Iskra SP-YBC
The plane with the serial number 1214 was produced on October 30th 1974 and delivered on November 12th same year to 5401 unit (38th Air School Regiment), where it flew on May 8th 1975. On that day, 1214, was moved to the Technical School of Military Aviation in Zamosc, where it was used until January 23rd 1976.
On February 4th 1976, Iskra returned to 38th ASR, where it remained until October 16th 1986. On this day the machine went to 5256 unit (58th ASR) and was there until November 9th 1989.
On November 17th 1989 it went to 3117 unit (3rd Pomeranian AB), where it was used until January 21st 1991.
On July 26th 1991 it was returned to 58th ASR and was flying there until February 23rd 2006. In the meantime, 58th ASR was renamed to the 1st Aviation Training Center. During the operations of TS-11 Iskra bis D with tactical number 1214 has undergone two general repairs: 9 October 1986 - January 21, 1988, at WZL-2 in Bydgoszcz and January 14, 1999 - December 16, 1999, at WZL-3 in Dęblin.
During its service, Iskra flew 2880 hours and 39 minutes, performing 6,100 landings. Her last flight took place on April 14th 2004, with the lieutenant pilot Krzysztof Klaczynski at the controls.
On February 23rd 2006, the aircraft was taken out of service and transferred to the Military Property Agency.
In November 2013, the plane joined the White-Red Wings Foundation. The initial purpose was to rebuild the aircraft and restore it to a flying state. After obtaining the permission of the Civil Aviation Authority for the restoration of the plane, a team of experienced aircraft mechanics commenced work. In just 6 months the plane was rebuilt and performed flight tests.
The first flight of the aircraft which received SP-YBC registration took place on the weekend of 18-19 October 2014 at the Lublin EPLB airport. Due to the low cloud base on Saturday, only quick taxi attempts were made. However, on Sunday the test pilot, Slawomir Hetman, performed a successful test flight.
PZL TS-11bis D Iskra
The PZL TS-11 Iskra (English: Spark) is a Polish jet trainer, developed and manufactured by aircraft company PZL-Mielec. It has been used by the air forces of Poland and India. It is notable as being the first domestically-developed jet aircraft to be produced by Poland. TS-11 was in service with the Polish Air Force for over 50 years before being retired as a training aircraft and replaced with the more modern Leonardo M-346 Master. Whilst the Iskra is now retired as a training aircraft a small number of TS-11's are still be used by the Polish Air Force Aerobatic Team “White and Red Sparks”. The TS-11 Iskra is the oldest jet aircraft still in service in the Polish Air Force.
As a part of efforts to preserve Poland's ability to independently develop aircraft in an era of political and economic subservience to the neighbouring Soviet Union, during the 1950s, Polish engineers at Poland's Aviation Institute commenced early work upon the design of what would become the first jet aircraft to be developed in Poland. Following the death of Joseph Stalin, work on the initiative could be performed more openly and government officials became supportive of such a venture. The fledgeling design was heavily influenced by the requirements specified by the Polish Air Force, which had formalised a requirement for a jet-propelled aircraft for training purposes. On the 5th of February 1960, the first prototype conducted its maiden flight, powered by an imported British Armstrong Siddeley Viper turbojet engine.
In 1963, deliveries of the first production model of the type, designated as the TS-11 Iskra bis A, commenced to the Polish Air Force. During the 1960s, the Iskra competed to be selected as the standard jet trainer throughout the Warsaw Pact. However, it was not selected to fulfil this significant role, the rival Czechoslovakian Aero L-29 Delfín having been chosen instead, which went on to be built in greater numbers for a wide number of export customers. Production of the TS-11 came to an end during 1987, however, the type remained in service with the Polish Air Force and the Indian Air Force into the 21st century.
The PZL TS-11 Iskra is an all-metal jet-propelled trainer aircraft. It is relatively conventional in layout, featuring a trapezoid-shaped mid-wing arrangement. These wings, which only had a gentle angle of sweep along the leading edge, feature air intakes embedded into the wing root. The TS-11's single turbojet engine is accommodated with the main fuselage, its exhaust is located beneath the boom-mounted tail fin, which provides the aircraft with a fairly unusual silhouette. Both of the crew, typically being the student in the front and instructor in the back, are provided with ejector seats for emergency egress.
Some models of the TS-11 can be armed; armaments have consisted of a single nose-mounted Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 cannon with 80 rounds, along with a total of four underwing hardpoints that were compatible with a variety of different weapons, including bombs and rockets. Most models of the aircraft lack a radar set; however, the specialised TS-11R reconnaissance variant is provided with such equipment. The TS-11 can also be outfitted with various cameras for the purpose of performing aerial photography missions.