Stanisław Skarżyński
| Stanisław Jakub Skarżyński | |
|---|---|
Stanisław Jakub Skarżyński in 1934
|
|
| Born | 1 May 1899 Warta |
| Died | 26 June 1942 (aged 43) North Sea |
| Place of burial | Terschelling |
| Allegiance |
 Poland
|
| Service/branch |
 Polish Army.svg){kind=small} Polish Air Force
|
| Years of service | 1918–1942 |
| Rank |
 Colonel (posthumously)
|
| Battles/wars |
Polish–Soviet War World War II |
| Awards |
 Virtuti Militari (Silver Cross) Polonia Restituta (Commander's Cross with Star) Polonia Restituta (Officer's Cross) Cross of Independence Cross of Valor (3) Gold Cross of Merit Silver Cross of Merit Legion of Honour_Ribbon.png){kind=small} Order of the Southern Cross Order of the Crown (Romania) Order of Merit (Hungary)Louis Blériot medal |
Stanisław Jakub Skarżyński (1 May 1899 − 26 June 1942) was a lieutenant colonel in the Polish Air Force and aviator famous for his transatlantic solo flight in 1933.
In 1916–17 Skarżyński was a member of the Polish Military Organisation (POW). In November 1918 he volunteered for the newly created Polish Army, and commanded units disarming German soldiers in Warta. He then fought in the Polish-Soviet War with the infantry, being promoted to second lieutenant in 1919. He was wounded but returned to the front. During the battle of Radzymin he was severely wounded in one leg on 16 August 1920. The infected wound needed long rehabilitation, and Skarżyński always limped thereafter. Unable to continue serving in the infantry, he managed to transfer to the military aviation arm.
He completed pilot training in Bydgoszcz in 1925, and served in the 1st Aviation Regiment in Warsaw. In 1927 he became a Flying Captain (kapitan pilot). Between 1 and 5 February May 1931 together with Lt. Andrzej Markiewicz, he flew around Africa in the Polish-designed aircraft PZL Ł-2 (registration SP-AFA), a total distance of 25,770 km.
On 7/8 May 1933 Skarzynski flew solo in a small single-seater Polish tourist airplane RWD-5bis (SP-AJU) across the southern Atlantic, from Saint-Louis, Senegal to Maceio in Brazil. The flight took 20 hours 30 minutes (17 hours 15 minutes above the ocean). He crossed 3,582 km, establishing a distance World Record in a FAI tourist plane category II (weight below 450 kg / 1000 lb). The plane had no radio nor safety equipment, due to weight restrictions. The RWD-5bis remains the smallest plane to ever to have flown across the Atlantic. Plans of his flight were kept secret. It became a part of Warsaw – Rio de Janeiro flight, between 27 April and 10 May 17,885 km long. He then flew on to Buenos Aires and returned to Europe by ship.
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