History

Engineer at an early age

Jan Borowski came into contact with aviation at an early age through a strong emphasis in his family roots. Jan Borowski's de facto namesake's uncle Lt. Pilot Jan Borowski (pictured) was a great pilot in the pre-war era and a top student at the Orląt School in Deblin. Jan's grandmother nourished him with his uncle's ideal, which was probably the impetus for his beautiful passion. Unfortunately, the uncle died a tragic death in the Battle of Britain. 144 Polish pilots took part in the fighting, fighting in both Polish fighter and bomber squadrons and in British units - 29 of them died during the battles.

Jan Borowski's uncle Lt . Pilot Jan Borowski

Jan Borowski's childhood coincided with the 1950s in post-war Warsaw, where so-called poverty and squalor reigned. Some of young Jan's entrepreneurial traits could already be seen in the young boy, who at the age of 7 was opening doors for customers at cab ranks and selling bottles to collectors. He was a very good draftsman - possessed an incredible artistic talent. Mom enrolled little John in the PKiN to a model shop, where from the so-called modeling balsa created aircraft models (photo). At first the models were displayed on a home closet, but soon they started flying. Jan's aunt, who lived in California, sent him a small motor, and this served as the drive for one of the planes. Jan's mother was passionate about shooting, which meant that there were cartridges in the family home. Jan  He extracted gunpowder from them, then made it into fuel for the rockets he constructed. He was also an avid fan of motorization. In the basement of his apartment building, he discovered a post-German motorcycle "Puch 200" and easily started it using ordinary batteries. It was in his early childhood The young engineer's talent became apparent, which, as time passed, turned into passion.

Model airplane of young Jan Borowski (age 6)

The first was automotive

Jan Borowski worked physically as a teenager in the Gdansk shipyard. Physical work did not satisfy him, as he had a businessman's vein and a desire to start his own business. He began his studies at the MEiL faculty - the Department of Power and Aeronautical Mechanical Engineering at the Warsaw University of Technology. Witty, intelligent and with a sense of humor, he quickly became an authority among his colleagues. After graduation, he began working at the Institute of Aviation in the internal combustion engine laboratory, which was undoubtedly his field. As a gifted engineer, he was very quickly promoted to management positions.

He always dreamed of going to Canada to earn money to open his own business. This is what happened. His excellent education allowed him to earn good money fairly quickly. Overseas , he designed landing gear for Boening aircraft and worked as a machine designer. He designed the landing gear for the Fairchild Republic A-10 so-called "tank destroyer" one of the most distinctive aircraft in the US Army still in service today. In just one year he earned enough money for the so-called "takeoff. During the communist era, he bought shares in an auto repair shop on Chlodna Street. It should be noted how difficult those times were for any business. After just one month, the workshop became one of the best in Warsaw. There wasn't a repair they wouldn't do. Motivated by his first successes, Jan dreamed of authorizing a good brand. There were several ideas, but in the end he bet on Mercedes, and the result was the opening of an authorized Mercedes - Benz service station on Żwirki i Wigury Street. The company quickly expanded and another station was established on Ordona Street.

After a few years, over time Mercedes-Benz began to enter the Polish market quite strongly, and with the opening of a branch in Jerozolimskie Avenue, authorization was taken away from other, smaller branches in Warsaw. Jan Borowski, not giving up, opened a Mercedes dealership in Piaseczno (photo). It was a modern showroom and inspection station. Jan Borowski also brought to Poland such well-known automotive brands as Honda and Kia, of which he was a distributor and later a dealer for years.

Authorized Mercedes-Benz service center on Ordona Street in Warsaw.

Chasing the dream

Jan Borowski constantly dreamed of having a pilot's license, but he had a defect in his eyesight and the regulations at the time did not allow him to obtain a rating. These he finally managed to obtain in the late 1980s. From that point on, his desire to start a business in aviation grew more and more. In 1992 he bought his first new aircraft, an Aviat Husky - it was the first new private plane in post-war Poland. It cost $52,000 at the time and it was on it that Jan Borowski flew his first 500h. He landed in unlikely places. He infected his son Stanislaw and daughter Magdalena with his passion.

Aviat Husky - 1992, purchased at the time for $52,000

The idea about trading aircraft was born while still in the showroom in Piaseczno. It all started with the Piper brand. The first PIPER Malibu Mirage (photo) was brought to Poland by Jan Borowski, so to speak, by fax (1990s). The ambitious entrepreneur from Poland quickly gained trust with the Americans. At the meetings, however, he sat in the last bench, did not yet have results, and did not have a hangar. However, when he quite efficiently sold 6 aircraft and the business proved lucrative, things accelerated and he obtained brand authorization. Following the blow, he quite efficiently obtained all possible authorizations as a non-professional pilot. Business began to boom.

First historic PIPER Malibu Mirage brought to Poland

In the newly established Warsaw office on Nowogrodzka Street, aircraft were sold basically from photos in a brochure. There was no marketing and tools on such an advanced level as today. There was passion, dreams and character....

Respected authority and champion of risk control

Jan Borowski spotted the place for the air base during one of his Aviat flights over Konstancin-Jeziorna. He originally leased the land from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, but bought it rather quickly, as he felt it was the right place to develop his dream business. At first it was supposed to be just a club hangar. However, life showed that parts and service had to be taken care of, and all this required excellent organization. Year after year, the popularity of the base grew, and news of it spread very quickly. Together with Wojtek Jeziorski (the current Sales Director), they began to build a showroom with a real presence. The Aero Club was established, one of the largest general aviation service stations in Poland. A professional, certified avionics service was also opened. Year after year, the team grew and brought together great professionals and enthusiasts. In 2009, the Polish Sky Monuments Foundation was established out of passion for the history of Polish aviation and concern for preserving its heritage for future generations.

The beginnings of the Aero Club

Respected in the community, called a master of risk control and considered an authority in the industry, Jan Borowski easily obtained authorization from Diamond Aircraft or Bell Textron. Without a doubt, these were milestones that required a lot of work and commitment from the entire team. Seeing no chance of authorization from Pilatus, Jan Borowski became a distributor for Beechcraft, but this lasted quite a while, as the manufacturer did a restructuring, as a result of which many distributors lost their authorization. This further motivated him to work towards a contract with the Swiss. He constantly dreamed of the Pilatus and considered this aircraft ideal for Polish conditions. 

The hangar built at the time was, unfortunately, too low for the sizable Pilatus PC-12. The Swiss already had a distributor selected in principle in Poland. However, they did not know one thing - the Jan Borowski fights to the end. He and his colleagues dismantled the hangar and began to expand it. The Swiss were sent photos of basically just the facade, behind which was still the construction site. Persistence and motivation pleased the producer and invited Jan Borowski and his team to a meeting. By doing so, the Swiss had already directly informed him that the consistency in action impressed them, and despite the fact that they were already supposed to sign a contract with someone else, they finally decided to change the decision. Jan Borowski got his point across. The dream of Pilatus has been realized!

Today, JB AVIATION & AERO CLUB is the largest private air base in Poland. It is the exclusive distributor of aircraft; Pilatus, Diamond, Piper and Bell for the Polish market. It is a team of qualified experts, specializing in aircraft management and maintenance - operating under the banner of Aero Club.

This is your Partner in Aviation!

From the archives

View a gallery of archival resources from the JB Aviation & Aero Club. Commemorative photos of Jan Borowski's uncle Lt. Pilot Jan Borowski, unique photos from the days of activity in Mercedes-Benz, photos from the Oslo-Nordcapp rally with a Jaguar E-type in 1984 and other photos from the time when there were no smartphones yet,,,