By 2005, Poland was no longer a new destination for me. I had visited the country several times since my first trips in the early 1990s and had become familiar with its cities, people and distinctive atmosphere. This return offered an opportunity to revisit familiar places while also seeing how much had changed.
Poland had joined the European Union the previous year and was moving confidently into a new era. Streets and buildings were being restored, transport and visitor facilities were improving, and the country felt increasingly connected with the rest of Europe. Yet its history, traditions and individual character remained clearly visible.
These photographs record another stage in my continuing acquaintance with Poland: not the impressions of a first-time visitor, but observations made on returning to a country that had already become both familiar and rewarding.
Muzeum Lotnictwa Polskiego w Krakowie
The sole surviving Albatros C.I, C.197/15, displayed in a partially uncovered condition at the Polish Aviation Museum in 2005. The missing wings and fabric reveal its wooden fuselage framework, while the cross on the tail identifies its Imperial German Air Service markings. Built in 1915, the C.I served as a reconnaissance, light combat and training aircraft; Manfred von Richthofen also began his operational career as an observer in this type
The remarkably preserved Albatros B.IIa (L.30) in the First World War aircraft hall of the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. Built in 1919, this rare survivor carries the red-and-white checkerboards of the newly independent Polish Air Force, which employed Albatros B.II and B.IIa aircraft for training during the early post-war years. The exposed liquid-cooled inline engine, wooden two-bladed propeller and extensive wire bracing typify the fragile-looking but strongly constructed aircraft of the period.
A replica of Czesław Tański’s pioneering Lotnia hang glider, photographed at the Polish Aviation Museum in 2005. Inspired by Otto Lilienthal’s experiments, Tański constructed his first glider in 1894 and progressively enlarged and modified it. With the Lotnia III of 1896 he reportedly achieved flights of up to 30 metres—the first documented gliding attempts made on Polish soil. Its delicate wooden framework, fabric covering and radiating wing ribs reveal how closely these early flying machines imitated the structure of a bird’s wings.
The surviving fuselage of DFW C.V reconnaissance aircraft C.17077/17, photographed at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. Built in 1917, the DFW C.V was a two-seat German reconnaissance, artillery-observation and light-bombing biplane powered by a 200-hp Benz Bz.IV engine. Displayed without its wings, this rare original retains its plywood-skinned fuselage, Imperial German crosses, observer’s flexible machine gun and clearly visible DFW C.V type marking near the tail. The type also served with the newly independent Polish Air Force during the conflicts of 1919–20.
The surviving fuselage of Oeffag-built Albatros D.III series 253 aircraft 253.225, photographed at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. This Austro-Hungarian version of the famous German single-seat fighter combined the Albatros D.III’s streamlined plywood fuselage with a strengthened airframe and a powerful 225-hp Austro-Daimler engine. Displayed without its wings and engine, the aircraft retains its varnished wooden skin, original serial stencil and late-style black crosses. Its exposed condition provides a rare close view of the elegant semi-monocoque construction characteristic of the Albatros fighter family.
The unique surviving Aviatik C.III, serial C.12250/17, photographed at the Polish Aviation Museum in 2005. Built in 1917, this German two-seat reconnaissance biplane is displayed without its wings, revealing its plywood-covered fuselage, exposed Mercedes D.III inline engine and internal structure beneath the observer’s position. The original Imperial German crosses and remnants of its wartime finish remain visible. Evidence discovered during restoration suggests that the aircraft was employed either for operational reconnaissance on the Western Front or for training airborne radio operators. The black fuselage marked DFW C.V visible behind it belongs to a separate aircraft.
A closer port-side view of the sole surviving Aviatik C.III reconnaissance aircraft, C.12250/17, at the Polish Aviation Museum in 2005. Its missing wings expose the substantial centre-section struts, while the uncovered nose reveals the six-cylinder Mercedes D.III engine. The pale plywood fuselage contrasts with surviving pieces of printed camouflage fabric around the rear structure, and the wheels carry prominent Imperial German crosses. Built in 1917, this exceptionally rare two-seater may have served either as a frontline reconnaissance aircraft or in the training of airborne radio operators. The dark DFW C.V fuselage can again be seen behind it.
