Hello

On July 20, 2015, me - Filip Jereczek-Bamborowicz, with group of people led by me, traveled to the Polish Aviation Museum in Krakow (MLP) and recreated the historic TS-11 Iskra "1409" from the 28th Fighter Aviation Regiment. This was my first work on the aircraft, located in the doorway, which holds the necessary certifications for main assembly.

Unfortunately, two people involved in this work are no longer with us: the renowned Krakow modeler Wojciech Butrycz and the departing MLP Director Krzysztof Radwan.

Without this Iskra, I wouldn't have participated in all the projects I've undertaken over the years. The Tiger on the Su-22 would probably have looked different, there would be no Hoplite, no clanks on the Su-22, no Stec emblem, etc., etc., etc....

Iskra 1409 still welcomes visitors to the Museum, standing in front of the main entrance, and it's in excellent condition.

On this occasion, we're re-reading the article I published in Aeroplan magazine back then.

Best regards, everyone.

Filip

The Iskra, bearing the Gryf emblem

The TS-11 Iskra is the most recognizable aircraft in Poland; even those unfamiliar with aviation have no problem recognizing this design. Produced in 1,111 units, it became the primary training aircraft in the Polish Air Force. This article is dedicated to one of these aircraft, which has come a long way in its history, ending in a distinguished home: the Polish Aviation Museum in Krakow.

History

The TS-11 Iskra bis DF 3H-1409, manufactured in 1975, was delivered to the 28th Fighter Aviation Regiment (FAR) in Redzikowo near Słupsk on March 19 of that year. Five years later, on March 19, 1980, it was transferred to the 26th Fighter Aviation Regiment in Zegrze Pomorskie. Just two weeks later, on April 4, it was transferred to the 43rd Liaison and Transport Aviation Squadron (ELŁ-T), where it remained until April 21, 1989. Meanwhile, in 1989, it underwent its first overhaul at WZL-2. Its next assignment was to the 28th Fighter Aviation Regiment, from where it briefly returned to the 43rd ELŁ-T on September 6, 1990, before returning to the Słupsk Regiment on January 31, 1991.

In the 28th Fighter Aviation Regiment

The aircraft arrived for the third time in the regiment bearing the Gryf emblem, unremarkable in appearance, and this was to remain the case until 1992, when the regiment celebrated its fortieth anniversary. The entire initiative was spontaneous and came about just a few days before the anniversary. Then, two technicians from the 1st Squadron of the Regiment, commonly known as the Sioux, Marek Redziak and Tomasz Kowalski, came up with the idea of painting one of the Iskras in commemorative colors. They prepared a design and built a model. The idea was presented to the acting regiment commander, Lieutenant Colonel Jerzy Wołyński, who approved it. Ryszard Kuras purchased the paint from private funds. Of the four Iskras in the regiment, aircraft 1409 (reportedly the closest) was selected, rolled into the shelter hangar, and work began, assisted by aircraft technician Sgt. Marek Jedenachowski. The entire airframe, including the landing gear legs, was painted white, and a number of navy blue accents were added to the wings and fuselage, including waves flowing from the tail boom into the vertical stabilizer, alluding to the unit's location near the Baltic Sea. The checkerboards on the vertical stabilizer were replaced with a Gryf, the emblem of the city of Słupsk and the 28th PLM. A commemorative emblem designed for the regiment's 40th anniversary by , was painted on the front left side of the laminate. It differed in detail from those painted on the MiG-23. The yellow number 40 had no white border, and the inscription "28 PLM Słupsk" was red. The 1st Squadron's emblem, an Indian head by Tomasz Kowalski, appeared before the side number on both sides. The white borders of all the checkerboards were outlined with a red line, and the operational inscriptions were not reproduced. All painting was done with a roller and brush. At record speed, working for three days and nights, four technicians painted the entire aircraft, and on September 17, 1992, at the unit's ceremonial celebration, the aircraft, still "wet" with paint, was presented to the public. The navy-white Iskra was a hit with both unit personnel and the public. Pilots praised the aircraft for its striking appearance in flight, but the drawback of using automotive paint was a general decline in performance. The 1409 was slower than the silver Iskras and slower to respond to controls. The aircraft soon became the unit's flagship and sparked a wave of such initiatives within the Air Force, as the Słupsk Iskra was the first such far-reaching project, although according to reports in higher command circles, this initiative was met with disapproval. After the political changes in Poland, both unit and individual emblems began to appear en masse on combat aircraft, but it was after the repainting of the Iskra 1409 that further occasional livery appeared, and this relatively recent tradition in the Polish army is continued to this day.

