Engineering challenges for engineers from Bielsko-Biała during their over 80-year adventure in glider construction.

The illustrations for this are 40 very successful colour drawings.
(in 3 throws) by the famous glider pilot and instructor, Mr. Roman Kiełpikowski from Racibórz.

IS-1 Vulture.

The first glider designed after the war by Józef Niespal, probably in large part created during the war, or just before it. The glider is a representative of a high-performance glider from that period. The glider was of course made of wood in the workshops of the Glider Institute, which was then located in Biała at Hałcnowska Street. A few sentences on wood as a material for glider construction and the organization of their production later in this article.

IS-5 Duck.

An example of the creative ambition of the founders of the Gliding Institute, and the designers of this glider, engineers Kostya and Kaniewska. One of the first gliders in the world with this layout.

IS-4 Hawk.

An aerobatic glider designed by J. Niespał, an example of the pre-war fashion for the "gull" wing arrangement.

SZD-6X Bat.

Continuation of attempts to find the optimal system for future gliders. A large research program was carried out on this glider, trying different variants of its control. Designers W. Nowakowski and J Sadaer.

IS-2 Fly.

The beginning of the career of the "Much" family as the main glider for training glider pilots.

IS-7 Wasp.

First attempts at laminar profiles. Unfortunately, those created for airplanes. And for the purposes of our presentation, an example:

- wooden technology, including gluing wooden elements and canvas covering;

- connections of highly loaded wooden elements (e.g.
girder chords) with metal elements;

- the method of making prototypes and even series gliders;

- a few words about glider landing gear.

SZD-12 Fly 100.

The main representative of the "Flies" family.

SZD-22 Standard Bow Tie.

A glider designed for the 1958 World Championships and our representative in the newly created "standard" class. Produced in large quantities, including in factories in Krosno. Glued with synthetic Bakelite glue, which replaced the casein glue used.

SZD-10 Heron.

Basic glider for basic training after the introduction of the training method on two-seater gliders. One of two gliders designed at SZD with a hexagonal fuselage section and wings supported by struts.

SZD-15 Magpie.

Probably a failed (late) attempt at creating a cheap glider
training (a little over 20 pieces were made) with a design based on
"Heron."

SZD-8 Swallow.

The prototype of the basic high-performance glider of the 1950s and early 1960s in Poland, designed by engineer Kostia. It featured, among others;

- excellent performance and handling characteristics for those times;

- despite the extremely narrow cabin, great comfort for the pilot;

- in subsequent versions, water ballast tanks installed;

- distinctive appearance.

SZD-8 bis.

The "Swallow" version common in aeroclubs.

SZD-14X Swallow M.

A prototype glider to test the wrap that was fashionable at the time
tailplane.

SZD-17X Swallow L.

Swallow being prepared for the World Championships in France.
Several units of this glider were made, and it was characterized by the butterfly glider.
tails:

- wings with laminar profiles;

- a high load on the wing surface for those times;

- crocodile flaps, not seen in gliders.

SZD-11 Albatross.

A prototype glider "for poor conditions". A typical "Swallow" with a larger wingspan and therefore lower surface loading.

SZD-9 Stork.

A two-seater glider designed by M. Wasilewski, R. Zatwarnicki and J. Sandauer in the early 1950s as a glider
high-performance, but still used today as a training glider after relatively minor modifications.

SZD-13X Vampire.

Continuing fascination of SZD designers with the system
"flying wing" in the version of engineer J. Kaniewska. It is therefore worth quoting a few sentences about this system.

SZD-16 Gil.

In order to significantly reduce the production costs of training gliders, it was decided to test the technology used in this respect.
in Germany, among others. Engineer Z. Badura designed a glider with a metal fuselage with a front part welded from steel tubes and covered with fabric. In many respects, the glider met expectations and after a few years a serial glider of this design was built.

SZD-25 Nov.

In order to reduce the production costs of "Mucha Standart" we have developed
a version with the same wings and tail, but with a metal fuselage as in the "Gil" (designer R. Zatwarnicki). The glider was produced in relatively small quantities in Krosno.

SZD-21 Kobuz.

In order to replace the worn out "Jastrzębie" it was decided
build a new glider, but with extended applications. This is about flights
high-altitude on the wave. The glider was designed by engineer J.Trzeciak who had to
to meet sometimes excessive requirements. Hence the relatively long period of its development and the necessity to build 3 versions of this
glider. In terms of the technology of making this glider, there has also been significant progress.

In order to obtain the appropriate smoothness of its wings, a multi-string structure with a multi-layer covering was used.
plywood glued on a suitable form.

SZD-27 Cormorant.