The sole surviving Albatros C.I, serial C.197/15, photographed at the Polish Aviation Museum in 2005. Built in 1915, it was one of the first German reconnaissance aircraft designed to carry defensive armament for its observer. Displayed without its wings, the aircraft exposes its liquid-cooled Benz Bz.III inline engine, plywood fuselage and centre-section supports. The solid wooden workshop wheels were fitted for moving aircraft on the ground while conserving strategically valuable rubber tyres. Research into its surviving finish indicates that it served with a German training unit for airborne radio operators in occupied Warsaw and later at the flying school at Neuruppin
The skeletal remains of Sopwith F.1 Camel B7280, photographed at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005 before its later restoration. Built by Clayton & Shuttleworth in 1917, B7280 served with No. 210 Squadron RAF and was flown in combat by Captain Herbert A. Patey. It was shot down over Belgium on 5 September 1918; Patey survived and became a prisoner of war. The Germans recovered and repaired the Camel, after which it entered the former Berlin aviation collection. Displayed here with its fabric covering removed, the photograph clearly reveals its wooden box-girder fuselage, bracing wires, twin Vickers guns and 150-hp Bentley BR.1 rotary engine.
The unique Albatros H.1 experimental high-altitude fighter, photographed at the Polish Aviation Museum in 2005. Developed after the First World War from a Siemens-Schuckert D.IV fighter, the H.1 retained its unusual 160-hp Siemens-Halske Sh.III bi-rotary engine, in which the cylinders and crankshaft rotated in opposite directions. It was intended to carry greatly enlarged wings and a special high-altitude propeller, but doubts about the strength of the wing structure prevented it from flying. Displayed without its wings, the aircraft’s compact fuselage, large wooden propeller and closely cowled rotary engine are particularly prominent.
The sole surviving Grigorovich M-15 flying boat, photographed at the Polish Aviation Museum in 2005. Designed by Dmitry Grigorovich and built in 1916, the M-15 was a two-seat maritime reconnaissance biplane operated by Imperial Russia’s naval aviation. Its boat-shaped wooden hull sits beneath staggered wings, while the unusual water-cooled Salmson radial engine is mounted high between them and drives a pusher propeller. This aircraft was captured by German forces at Åbo—now Turku, Finland—in 1918 and subsequently entered the German national aviation collection. Its delicate structure and remarkably complete hull make it one of the museum’s most important First World War survivors.
The sole surviving LFG Roland D.VIb, serial 2225/18, photographed at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. Built in 1918, this German single-seat fighter participated in the second fighter competition at Adlershof but lost to the Fokker D.VII. Its unusual fuselage was constructed using overlapping strips of spruce in the manner of a clinker-built boat. Displayed with much of its covering removed, the aircraft reveals its wooden internal framework, bracing wires and control system, while the original manufacturer’s stencil remains visible on the forward fuselage. After being recovered badly damaged following the Second World War, the unique airframe was painstakingly reconstructed by the museum.
Rear view of Polish Air Force Sukhoi Su-7BM “06”, photographed in the outdoor collection of the Polish Aviation Museum in 2005. The large circular exhaust of its Lyulka AL-7F turbojet dominates the view, together with the sharply swept wings, prominent fin and underwing fuel tanks. Poland acquired six Su-7BMs in 1964 for the tactical nuclear-strike role envisaged under Warsaw Pact plans. Although exceptionally fast at low level, the Su-7 suffered from short range, high fuel consumption and demanding take-off and landing characteristics
Former LOT Polish Airlines Tupolev Tu-134A SP-LHB, photographed in the outdoor collection of the Polish Aviation Museum in 2005. Delivered to LOT in 1973, it later transferred to the Polish Air Force as 103 before retirement in 1992 and preservation at Kraków. The Tu-134’s distinctive features include rear-mounted Soloviev turbofan engines, a swept T-tail and the glazed navigator’s position in the nose. Aircraft of this family inaugurated LOT’s jet age and became a familiar sight on European routes during the 1970s and 1980s. At the time of this photograph, most of its former markings had disappeared and graffiti had been painted across the fuselage
A SKY Airlines Boeing 737-400 descends towards Kraków–Balice Airport with its undercarriage lowered in 2005. The Turkish charter carrier, based at Antalya, regularly brought holidaymakers between Turkey and European destinations. Its aircraft carried several colourful variations of the distinctive SKY livery.
Polish Navy Mil Mi-4ME anti-submarine helicopter 617, photographed at the Polish Aviation Museum in 2005. One of only four Mi-4MEs acquired by Poland, it served with the 28th Naval Rescue Squadron. The specialised equipment included a sea-search radar housed beneath the nose, a magnetometer, dipping sonar and provision for carrying depth charges. Unlike later turbine-powered helicopters, the Mi-4 was driven by a large ASh-82V radial piston engine installed in the forward fuselage beneath the elevated cockpit.
