show 1991

Thirty years ago back in summer 1991 PZL Swidnik exhibited W-3 Sokol SP-SUD at the Paris Air Show. The helicopter was painted white and red and carried the Show Code H340. This Sokol was registered with the GILC ( ULC ) on 29th May 1991 with c/n 310413. 

The photo below is sourced from the Polish National Photo Archive ( NAC ) and shows SP-SUD at Le Bourget airport in June 1991 during the Paris Air Show.

 

After the show SP-SUD returned to PZL Swidnik in Poland and was re-painted in a white and blue colour scheme ( same pattern as above ) with Okada titles. It passed through Stuttgart, Germany on delivery in October 1991.

This Sokol was delivered to Nigeria in late 1991 and was registered on 3rd December 1991 as 5N-UYI with local operator Okada. Okada Air ceased operations in 1997. By 2008 Sokol 5N-UYI was parked withdrawn from use in the long grass at Benin City airport, Nigeria. 

Link to photo of W-3 Sokol 5N-UYI at Benin City, Nigeria 

 

 

New Pipistrel Virus for Poland

Skydream of Bielsko-Biala have announced the imminent delivery of another brand new Pipistrel Virus SW from the factory in Slovenia - this aircraft will be registered as SP-SAMG - over 40 examples of the Pipistrel Virus ultralight aircraft have been registered in Poland. 

 

Virus SP-SAMG at the factory pre-delivery  - S/N 1045

Update - March 2021 - Another new Pipistrel Virus SW in Poland is SP-SRMC imported via agents Skydream, photo below