Airport in Jeżów Sudecki. 2023.

Jeżów Sudecki 2023-01-25

Airport in Jeżów Sudecki.

Geographic coordinates: 50.944N 15.762E. Elevation 561 m.

Jezow Sudecki Railway Station. 2010. Photo by Karol Placha Hetman
Jezow Sudecki Railway Station. 2010. Photo by Karol Placha Hetman

Jezow Sudecki Railway Station. 2010. Photo by Karol Placha Hetman
Jezow Sudecki Railway Station. 2010. Photo by Karol Placha Hetman

In 1924, in Jelenia Góra, and more precisely in Jeżów Sudecki, a gliding school was founded. A glider was used and placed on a mountain slope with a height of 561 m above sea level. This was important because glider launches were made with rubber ropes. The elevation of the mountain by about 200 m above the nearby terrain guaranteed the use of the wave wind. It is similar at the glider in Międzybrodzie Żywiecki. A hangar and workshops were soon built. In 1929, another larger hangar was built.

At that time, it was decided to produce the gliders on site. Workshops in Jeżów, Piechowice and Jelenia Góra were selected, which made individual elements of various types of gliders.

Stupid Germans, together with their Muscovite brothers, started the Second World War. As a result, they lost a large part of their territory. The Sudetes and Lower Silesia were incorporated into Poland. But Poland lost Kresy. This division of Europe was decided by the greats of this world. The glider factory was not destroyed and the District Glider Workshop No. 2 in Jeżów was established on its basis. The left gliders were initially repaired in the plant. By the end of 1945, about 60 gliders had been repaired, and another 5 gliders were under repair. In 1947, 10 Grunau "Baby IIB2" gliders were built from scratch in the plant. In the following months, modification work was carried out on the manufactured and repaired gliders. By the end of 1950, the plant in Jeżów Sudecki gave over 600 gliders to users, which were operated in various Aeroclubs in Poland.

Wytwórnia Jeżów Sudecki was not the only plant in Poland that produced and repaired gliders. This was the production profile of the plants in Bielsko Biała (Aleksandrowice), Krosno, Wrocław (Gotów Mały), PZL Okęcie, and PZL Świdnik.

The plant in Jeżów Sudecki was a state-owned enterprise until 2001 and was subordinated to the Ministry of Communications. In 1948, the name of the plant was changed to the Sports Aviation Equipment Plant No. 2 (ZSLS No. 2) in Jeżów. The plant in Jeżów was organizationally subordinated to the Directorate of the Sports Aviation Equipment Plant in Warsaw. In 1963, a reorganization took place and the plant in Warsaw was liquidated. From then on, Jeżów was subordinated to the plant in Bielsko Biała. The company Zakłady Szybowcowe Delta-Bielsko was established. After a few years, the words Delta were removed from the name.

The following gliders were produced in Jeżów: IS-A "Salamandra", IS-B "Komar-49", SZD-9 "Bocian", SZD-19 "Zefir 2", SZD-30 "Pirat". A significant place was occupied by the Bocian glider, whose various versions were produced in total 612 copies. The plant in Jeżów has mastered the technology of production and repair of wooden and composite gliders.

After declaring bankruptcy, in January 2001, a state-owned enterprise under the name Przedsiębiorstwo Doświadczalno-Produkcyjne Szybownictwa PZL-Bielsko Zakład in Jeżów Sudecki was privatized. Since then, the plant has been called the Glider Factory "Jeżów" Henryk Mynarski. Address Glider Factory "Jeżów" Henryk Mynarski, ul. Długa 93, 58 – 521 Jeżów Sudecki.

Jezow Sudecki glider.

Geographic coordinates: 50.944N 15.762E. Elevation 561 m.

The glider is located about 8 km from the center of Jelenia Góra, to the north, on the so-called Góra Szybowcowa, 561 m above sea level. The take-off direction is either south or north. On the glider, up to four RWYs are designated, which are relatively short and placed one behind the other. They have a maximum length of up to 300 m.

There is also an observation tower at the top of the hill, which allows you to observe take-offs and landings on the southern and northern slopes. There is also a viewpoint on the glider mountain. Down below, there is a panorama of the city of Jelenia Góra, followed by more ranges of the Sudetes. The views are especially beautiful during sunrises and sunsets. The facilities of the Jeżów Sudecki airport include airport buildings with workshops, the "Szibownik" hotel and a restaurant. All facilities are owned by the Jeleniogórski Aeroclub. The airport has a sleeve of winds set up by the main wooden building. There is also parking for cars and motorcycles. An asphalt road leads to the airport, i.e. Długa Street.

Written by Karol Placha Hetman