 

 

In Training

On June 14, 1995, Iskra 3H-1409 was transferred to Dęblin, where it was to supplement the aircraft used for training aspiring pilots. It was assigned to the 58th Aviation Training Regiment (LPSz), where it served virtually continuously until the regiment's disbandment. Only from September 7-14, 1999, was it assigned to the 61st Aviation Training and Combat Regiment (LPSZ-B) in Biała Podlaska. It ended its service at the 1st Aviation Training Center in Dęblin, established on January 1, 2001, based on the 58th Aviation Training Regiment. This was by no means the end of its livery. For a time, it flew in Dęblin in its original uniform. During this time, a silver-colored scale collector was installed on the laminate. Between February 17 and September 1, 2000, it underwent another major overhaul, including a repaint. The aircraft, however, retained its character, as the Słupsk livery was recreated. However, there were significant differences from the original. Only the 40th anniversary emblem of the 28th PLM was recreated on the laminate; the Indian's head was not repainted. The Gryf on the vertical stabilizer was simplified and lacked black outlines and feathers outlined in the same color. The checkerboards lacked outlined white areas, and the airframe had a full set of operational markings. The waves on the tail boom and vertical stabilizer were slightly different, with the WZL-3 logo between them. The aircraft served in this livery for eight years before undergoing another overhaul in 2007, losing its unique livery. The only additional element in the silver livery was the 1OSL emblem, which was placed as a sticker behind the cockpit. This configuration was seen at the 2008 ZLOT.

 

Third time's a charm

In 2013, the aircraft was decommissioned, and on December 17th, it was donated to the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków. When I learned in early 2015 that the Iskra was in the museum's collection, I conceived what seemed like a crazy idea: to restore its Słupsk livery. By a twist of fate, I met Jacek Celiński around that time, who, along with a group of enthusiasts, was restoring a Yak-23 aircraft and needed my help in making stencils for operational inscriptions. It was then that I asked Jacek to participate in discussions about restoring the Iskra 1409. It turned out that a similar idea had already been discussed at the museum, and my proposal was enthusiastically accepted. By another twist of fate, in June 2015, I met one of the designers of the original 1992 livery, Ryszard Kuras. It was at a modeling festival in Kołczygłowy, where, upon seeing the 1409 model in its commemorative colors, he began shouting, "My plane!" After a short, lively conversation and a presentation of my idea, Ryszard, without hesitation, declared his willingness to go to Krakow; as it later turned out, his presence was invaluable. On July 19th, with paints and ready-made stencils, we set off from Kołobrzeg via Słupsk to Krakow. Filip Jereczek-Bambrowicz, Bogdan Żołnierowicz, Zbigniew Żołnierowicz, and Ryszard Kuras, along with Ryszard Kuras, checked into the Museum at 9 a.m. on July 20th, where Wojciech Butrycz joined us. After a warm welcome and settling in, we set off around noon. The Museum prepared the airframe for us, painting it entirely white; it was up to us to recreate the 1992 livery. We finished the work on July 23rd around noon, after 72 hours, working from dawn to dusk, which equates to over 200 man-hours. During the work, many unexpected problems arose. Thanks to photos from Rysio's album, we determined many details I hadn't previously known about, including the paint scheme and a fundamental fact: there were actually two paint schemes, which had previously escaped my attention. From a modeling perspective, I can say that painting a 1:1 model is definitely easier, but masking requires much more work and attention. Working on a real aircraft is incredibly satisfying, and the knowledge that you're recreating a piece of history fills you with true pride. I recommend this type of work to anyone familiar with Polish aviation. Tired but genuinely happy, we set off back home, and "our" Iskra soon found its place of honor, greeting guests at the Polish Aviation Museum in front of the main entrance. We decided to dedicate our work to the late Marek Redziak, co-author of the original paint scheme.