Gliders – Zbigniew Michniowski

The history of dreams of flying like birds dates back to ancient times, and the most famous example of this is the myth of Daedalus and Icarus. In the 12th century, the English philosopher Roger Bacon described the possibilities of human flight in his treatise. Significant work in this area was presented by Leonardo da Vinci in notes and sketches of construction solutions, dealing with it in a creative and scientific way in the years 1490-1519. He developed the assumptions of the parachute theory and investigated the possibilities of human flight using movable wings and also using devices resembling today's balloons and helicopters. Four hundred years later, German Otto Lilienthal and American Octave Chanute attempted to glide on structures based on the prototypes of today's hang gliders. Llilienthal's gliders derived their construction concept from bats, which seemed a natural consequence of imitating flying creatures. However, it was only the modifications of Lilienthal's numerous designs that brought the first successes of flights of several or several meters in 1891. The Wright brothers were also pioneers, initially building gliders and their first designs were biplanes with rectangular wings, on which they made their first flights in 1903. Poles also made a mark in the history of aviation development, and an interesting fact is that the first passenger of the meter-long model with movable wings, built in 1643 by Tytus Boratyni... was a cat. In parallel with Lilienthal, Czesław Tański was working on gliders and in 1894 he made the first several-meter long flights on his primitive glider called a hang-glider. He also modeled the structure of birds, but his attempts were not soon successful.

The extremely dynamic development of gliders and airplanes in the first decades of the 20th century was also accompanied by construction work on gliders carried out in Poland. The first gliding competition was held in 1935 in Bezmiechowa, where there was one of the most important gliding centers and the emerging glider structures allowed for breaking world flight records.

It should be noted, however, that the pioneers of using mechanical drives using internal combustion engines and propellers, which were developing at the end of the 19th century, were more committed to the idea of ​​flying. These pioneers also included the Wright brothers.

When presenting the types of gliders, it is worth mentioning the basic differences resulting from the construction materials related to the development of technology and construction, which was determined by aero-dynamic research, ergonomics and, in a sense, aesthetic values. Mainly due to the materials, these were wooden and composite gliders. There were marginally few gliders of metal and mixed construction. Due to the construction of gliders, we can use the simplest division into training and competition ones, including aerobatic ones. Sophisticated solutions were forced by sporting and probably commercial competition. However, the introduced glider classes differed mainly in wingspan.

After World War II, the reconstruction of the aviation industry began based on existing staff. Already in 1946, the first airplane competition was held at the airport in Bielsko, where the Gliding Institute was established in the same year, and the first 5 Salamandra gliders designed by Czerwiński were manufactured and flown in the same year. Then the institute was transformed into the Glider Experimental Plant SDZ. Over the next decades, they were one of the most famous glider manufacturers in the world, with Polish pilots repeatedly winning the highest awards in gliding sports.

The first construction was Sęp and the next series were Mucha, Jastrząb, Jaskółka, Bocian, Czapla, Zefir, Foka, Cobra and Jantar, made in many variants. The most famous designers of these gliders were: J. Niespał, T. Kostia, W. Okarmus, B. Szuba and Kurbiel. Some of the structures they created were milestones in the development of gliding and are worth mentioning in more detail.

Like the first Sęp from 1947, subsequent types were wooden structures using plywood, which, especially when shaping hulls with circular and elliptical cross-sections and three-dimensional shapes, requires excellent qualifications of the contractors. All the more so because the number of models and varieties made was proof of the crew's skill. Appropriately impregnated and reinforced canvas was partially used to finish the external surfaces.

FOKA glider

JUNIOR glider

"Mucha" glider

"Perkoz" glider

"Puchacz" glider

When presenting the types of gliders, it is worth mentioning the basic differences resulting from the construction materials related to the development of technology and construction, which was determined by aero-dynamic research, ergonomics and, in a sense, aesthetic values. Mainly due to the materials, these were wooden and composite gliders. There were marginally few gliders of metal and mixed construction. Due to the construction of gliders, we can use the simplest division into training and competition ones, including aerobatic ones. Sophisticated solutions were forced by sporting and probably commercial competition. However, the introduced glider classes differed mainly in wingspan.

After World War II, the reconstruction of the aviation industry began based on existing staff. Already in 1946, the first airplane competition was held at the airport in Bielsko, where the Gliding Institute was established in the same year, and the first 5 Salamandra gliders designed by Czerwiński were manufactured and flown in the same year. Then the institute was transformed into the Glider Experimental Plant SDZ. Over the next decades, they were one of the most famous glider manufacturers in the world, with Polish pilots repeatedly winning the highest awards in gliding sports.

The first construction was Sęp and the next series were Mucha, Jastrząb, Jaskółka, Bocian, Czapla, Zefir, Foka, Cobra and Jantar, made in many variants. The most famous designers of these gliders were: J. Niespał, T. Kostia, W. Okarmus, B. Szuba and Kurbiel. Some of the structures they created were milestones in the development of gliding and are worth mentioning in more detail.

Like the first Sęp from 1947, subsequent types were wooden structures using plywood, which, especially when shaping hulls with circular and elliptical cross-sections and three-dimensional shapes, requires excellent qualifications of the contractors. All the more so because the number of models and varieties made was proof of the crew's skill. Appropriately impregnated and reinforced canvas was partially used to finish the external surfaces.

