Jacek Mainka
and the collection
Jacek Mainka is a pilot and founder of the Flying Museum of the Polish Air Force 1940–1947 Foundation — a collection of flying, authentic aircraft from the Second World War connected to the history of the Polish Air Force in the West.
The collection numbers three aircraft, based at Brzeska Wola airfield (EPBI). All three examples are airworthy and fly at airshows. Jacek Mainka is the first Pole admitted to the North American Trainer Association.
Each aircraft represents a different stage of Polish Air Force pilot training in the United Kingdom: from the first flight on the Tiger Moth, through the Chipmunk, to the final step before a combat aircraft — the T-6 Harvard.
Collection — overview
| Aircraft | Reg. | Year | Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| T-6 Harvard 4M | SP-YIX | 1951 | 600 hp |
| DHC-1 Chipmunk | SP-YAC | 1959 | 145 hp |
| DH82A Tiger Moth | SP-YAA | 1940 | 130 hp |
Base: Brzeska Wola (EPBI) · Pilot: Jacek Mainka
North American
T-6 Harvard 4M
The North American T-6 Harvard — known in the US as the "Texan" — was the standard advanced trainer for Allied pilots during the Second World War. It was the last step before a combat aircraft: whoever mastered the Harvard was ready to fight in a Spitfire, Hurricane or Mustang. Over 15,000 examples were built — the Harvard trained pilots from more than 50 countries.
SP-YIX is a 4M variant (the equivalent of the USAF's T-6G) — a late version built after the war in Canada. Construction number CCF-4-409, built in 1951 by Canadian Car and Foundry in Fort William, Ontario. It served with the USAF (serial 51-17227), then with the Italian air force (MM53846), and for years afterward was privately owned in the United Kingdom as G-RAIX. Jacek Mainka bought it in August 2017 and transported it to Poland on 10 September 2017.
The aircraft wears the colours of 602 (Auxiliary) Squadron RAF — one of the oldest RAF reserve squadrons, which fought in the Battle of Britain. Polish pilots trained on Harvards at, among other places, SFTS Newton in England, Moose Jaw and Medicine Hat in Canada, as well as in Palestine and Egypt — the final phase before assignment to a combat squadron.
Key facts for the commentator
- The last step before combat aircraft — whoever mastered the Harvard was ready to fly the Spitfire or Mustang
- Pratt & Whitney R-1340 radial engine — 604 horsepower, a distinctive growl unlike anything else
- Five times more powerful than the Tiger Moth — a jump that impressed every trainee
- Over 15,000 built, more than 50 countries — one of the most widespread trainers in aviation history
- Polish pilots trained on Harvards in England, Canada, Palestine and Egypt — every Polish Air Force squadron had this stage in common
- Wears the colours of 602 (Aux) Squadron RAF — a Battle of Britain squadron, one of the oldest RAF reserve units
- In Poland since 10 September 2017 — the fourth acquisition and the largest aircraft in Jacek Mainka's collection
- Jacek Mainka — the first Pole admitted to the North American Trainer Association
Aircraft data
| Type | T-6 Harvard 4M |
| Registration | SP-YIX |
| Construction no. | CCF-4-409 |
| Built | 1951, Canada |
| Colour scheme | 602 Sqn (Aux) RAF |
| In Poland since | 10 Sep 2017 |
Technical data
| Engine | P&W R-1340 Wasp |
| Power | 600 hp |
| Wingspan | 12.80 m |
| Length | 8.99 m |
| Max. speed | 335 km/h |
DHC-1 Chipmunk 22
The DHC-1 Chipmunk is the successor to the Tiger Moth, designed by Polish engineer Wsiewołod Jakimiuk — who before the war designed the PZL P-11, P-24 and P-50 "Jastrząb" fighters at PZL: the aircraft flown by Polish pilots in September 1939. After the fall of France, Jakimiuk moved to Canada, where at de Havilland Canada he created the Chipmunk.
The prototype first flew on 22 May 1946. Over 200 examples were built in Canada, around 1,000 in England, and 66 in Portugal. The Chipmunk served in the RAF as a trainer until the 1970s, replacing the Tiger Moth. It is an all-metal aircraft — where the Tiger Moth used wood and fabric, the Chipmunk uses aluminium.