Former South Vietnamese Air Force Cessna A-37B Dragonfly 87916, photographed in weathered condition at the Polish Aviation Museum in 2005. Developed from the T-37 trainer, the compact two-seat attack aircraft was powered by two General Electric J85 turbojets and carried much of its fuel in the prominent wingtip tanks. Captured after the fall of South Vietnam in 1975, it subsequently served with the unified Vietnamese Air Force. Vietnam sent the aircraft to Poland in 1977 for technical examination, together with a Northrop F-5E. Years of research left it stripped of numerous components; it was later conserved and repainted in representative Vietnamese markings.
Polish Air Force Sukhoi Su-20R 4242, photographed in faded operational camouflage at the Polish Aviation Museum in 2005. The Su-20 was an export development of the Soviet Su-17M fighter-bomber and became the first variable-geometry combat aircraft operated by Poland. This example carried a permanently installed reconnaissance camera, giving rise to the unofficial Su-20R designation. It served with the 7th Bomber-Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment at Powidz, whose Su-20s remained operational until 1997. The swept outer wing panels, intake shock cone and numerous underwing pylons reflect its origins in the earlier fixed-wing Su-7.
Polish Air Force Sukhoi Su-7UM 116, photographed at the Polish Aviation Museum in 2005. The extended tandem cockpit immediately distinguishes this combat trainer from the single-seat Su-7BM and BKL strike variants. Despite its training role, the Su-7UM retained the type’s 60-degree swept wings, powerful Lyulka AL-7F turbojet and limited weapons capability, enabling pilots to practise handling the notoriously demanding fighter-bomber. Poland acquired eight two-seat Su-7 trainers, which supported the operational fleet until the type’s retirement in 1990.
Polish Air Force Sukhoi Su-7BKŁ fighter-bomber “806” displayed outdoors at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. Built in 1971 and delivered to Poland in 1972, this ruggedized Su-7 variant incorporated auxiliary landing-gear skids for operation from rough or unpaved airfields. Underwing fuel tanks and stores pylons remain fitted.
Polish Air Force Sukhoi Su-7BM “06” displayed at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. Delivered in 1964 as one of Poland’s first six Su-7BMs, this powerful supersonic fighter-bomber could carry conventional or tactical nuclear weapons. The streamlined fuselage, nose intake with its central shock cone and sharply swept wings typify this formidable Cold War strike aircraft.
A line of Cold War combat aircraft in the Polish Aviation Museum’s outdoor display at Kraków in 2005. Sukhoi Su-7BM fighter-bomber “06” dominates the foreground, with a succession of slender, delta-winged MiG-21 interceptors stretching away behind it—a striking record of the Soviet-designed jets that equipped Poland’s military aviation for several decades.
Rear view of a Polish-built WSK SM-2 at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. Developed from the licence-built Mil Mi-1, the SM-2 combined its predecessor’s engine, rotor system and landing gear with a much larger five-seat cabin. Its distinctive bulbous fuselage is particularly evident from this unusual angle, while the historic Rakowice-Czyżyny airfield hangar provides an appropriately atmospheric background.
Polish Air Force MiG-19PM “905” displayed at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. The radar-equipped PM was an all-weather interceptor armed with four guided air-to-air missiles instead of cannon. Powered by two afterburning turbojets, the MiG-19 was the first Soviet-designed fighter capable of exceeding the speed of sound in level flight. The bulbous radar nose and sharply swept wings distinguish it from the nearby MiG-17 family.
Polish Air Force WSK-Mielec Lim-6MR “618” displayed at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. This Polish-built attack and reconnaissance development of the radar-equipped MiG-17PF retained the characteristic divided nose intake after its radar had been removed. It is displayed with underwing rocket pods and external fuel tanks, illustrating the type’s ground-attack role.
Polish Air Force WSK-Mielec Lim-6M “606” displayed at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. The Lim-6M was created by converting obsolete Lim-5P all-weather interceptors—Polish-built versions of the MiG-17PF—into ground-attack aircraft. Although the radar equipment was removed, the distinctive divided intake and central radome were retained. Rocket pods and external fuel tanks are carried beneath the wings.
