Polish Air Force Association Gliding Club

Came across this forum post from a Google search after uploading a video to YouTube from my late grandfather’s cine and audio collection that I have been working my way through and digitising. 

Stan Kocyan was Polish and in their army for WWII. He originally wanted to join the Polish air force but apparently his mother would not allow him so he joined a tank regiment instead. After the war he moved to England and because of his original love of flying he became involved with flying clubs when he could. He also had a passion for photography and cinematography hence the following video he created featuring an unknown pilot and musician and the 302 Pirat glider of the Polish AFA Gliding Club.   

https://youtu.be/D08M63u4_LE

Hopefully of interest to some.

Hi VoyTech,
Thanks for the right spelling and the additional info.
Here is a picture of Lew:[ATTACH=CONFIG]220808[/ATTACH]
He trained young pilots. His courses were from sunrise to sunset – precise![ATTACH=CONFIG]220810[/ATTACH]
When I left Lasham, Lew gave me a Pin with the PAFA-“Boccian” of which I am still very proud.
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Lefti (Lef Kurilovic) checked me before on the Boccian. I still have pictures of the pirat and Lefti from this even in 1972.

Here’s another face to go with the name. Lew Kurylowicz at Northolt: in 1943 in front of his Spitfire, and in 1960s at the Polish Air Force Memorial. Note the badge below his decorations.
He was a great character. Survived Soviet gulags before coming to UK in 1942. In 1943 he spent three days in a dinghy in the Channel, writing down his feelings on his collar (the collar is now on display at the Sikorski Museum in London). Shot down in early August 1944, he spent the last nine months of the war in German captivity. Ironically, during his post-war gliding he met Hanna Reitsch, the famous Nazi German female pilot.

Here’s a face to go with the name…Ted Jerzycki in his Skylark at the UK Nationals, Lasham 1963. He came 9th in League 2. Courtesy of Sailplane and Gliding, August 1963 edition. In 1964 he came 3rd in the Nationals.

PAFA

Astir, in 2004 a SZD-30 Pirat glider (BGA-1470) was donated to Newark Air Museum by a member of the Polish AFA Gliding Club and it was returned to flight in early 2006 and is currently being flown by members of the former Gliding Club at Winthorpe who now operate out of Darlton, North East Notts.

If you PM me an email address I’ll send over a newsletter article about the project – the Pirat still carries the Polish AFA Gliding Club name on its nose.

Hi TwinOtter23,
Do you know who owns the Pirat today. At the VGC-Meeting in Lasham this year I made a picture of it. I flew this Pirat in 1972 and made my 5h with it. Lefti (Lef Kurilovic) checked me before on the Boccian. I still have pictures of the pirat and Lefti from this even in 1972.

Lasham is the best place to try for contacts .

Astir,

I have emailed over the newsletter that I mentioned and I have now just seen Antoni’s post re the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum – please let me know if you require any specific contact names within that organisation. 🙂

Michael Bentine used to recite the tanoy announcements on tv talk shows. My father said his Polish was quite good. I would guess he was with 300 Squadron at Faldingworth. Stanisław Cwynar (post war commander of Faldingworth) once told me he recalled him.

The PAFA Gliding Club had two SZD-30 Pirats, 302 and 303. 303 replaced the Skylark after it had an accident. 303 had the Koścuiszko badge forward of the windscreen and 303 on the nose. On the side of the nose a chessboard followed by “Polish A.F.A Gliding Club”. All I can tell you about the Skylark is that it had 303 across the top of the rudder and fin and some writing under the cockpit, probably “Polish A.F.A Gliding Club”.

The members must have taken many photographs but finding them now could be difficult. Most of the photos in the book are credited to Józef Przewłocki (first pilot of the club to earn a “Diamond C”) and J.Tomankiewicz.

There no longer is a PAFA. I would guess that their records etc were handed over to the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum, 20 Princes Gate, London SW7 1P I suggest that you try them as they may have some photos in their collections.

http://www.sikorskimuseum.co.uk/

Gentlemen (well I assume that you all are!)

Thanks very much for all that information. I’ve long been an admirer of the Free Polish forces and it sounds a good opportunity to reproduce the chequerboard markings etc on the glider. I’ll try the Google contacts for PAFA and Wally Kahn (if I can retrieve his email address) but if anyone else comes up with a photo or description of the markings I’d be very grateful.

Just as an aside I still remember once seeing an interview with Michael Bentine who I think was an Intelligence officer with one of the Polish bomber squadrons. He obviously held the aircrews in huge respect.

TwinOtter – PM sent

Astir, in 2004 a SZD-30 Pirat glider (BGA-1470) was donated to Newark Air Museum by a member of the Polish AFA Gliding Club and it was returned to flight in early 2006 and is currently being flown by members of the former Gliding Club at Winthorpe who now operate out of Darlton, North East Notts.

If you PM me an email address I’ll send over a newsletter article about the project – the Pirat still carries the Polish AFA Gliding Club name on its nose.

Most of the PAFA Gliding Club’s gliders were SZD designs. From the book:

“In August 1962 Edward Jerzycki carried out a 320 km designated-goal in flight, earning him the first “Diamond” to his “Gold C” During the year 24 cross-countries over a distance of 2,698 km were made. The club decided to obtain another high performance sailplane, choosing the Slinsby (sic) Skylark 4, which arrived in May 1963. The sailplane, embellished with the PAF chessboard, was named “No.303 Squadron,” and the British Gliding Association agreed to the club’s plea to give it the registration number 303.

In 1963 the PAFA Gliding Club numbered 21 full members and 176 aspiring members in the initial training stages, nine of whom, including the club’s first female pilot Krystyna Zielińska, made their first solos during the year.”303” and Mucha sailplanes took part in the British Nationals, and Jerzycki, flying “303” was placed ninth among 40 competitors in the 2nd League. The club made 593 flights in 337 hours, including 22 cross-countries, on its three sailplanes, and its trainee members, 427 further flights on gliders of the British clubs. The following year, Jerzycki, on “303”, finished third in the 2nd League British Nationals and won a cup, and other Polish pilots gained two “Diamonds” and made one qualifying “Gold C” flight and four “Silver C” flights.”

Your Skylark appears in one photograph but most of it is obscured by another glider.

Thanks

I assumed that PAFA was a WWII Polish expatriate organisation. I now believe that it was based at Lasham, so I’ll try Wally Kahn etc there.

PAFA officially closed a few years ago (it was an Association of WW2 Polish Air Force veterans).

Jerzy B. Cynk’s “The Polish Air Force at War: The Official History, 1943–1945” (Schiffer Publishing, 1998, ISBN 978-0-7643-0560-3) has a Chapter on post-WW2 activity of the PAFA, including its Gliding Club.