The first types of gliders were equipped with cable control systems, replaced in subsequent models with pushers providing greater accuracy in transferring forces to the moving elements of the glider such as ailerons, trimmers, rudders, mechanical and aerodynamic brakes or elements of the retractable landing gear in more advanced designs. The pursuit of perfection, including maximizing the possibility of gliding flight, forced us to reduce the weight of gliders and improve their aerodynamic properties. From the initial values ​​of 4-5, the best competitive gliders achieve coefficients of 60-70, which means that from a height of 1 km they can fly 60-70 km in a gliding flight. An important parameter of every glider is also the minimum speed (in relation to the air surrounding it!), because at lower speeds the lift force disappears and the so-called phenomenon occurs. stalls. This results in a loss of flight capabilities, which makes maneuvering impossible, threatening to go into a "spin" and many times resulted in the crash of the glider. Therefore, there must be conditions under which the glider can fly. Most often, pilots use thermals, i.e. the rising of heated air masses, which creates "chimneys" that allow them to reach the necessary altitude for flight. Apart from motor gliders, which can use their own engine to gain the appropriate take-off speed and altitude to continue the flight, gliders are towed by planes or take off with a winch.

Among over 50 types of gliders constructed at SZD (not counting at least as many of their versions), some of them stood out in terms of "beauty". It is worth mentioning here the "Jaskółka" by T. Kostia from the early 1950s, which became a model of elegance of the local generation of gliders, or the "Foka" by W. Okarmus, which together with "Zefir" by B. Szuba constituted the same model in the 1960s . At the end of the 1970s, Kurbiel's laminated "Jantars" appeared, constituting a whole family, as it concerned both several "Standard" and open class gliders. For many decades, their construction and technological solutions, as well as design, became the showcase of Polish gliders.

Experimental aircraft "Małgosia 2"

"Bielik" jet plane

"Diana 2" glider

"Diana 2" glider

At this point, however, it is worth mentioning two gliders with which virtually every pilot flying today had the opportunity to become thoroughly familiar with them. Of course, we are talking about the immortal "Stork", which was created in the early 1950s, and the laminated "Puchacz" from the late 1970s. Apart from their considerable advantages, one thing stood out: they are two-seater gliders, i.e. the ones on which pilots learned to fly while also performing their first solo flight.

Unfortunately, SZD is already a great story full of successes. At the beginning of the 21st century, the plant ceased to exist. Was this the end of Bielsko-Biała's adventure with gliders? The following years showed that this was not the case. The highly specialized SZD staff, who constitute the greatest professional value, decided to act on their own.

At the end of the 1980s, the first private company in the aviation industry, run by engineer Edward Margański, began operating in the facilities of the glider school in Żar. In the first stage, it dealt with the renovation of gliders and historic aircraft, and later, in line with the interests of its creator, it began to design and produce first gliders and later airplanes. It started with aerobatic "Swifts", in which our pilots won 4 first places at the World Championships in glider acrobatics in Zielona Góra, and two years later a two-seat "Fox" was created, produced in over 80 units and constituting, together with "Swift", ” almost a monotype at the European or World Championships. Then there were planes: the jet "Bielik", the twin-engine "Orka", and the experimental "Małgosia II".

The second person who dared to take an independent path was engineer Andrzej Papiorek, who started his business in the early 1990s and continued cooperation with Stemme. This initially small company has grown into the largest and most developed private company in the Bielsko-Biała region. Suffice it to say that during its activity it produced several hundred highly complex airplanes and gliders.

Mr. Janusz Karasiewicz undertook an unusual task at that time. Using original construction documentation preserved in the Czech Republic, he built a series of over twenty historic Bucker Jungmann aircraft from the 1930s.

It is worth mentioning that Polish companies were a kind of example: Konsuprod, where the light aircraft "Moskito" and 3Xtrim (both designed by engineer Adam Kurbiel) were created, and Remos, where the "Mirage" aircraft designed by engineer was produced in large quantities. Jerzy Cisowski.

The activity of the plant established by Eng. should also be noted with great satisfaction. Bogumił Bereś, known for the high-performance "Diana" gliders he constructed. There is no need to mention the sporting successes achieved with these gliders. It was on Diana that Sebastian Kawa won over 20 gold medals in the World Championships, European Championships and the Aviation Olympics, making the Bielsko-Bialski Aero Club and the gliding traditions of the city famous.

Currently, the tradition of constructing and producing new gliders, including the development of "Diana", is also continued by the Avionic company from Górki Wielkie, B. Kawik and L. Matuszka, known for the production of several hundred laminate structures for the most common aerobatic aircraft in the world today, "Ekstra 300".

However, the traditions of companies repairing gliders (some of them also airplanes) are maintained by the companies of Mr. J. Biskup in Żar, A. Nowak from Żywiec and H. Mynarski, who is the owner of the former SZD branch in Jeżów Sudecki.

It can be undoubtedly said that the activities of the Gliding Experimental Plants, its predecessors and successors from the entire Podbeskidzie region, have become a permanent part of the history of the global development of gliding.

Photographs used in the publication:
Krzysztof Cieślowski,
Zbigniew Weksej,
Wojtek Gorgolewski,
Edward Margański, and Zbigniew Michniowski

Zbigniew Michniowski - engineer and designer of industrial forms, has been associated with the local government of Bielsko-Biała since 1993 as director of the BWA Gallery and advisor to the City Council, later he served as the city's president for a year. After 6 years of managing the Energy Conservation Agency, he returned to the City Hall in 2002 for 15 years as deputy president and eventually served as the president's plenipotentiary for sustainable development. At the same time, as a representative of the city, he was elected seven times for two-year terms to the Management Board of the European Association "Energy Cities", twice as vice-president. At that time, he also acted as the president of the "Association of Municipalities Polish Network Energie Cites" and the "Region Beskidy" Association. As a sustainable development expert, he participated in the work of many teams as well as in domestic and foreign conferences and symposia