The unusually white-painted WSK-Mielec SB Lim-2 “018” displayed at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. This two-seat training and operational derivative of the Polish-built MiG-15 served with the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron of the Polish Navy’s 7th Special Aviation Regiment at Siemirowice. Its naval association is reflected by the distinctive seahorse badge on the fin.
Rear three-quarter view of a Polish Air Force PZL-Mielec Lim-6bis displayed at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. Developed in Poland from the Lim-5—its licence-built MiG-17F—the Lim-6bis was adapted specifically for ground-attack duties. This view shows its swept wings, prominent fences, single jet exhaust and underwing auxiliary fuel tanks, with rocket pods mounted farther inboard.
Port-side view of the white-painted WSK-Mielec SB Lim-2 “018” at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. This two-seat training and operational development of the Polish-built MiG-15 served with the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron of the Polish Navy’s 7th Special Aviation Regiment at Siemirowice. Its tandem cockpit, nose intake and swept wings preserve the unmistakable lines of the original MiG-15 design, while the seahorse badge on the fin records its naval service.
The extraordinary PZL-Mielec M-15 Belphegor displayed at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. Designed jointly by Polish and Soviet engineers for large-scale crop spraying, it remains the world’s only jet-powered agricultural aircraft—and the only jet biplane to enter production. Its AI-25 turbofan sits above the cockpit, while the bulky structures between the wings housed tanks carrying up to 2,200 kg of agricultural chemicals. Only 175 were built before production ended in 1979.
The second flying prototype of the PZL-130 Orlik, formerly SP-PCB, displayed at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. First flown in January 1985, this early Orlik was powered by a Vedeneyev M-14Pm radial engine rather than the turboprop fitted to later versions. Its unusual dark green and blue-grey “Chinese” camouflage was applied for its appearance at a military equipment exhibition in Beijing during 1985. After completing its test programme, the aircraft entered the museum collection in 1990.
LWD Szpak-4T SP-AAG, construction number 48-004, displayed at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. Designed under Tadeusz Sołtyk, the four-seat Szpak was among Poland’s first indigenous post-war aircraft, and the ten Szpak-4Ts became the first series-produced Polish aeroplanes completed after the war. Used for touring, liaison and aero-club duties, SP-AAG remained in service until 1955 and is the sole surviving example of the production version.
Czechoslovak-built Aero Ae-145 air ambulance SP-LXH displayed at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. Built in 1959, this elegant four-seat light twin served with the Air Ambulance Unit at Zielona Góra, accumulating more than 2,800 flying hours before entering the museum collection in 1980. Its two 140 hp Walter M-332 inverted-inline engines gave it a maximum speed of approximately 280 km/h and a range of 1,700 km
Gliders fill almost every level of the historic hangar at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. Prominent in the centre is SZD-15 Sroka training glider SP-1726, built in 1957 and operated by the Bielsko-Biała Aero Club until 1976. One of only twenty Srokas produced, it completed 326 flights during its working life. The closely packed display demonstrates the remarkable variety of wooden and later composite sailplanes developed by Poland’s renowned gliding industry.
Cessna UC-78A Bobcat SP-GLC displayed at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. After wartime USAAF service, the wooden twin-engined trainer came to Poland and flew with LOT as SP-LEM before passing to the Institute of Aviation, where it was re-registered SP-GLC. It remained useful by providing components from other Polish Bobcats—commemorated by the humorous shark-mouth painted around the nose. In 1953, the aircraft was used for two record-setting parachute jumps from heights of 4,600 and 4,800 metres.
The suspended glider is a WWS Wrona-bis, registration SP-447.
Designed by Antoni Kocjan, the Wrona-bis was a simple single-seat primary trainer with an open seat and an uncovered wooden truss fuselage. More than 400 were built during the 1930s and used extensively by Polish gliding schools. The black crow emblem on the fin reflects its name—Wrona means “crow” in Polish. The Kraków aircraft is the only surviving Wrona-bis in Poland.
The world’s only surviving PZL P.11c fighter, photographed at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. Serving with Kraków’s 121st Fighter Squadron, this aircraft was flown by several pilots, including future ace Wacław Król. Captured by the Germans in 1939, it survived as a war trophy in Berlin and was evacuated from Allied bombing before eventually returning to Poland. Its distinctive gull-shaped “Puławski wing” made the P.11 one of the world’s most advanced fighters when introduced, although it was badly outclassed by 1939.
