Foundation

History of the Foundation

The Zabytki Polskiego Nieba Foundation was created on the initiative of Jan Borowski - President of JB Aviation. It all started with a Cessna airplane landing in Torun, where by chance Mr. Jan and his son Stanislaw found a deteriorating TS-8 Bies airplane. The proposal to restore this aircraft gave rise to the activities of the Foundation and was the impetus for all activities. 

The effects of the work of restorers and mechanics, hundreds of hours devoted to restoring old machines to the sky, can be admired at aviation picnics throughout Poland and at events abroad.

In 2011, the chairman of the Foundation Council was Miroslaw Hermaszewski - the first and only Polish cosmonaut, who said of the Foundation: "Everyone talks, and you do."

Jan Borowski, President of the Foundation, is also the Polish ambassador of the pan-European organization European Federation Historic Aviation, which further emphasizes the international dimension of the Foundation's activities. The Foundation has been cooperating for years with leading Polish museum institutions such as the Polish Aviation Museum in Krakow, the Polish Army Museum, the Aviation Institute in Warsaw, etc. 

Why Does It Matter?

Poland has a long and rich aviation history, which is linked to outstanding design achievements, the heroic deeds of pilots and the importance of aviation for the technological development of the country. Unfortunately, many historical machines and memorabilia have been destroyed or forgotten. Our foundation is fighting to save this heritage, giving a second life to historic aircraft and spreading knowledge about Polish wings.

Out of passion for aviation. Out of respect for history.

Mission and Objectives

Zabytki Polskiego Nieba Foundation is an organization established out of passion for the history of Polish aviation and concern for preserving its heritage for future generations. Our primary goal is the restoration, preservation and popularization of historic aircraft and the dissemination of knowledge about the heroes of Polish aviation.

The Foundation's main activities are:

1. renovation and restoration of historic aircraft - we bring back to life the legendary machines that shaped the history of Polish aviation. We work with attention to detail, so that each restored copy faithfully reflects the original

2. education and popularization - we organize shows, lectures, exhibitions and workshops that bring the history of Polish aviation closer and present its technical and historical aspects

3 Collaboration with experts - we engage specialists in the fields of history, mechanics and aviation to ensure that our projects stand at the highest substantive and technical level

4 Cultivation of memory - we work to commemorate pilots and constructors who contributed to the development of Polish aviation.

Our Planes

The collection of the Polish Sky Monuments Foundation includes historic aircraft that have been successfully restored thanks to the commitment of mechanics, experts and volunteers.

TS-8 BIES

TS-8 Bies - Polish training and training aircraft, produced at PZL plants, used in Polish aviation from 1957 until the 1970s.

A legendary machine that was almost forgotten. Found in a decomposed state at the airport in Toruń, damaged and robbed of its instrument panel, it was restored thanks to the commitment of Krzysztof Maruszewski and the Foundation's team. The restoration process took a year and a half and culminated in a successful flight by flight engineer Krzysztof Galus. 

The TS-8 Bies based in Konstancin, is currently one of only two ships of this type in the world capable of flight. The Foundation has accumulated a large stock of parts over the years which will allow it to operate for many years. 

MOTOR GLIDER BITTERN

One of the unique motor gliders that represent Polish technical thought in light aviation. A motor glider of the design of Antoni Kocjan - a brilliant designer of pre-war Poland. The project was born when the original plans were discovered on one of Poland's well-known auction portals. After obtaining the documentation and thoroughly verifying it, we found that it was complete and a flying motor glider could be built based on it.

The metal parts were transferred to AutoCad so that they could be made with modern precision. Most of the structure of the motor glider is made of wood (fuselage and wings), and it took quite an expert to make it. Nowadays aircraft are practically no longer made using this technique. We were approached by Jerzy Gruchalski, who read about the intention to make a replica of a motor glider in the press. JB Aviation, after inspecting the workshop in Slesin after Konin, accepted his candidacy. The next challenge was with finding the right wood, that is, pine with a very small growth.

The motor glider was made from two pine trees, one 120 years old, from which elements such as wing ribs and other finer parts were made. Meanwhile, for the girders, we used the other more than 170-year-old one. The whole project took more than six years to complete, and we can share the result in the photos from the flyby. The ship itself is located in our hangar in Konstancin. It is the world's only pre-war Polish motorized aircraft recreated from the original plans.

JAK-11

One of the training and training aircraft that is a testament to the history of military aviation. The Yak-11, or rather the LET C-11, is a license production of the aircraft at the Let plant in Kunovice in the former Czechoslovakia. Between 1953 and 1956, 707 licensed copies were produced. This copy, after serving in the Polish army, ended up on a monument near the school where it spent more than 40 years, after which it was acquired and restored by the Foundation's team. Unfortunately, the exact service history of the aircraft is unknown, and the Foundation is looking for someone to help reconstruct it. In the early postwar years, it was one of the primary aircraft used in the former Eastern Bloc for pilot training.

The aircraft saw service in the Polish army in the 1950s and early 1960s until it was replaced by the TS-8 Bies aircraft. 

From the archives

See some photos of these beautiful machines from the resources of JB Aviation & Aero Club. Keep up to date with our social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) because there appear unique materials about the ships of the Monuments of Polish Sky Foundation.