FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1961
1961 - 1022.PDF
124 FLIGHT, 27 July 1961 Aero 145 and CSS-13 of the ambulance service at Godaw. The former is extremely popular with pilots and the latter is effective for operations from tiny fields or, on skis, in deep snow "Flight" photograph EXCURSION POLONAISE . . . pants in their sections. Entrance fee is 20 zlotys (about 7s) and theannual fee is 10 zlotys, plus five or ten more for each section to which the member belongs. Of the 500 members at Warsaw, 250are glider pilots, 150 powered, and about 100 parachutists. There are no privately owned aircraft in Poland. The club largely manages its own finances, following a statesubsidy based on a budget prepared by the club. Once a member has joined he must fly a minimum number of hours—or make a certainnumber of jumps—each year, but there is no maximum. In powered aircraft he flies solo after about ten or 12 hours' dual and gains histhird-class rating with an oral exam and flying test after about 50hr. During the initial training period he is encouraged to spend asmuch time as possible at the airfield and to join extensively in both the technical and social activities of the club. After 80 to 120hr he can take a second exam and flying test togain his second-class rating; and after three years and 150 to 200hr he can become a first-class pilot. Instrument flying and aerobaticsare necessary for second-class, and advanced aerobatics and night flying for first-class ratings. Most of the instructors are voluntary. Members are carefully observed in their behaviour, aptitude andapplication to work and are accordingly trained for specific types of flying, such as glider towing, crop-spraying, parachute droppingand weather reconnaissance—the last-named requiring some experi- ence of poor-weather flying. The keener pupils are encouraged andbrought on by the instructors and their progress is closely watched. Glider and parachute instruction follows broadly the same prin-ciples. Each parachutist maintains his own equipment and, to encourage talent, tables of records classified as national or inter-national, male or female, individual or group, are kept on the wall of the parachute room. Plastic "bone-domes," special jumpingboots and barostatic releases of both Polish and Russian manu- facture are used. It costs the club 400 zlotys per jump to give aparachute pupil his first ten qualifying jumps. At Goclaw four half-days each week are set aside for parachuting. I asked Col Wierzbicki about the use of aircraft for privatejourneys and the possibility of flying abroad—in fact about business flying. His answer was that this kind of flying does not fit into thescheme of the organization. The emphasis in the club movement is on training and on perfection in various types of flying. Becausethe government provides the means whereby people may fly at virtually no cost, it demands in return a serious approach to thecorporate activities of the club. Throughout the year the perform- ance of the more skilful members in each section is assessed and theinstructors choose, on the basis of both "social" and aeronautical achievement, a team of perhaps ten people who will represent theirclub and country in foreign competitive events. There was an atmosphere of enthusiasm and a sense of purpose atGoclaw which clearly showed that skill and achievement are taken very seriously, just as scholastic achievement is taken very seriouslyin Poland's schools. Those in charge at Goclaw were proud of their activities and pointed out that the organization of theclub was entirely Polish and not based on any other example anywhere else in the world. Trophies and badges in many roomsrecorded friendly visits or successful competitions in many coun- tries. Also based at Goclaw is the headquarters of the LotnictwoSanitarne, the Polish air ambulance service. Formed in 1955 with six CSS-13s at two bases, the service now has ten aircraftbased at Goclaw and two each at 15 or 16 provincial bases. There are 50 pilots, and nurses and doctors are seconded from the hospitalservice. Each base has its own first-aid facilities, road ambulances and teleprinter communication with other bases and hospitals.Types of aircraft include the Aero 145, "the best light aircraft to reach Poland since World War II," Morava, Brigadyr, PZL-101Gawron and a few of the ambulance version of the Po-2, still used in winter and where specially difficult landing conditions exist. During the last two years, helicopters have also been introducedand an SM-1 was based at Goclaw. The new Wilga will in due course be added, and when economical small helicopters are availablethey will take over all flights of less than 150km. A single Morava at Goclaw is at the moment used for VIP transport and forestfire-spotting, but a version carrying two stretchers and an attendant is available. Under its director, Tadeusz Wieckowski, and chief pilot, MrPlenkewicz—who was one of the three Polish test pilots at RAE Farnborough during World War II—the service has transported20,400 patients in five years and the aircraft together fly about 14,000hr each year. Pilots fly for up to 400hr each year. Bothcasualties and patients being transferred between hospitals are carried, and blood, isotopes and medicines are delivered. Patientshave been flown as far afield as Stockholm, Prague, Vilno, Budapest and Bucharest for specialist treatment available only in these places;and the Aero 145s bear servicing instructions in English to facilitate handling in foreign countries. Some of the aircraft are fitted withskis for operation in the severe Polish winter when road transport is often impossible. The average experience of ambulance pilotsseemed to be extremely high and the service as a whole well orga- nized, busy and efficient. 5: Looking at LOT ONE of the most rewarding parts of the trip was an interview withthe director of the Polish national airline LOT and a look round its maintenance facilities at Warsaw Okecie airport. The director,Jan Krzywicki, told me something of his airline's plans for expan- sion of the already extensive route network and for re-equipmentwith medium and long-range aircraft. During the present five-year plan, just started, LOT would liketo start a transatlantic service to New York and Chicago to exploit the considerable tourist traffic of Americans of Polish origin. Infact, however, this particular scheme is unlikely to be realized until the next five-year plan. Meanwhile, expansion of services tothe Middle and Far East is a definite prospect for next season. LOT's three new Il-18s, already flown for some 200hr, and inscheduled service to Moscow, will later begin to fly the Budapest - Belgrade - Athens route and then extend to Cairo or Beirut andeventually to Baghdad, New Delhi and Jakarta. All the major British, American and French manufacturers haveapproached LOT with a view to selling long-range equipment; but, like other Polish concerns, the airline has difficulty in obtain-ing foreign currency. It receives 24 zlotys for every US dollar it earns abroad, but must pay half as much again for every dollarit has to spend for spare parts, fuel or services abroad. At one time the East German Baade 152 was a firm prospect for medium-range re-equipment, but that project has now been abandoned. Next in favour is the Tu-124, now being operationally tested byAeroflot; and the twin-turboprop An-24 looks attractive for short- range routes. First priority is to modernize the international fleet and to bringthe Il-14s and Convair 240s back on the internal services to replace the Li-2s. LOT has 12 Il-14s—five bought in Russia, six inGermany and one in Czechoslovakia. Present seating capacity is 26, but it is planned to increase this figure to 32 or 36 accordingto the capacity of the aircraft of various origins. Some II-14s have been stretched by a Czechoslovakian company to seat 40.Four Convair 240s serve London, Paris, Rome and Amsterdam; and
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