The exceptionally rare Polikarpov Po-2LNB night bomber “2”, photographed at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. Built in 1944, this aircraft served with the Polish 2nd Night Bomber Regiment “Kraków” during the closing months of the Second World War. The regiment supported the fighting around Warsaw before advancing through Pomerania and taking part in the Berlin operation. Although slow and lightly armed, the Po-2 proved highly effective when flown at low level on nocturnal bombing and harassment missions. This is believed to be the world’s only surviving bomber-version Po-2.
The world’s only surviving PWS-26 advanced trainer, 81-123, displayed at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. Built in 1937, it served with the Polish Air Force before being captured by German forces in September 1939 and taken to Germany for evaluation and museum display. Recovered in Poland after the war, it returned to the air as civil-registered SP-AJB, serving as a glider tug from 1949 until 1953. Agile, stable and capable of aerobatics and weapons training, the PWS-26 was regarded as one of Europe’s finest advanced trainers of its era.
The pioneering SP-GIL experimental helicopter displayed at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. Poland’s first successful indigenous helicopter, it was designed at the Main Aviation Institute by a team led by engineer and experimental pilot Bronisław Żurakowski. He was the younger brother of Janusz “Zura” Żurakowski, the celebrated wartime fighter pilot who later tested aircraft at Boscombe Down, flew experimentally for Gloster and made the maiden flight of Canada’s Avro CF-105 Arrow. SP-GIL first flew in April 1950 and, despite being built amid severe post-war shortages, laid important foundations for Poland’s future helicopter industry.
WSK TS-8 Bies 0309 displayed at the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków, photographed in 2005. Designed by Tadeusz Sołtyk and built in 1958, the Bies was Poland’s first post-war, all-metal aircraft design to enter production. This example served as a basic trainer with the Polish Air Force until 1967, preparing pilots for progression to jet aircraft.
Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk.XVIe SM411 at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. The aircraft is presented as TB995, coded ZF-O, which served with the Polish-manned No. 308 “City of Kraków” Squadron during the closing months of the Second World War. Built in 1944 and powered by a Packard Merlin 266, SM411 originally served with No. 421 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force, and later appeared in the 1969 film Battle of Britain before being transferred to Kraków in 1977.
Gliders, light aircraft and historic trainers crowd one of the display hangars at the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków, photographed in 2005. Dominating the scene overhead is the orange SZD-10 bis Czapla SP-1477, a Polish two-seat primary-training glider introduced during the 1950s. The closely arranged and suspended exhibits illustrate the remarkable variety of aircraft produced by Poland’s flourishing post-war sporting and gliding industry
A Yakovlev Yak-11 advanced trainer stands among Polish aircraft and gliders at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. Derived from the wartime Yak-3 fighter and powered by a 700-hp Shvetsov ASh-21 radial engine, the two-seat Yak-11 prepared pilots for high-performance fighters and served with Polish military aviation from 1950 until 1962. The museum’s example, factory number 64236, entered the collection in 1964. Suspended overhead is the Polish SZD-21 Kobuz 3 aerobatic glider SP-2499.
The unique LWD Żuraw prototype, SP-GLB, awaiting restoration among the trees at the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków, photographed in 2005. Designed under Tadeusz Sołtyk as a short-take-off liaison and observation aircraft, it first flew on 16 May 1951. Its underpowered M-11FR radial engine prevented production, and the sole example was retired in 1960 before joining the museum collection in 1963.
The full-scale EM-10 Bielik development mock-up displayed at the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków, photographed in 2005. Designed by Edward Margański as an inexpensive two-seat military jet trainer, the largely composite Bielik was the first Polish jet-aircraft project undertaken by a private company. This mock-up was donated to the museum in 2002; a separate flying prototype, SP-YEM, made its maiden flight on 4 June 2003, but the design did not enter production.
Early aircraft and engines preserved in the “Storerooms of History” at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, photographed in 2005. Prominent above the display is D‑EFRI, Alfred Friedrich’s 1932 flying replica of the bird-like Etrich Taube. Formerly exhibited at Berlin’s Deutsche Luftfahrtsammlung, it was evacuated to occupied Poland during the Second World War and found badly damaged in 1945. The aircraft is displayed largely as it survived, illustrating both the fragility of pioneering aeroplanes and the considerable challenge of conserving them.