SP-YAC, serial number 50/1360, was built in Portugal in 1959 at the OGMA works. It served in the Portuguese air force until 1993. It was restored by Cooper Engineering in Wickenby between 2010 and 2014. Jacek Mainka brought it to Poland in July 2014 — the only flying Chipmunk in Poland.
It wears the colours of RAF WD322 from Training Command — a tribute to Tadeusz Wierzbowski "Wier", a pilot of 300 "Ziemia Mazowiecka" Squadron (Lancasters), who on 31 January 1951 delivered WD322 from the factory to an RAF training unit.
Key facts for the commentator
- Designed by a Pole — Wsiewołod Jakimiuk, creator of the PZL fighters flown by Polish pilots in September 1939
- The only flying DHC-1 Chipmunk in Poland
- Successor to the Tiger Moth — replaced it in the RAF as the standard trainer from the late 1940s
- Colour scheme honours Tadeusz Wierzbowski "Wier" — a Lancaster pilot of 300 "Ziemia Mazowiecka" Squadron
- Built in Portugal in 1959 — a Polish collection, an English design, a Canadian-built aircraft from a Polish-born engineer
- Gipsy Major engine — the same engine family as the Tiger Moth, 15 hp more powerful and a more modern version
- In Poland since 2014 — the third aircraft brought over by Jacek Mainka
Aircraft data
| Type | DHC-1 Chipmunk 22 |
| Registration | SP-YAC |
| Colour scheme | RAF WD322 / 1951 |
| Serial no. | 50/1360 |
| Built | 1959, Portugal (OGMA) |
| In Poland since | Jul 2014 |
Technical data
| Engine | DH Gipsy Major 8 |
| Power | 145 hp |
| Wingspan | 10.47 m |
| Length | 7.75 m |
| Take-off weight | 907 kg |
| Max. speed | 222 km/h |
De Havilland DH82A
Tiger Moth
The De Havilland DH82A Tiger Moth was the primary trainer of the Polish Air Force in the United Kingdom. During the Second World War, 1,665 Polish pilots completed their elementary training on the Tiger Moth — every pilot who wanted to fly combat missions with the Polish Air Force started with the Tiger Moth. The DH-82 prototype first flew in 1931; series production of the DH-82A version began in 1933 and continued until 15 August 1945. About 9,000 examples were built.
T-7230, construction number 83720, left the Morris Motors works in Cowley on 7 August 1940. From 16 September 1940 it trained pilots at 3 EFTS in Watchfield, then at 24 EFTS near Luton. Withdrawn from service in 1953, it spent 25 years in storage. In 1978 it was registered as a civilian aircraft, G-AFVE, restored, and from the 1990s carried passengers on scenic flights from Booker Airfield near London.
Jacek Mainka bought T-7230 in March 2007 and transported it to Poland on 5 August 2007, landing at Babice airfield in Warsaw. On 10 April 2015 the aircraft received the Polish registration SP-YAA, becoming the oldest aircraft entered in the Polish civil aircraft register. It is the first and oldest aircraft in the collection, and the only flying Tiger Moth in Poland.
Key facts for the commentator
- The oldest aircraft entered in the Polish civil register — built in 1940, a contemporary of the Second World War
- Built in 1940 (though ordered in 1939)
- 1,665 Polish pilots completed their elementary training on this type of aircraft in the United Kingdom — every one of them started with the Tiger Moth
- Every Polish combat pilot — Battle of Britain, Squadrons 303, 300, 301, 304, 305, 306… — started with the Tiger Moth
- The only flying Tiger Moth in Poland
- An open-cockpit biplane, 130 hp engine, 175 km/h — the absolute minimum needed to teach someone to fly
- Built at Morris Motors in Cowley — a car manufacturer converted to wartime production, building 35–40 aircraft a week
- The first flights in Poland since the Second World War — in 2007 an RAF aircraft with a Polish crew flew over Warsaw for the first time in more than 60 years
Aircraft data
| Type | DH82A Tiger Moth II |
| Registration | SP-YAA |
| RAF / construction no. | T-7230 / 83720 |
| Built | Jul–Aug 1940, Morris Motors |
| Polish reg. since | 10 Apr 2015 |
| In Poland since | 5 Aug 2007 |
Technical data
| Engine | DH Gipsy Major I |
| Power | 130 hp |
| Wingspan | 8.94 m |
| Length | 7.29 m |
| Max. speed | 175 km/h |
| Range | 483 km |