Under some pressure from higher authorities, but I think
mainly after analyzing the production and financial successes related to production
two-seater glider "Blanik" in the Czech Republic (over 2,000 pieces were produced), it was decided in SZD to deal with the Polish version of such a glider. A model (i.e. a copy of the same "Blanik") was purchased, the development of the project was entrusted to the most
experienced designer in SZD, namely J. Niespal. Additionally
Taking into account the new technology for SZD, engineer F. Waliczek was brought from Mielec to the position of production manager. This was a period of fundamental changes in the organization of production and its preparation. The changes were significant and included both the preparation of design documentation and the organization of technological service by technologists. The involvement of engineer Tadeusz Wiślicki, later a lecturer at the Warsaw University of Technology, and the then young engineers Jerzy Cieśla (who came from
Mielec) and Antoni Ficoń (he came from Świdnik), then … Gębala.

Although the "Kormoran" glider itself did not enter serial production, SZD significantly improved its capabilities as a manufacturing plant.
aviation. Here are a few words about the challenges of metal production
gliders and whether it was possible and necessary for SZD to return to this
technology.

SZD-24 Seal.

Construction of W. Okarmus. One of the groundbreaking constructions in
the history of SZD, both in terms of the design itself (lying pilot position and the use of laminar profiles), but also the use of new
technology:

- plywood coverings glued on formers, separated by foam, and then a multi-stripe wing structure;

- applied on a larger scale to non-expandable elements
glider coverings: polyester laminates using Polish glass fabrics.

And here are a few words about why epoxy resins and why glass fabrics are produced in Poland and about the parallel introduction
this technology to other gliders.

SZD-19 Zephyr 2.

Designed by B. Szuba, it was created a bit earlier than the "Foka", but presented at the same World Championships (1962), an open class glider built using more extensive design and technological solutions used in the "Fokas". The glider was created
based on the experience gained from the production and flight tests of the glider "Zefir 1". It was characterized by, among other things, the lack of brakes
aerodynamics replaced by a braking parachute and extensive wing mechanization.

SZD-29 Zephyr 3.

The glider represented the pinnacle of achievement in the field of wooden glider construction in terms of technology and construction. In terms of construction, in addition to the lack of air brakes and very extensive wing mechanization, it was characterized by very unusual fuselage aerodynamics.

SZD-35 Zephyr 4.

A short series of "Zefira 3" built for the World Championships in Leszno in 1968. Unfortunately, the brakes were designed poorly.
aerodynamics were one of the reasons why these gliders in this competition
have not achieved any significant successes.

SZD-30 Pirate.

The glider designed by J. Śmielkiewicz was produced in large
in quantities (including in WSK Świdnik) it was a training glider in which for the first time
laminar profiles specially designed for gliders were used. Despite its conventional design, this gave it a significant advantage over gliders from the "Much" family. This glider featured the first time in Poland that the glider's glazing was formed using the vacuum method without contact with the former.

SZD-36 Cobra.

Development of the "Foka" glider design.

SZD-35 Snipe.

The glider was ordered by a customer from the GDR for training purposes.
pilots in the widest possible range. Several pieces were made and despite the very good
opinions about it did not go into serial production.

It was used in the Bielsko Aeroclub.

SZD-41 Amber.

Based on the research results at SZD and the Institute of Aviation, the first laminate glider in Poland was designed by A. Kurbiel and J. Śmielkiewicz.

To develop this glider it was necessary to introduce completely
new technology and certify new materials and methods for its production
creating structural elements from them.

A dozen or so sentences on this topic and the effects of their introduction.

SZD-44 Fountain.

A single copy using the materials used to build it
wings from one of the prototypes of the "Zefira 4". A two-seater glider designed for record flights.

SZD-45 Hound.

Designed by T. Łabuć and S. Oskwarek, it was the first and only motor glider in the history of SZD. More than 40 of these motor gliders were made.
wooden but with a metal tail beam and such a stabilizer. Most were powered by the "Limbach" engine, but a dozen or so of them exported to the USA had "Rewmaster" engines and metal propellers installed there.

SZD-50Eagle owl.

The glider designed by A. Meus and J. Shubert was
laminate two-seater training glider produced in large quantities (237 units).

SZD-42 Jantar 2b.

Produced in a prototype shop (124 pieces) high-performance
the largest wingspan laminate glider.

SZD-51 Junior.

Training laminate glider of St. Zientek's design.

SZD-55.

Laminated Standard class glider with a span of 15 m.
construction by T. Łabuć.

SZD-56 Diana.

High-performance glider A competition glider with a design
carbon-epoxy laminate construction by B. Beres. The most perfect Polish glider so far, which in subsequent versions

allowed the Poles to win the next competitions. The aerodynamics of this glider were created in cooperation with Krzysztof
Kubryński from the Warsaw University of Technology.

SZD-54 Grebe.

An improved version of the "Puchacz" produced in Bielsko by the company
"Alstar".

Swift S1.

A high-performance aerobatic glider designed by E. Margański and
M. Cisowski in which four Poles took the first four places at the World Championships in Jelenia Góra.

MDM-1 Fox.

The two-seater was produced in over 60 units.
aerobatic glider by Zakłady Lotnicze Margański i Mysłowski. These gliders (together with the single-seat "Swift" from the same company) are practically a monotype
any major glider acrobatics competition.

Małgosia's motor glider.

The prototype of this motor glider was created as an aerobatic version
the "Fox" glider using the moulds in which this glider was made.