The fragile remains of the sole surviving AEG Wagner Eule in the “Storerooms of History” at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, photographed in 2005. Designed as a two-seat experimental monoplane, the Eule combined a welded-steel-tube fuselage with unusually shaped, bird-like wooden wings. Only two were constructed: the first was destroyed by fire, while this second prototype reportedly completed several short test flights. Once part of Berlin’s Deutsche Luftfahrtsammlung, it was evacuated to Poland during the Second World War and is now conserved in its unrestored condition.
The unique LWD Żuraw SP-GLB displayed in unrestored condition at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, in 2005. Designed under Tadeusz Sołtyk as a short-take-off military liaison and observation aircraft, it first flew on 16 May 1951. Its distinctive features included extensive cockpit glazing, full-span leading-edge slats and an unusual three-fin tail. Performance was restricted by its underpowered 160-hp M-11FR radial engine, and the Żuraw remained a solitary prototype. Retired in 1960, it entered the museum collection in 1963.
The unrestored remains of the Heinkel HE 5f D-OMIP at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków, photographed in 2005. This large, twin-float, low-wing, strut-braced monoplane was built under licence by Focke-Wulf as a maritime reconnaissance and advanced naval-training aircraft. Powered by a liquid-cooled BMW VI V12, D-OMIP served with Germany’s clandestine naval-aviation organisation, concealed behind a nominally civilian training role imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. It later entered Berlin’s Deutsche Luftfahrtsammlung and was evacuated to Poland during the Second World War.
The surviving remains of the Messerschmitt Me 209 V1, D-INJR, displayed in the Polish Aviation Museum’s “Storerooms of History,” photographed in 2005. Designed solely to capture the absolute world air-speed record, it was powered by a specially prepared Daimler-Benz DB 601ARJ engine. On 26 April 1939, Fritz Wendel flew D-INJR at 755.14 km/h (469.22 mph), establishing a piston-engined aircraft record that stood for thirty years. Nazi propaganda misleadingly presented the highly specialised racer as the “Me 109R,” implying a relationship with the operational Bf 109 fighter
The remarkably fragile remains of a Levavasseur Antoinette pioneer monoplane, photographed at the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków in 2005. Dating from about 1908–09, it is the oldest aircraft in the museum’s collection. Its long, boat-shaped wooden fuselage, exposed framework and spindly undercarriage illustrate the extremely lightweight construction employed during the earliest years of powered flight. The aircraft is preserved unrestored and without its wings, tail surfaces or engine.
Saab J 35J Draken 35520 displayed at the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków in 2005. Carrying its original Swedish Air Force markings, including the three-crowns roundel and F 10 Ängelholm Wing insignia, the supersonic interceptor is distinguished by its dramatic double-delta wing. Developed during the 1950s, the Draken was designed to climb rapidly and intercept high-flying enemy aircraft while operating from Sweden’s dispersed system of wartime air bases.
The weathered Lisunov Li-2T displayed at the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków in 2005, before its subsequent restoration in Polish Air Force markings as aircraft 027. Built in the Soviet Union during the Second World War, the Li-2 was derived from the Douglas DC-3 but incorporated structural alterations, Soviet equipment and locally produced radial engines. This aircraft later served in Poland and illustrates the type’s long post-war career as a military transport and trainer.
Polish Air Force Ilyushin Il-14S 3078 displayed at the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków in 2005. Built at Dresden in 1959, this specially appointed “salon” version carried military commanders, senior officials and other distinguished passengers. It later served with the 13th Transport Aviation Regiment at nearby Kraków-Balice before entering the museum’s collection. The Il-14 was developed during the early 1950s as a more modern successor to the Lisunov Li-2.
Polish Air Force Ilyushin Il-28R reconnaissance aircraft 72 displayed at the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków in 2005. The Il-28—known to NATO as the Beagle—was a twin-jet light bomber developed in the Soviet Union shortly after the Second World War. This reconnaissance version is recognisable by its glazed navigator’s nose and large wingtip fuel tanks. Behind it stands Il-28U S3, the specialised crew-training version with a second cockpit replacing the standard glazed nose.
The unique four-engined WSK MD-12F SP-PBL, photographed at the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków in 2005. Developed in 1962 from the MD-12 short-haul passenger aircraft, this specialised photogrammetric version featured an extensively glazed navigator’s nose, onboard photographic equipment and a darkroom. Enlarged wings and additional fuel provided an endurance of up to ten hours. The successful prototype never entered production and made its final flight to the museum in 1967.