That's Aerosplotty – 80 Years of SZD Gliders

80 years of gliding history in Bielsko-Biała, southern Poland — a unique tradition that the city celebrated over the first weekend in May 2026.

Flying SZD glider history on tow

Pilots and visitors flocked to the cradle of Polish gliding by air and by land from all directions. Here in the Aleksandrowice district, where streets are named after Poland’s most important pilots and aircraft designers, the Polish Gliding Institute for Development (Instytut Szybownictwa) was founded on January 25, 1946, and was later renamed SZD – Szybowcowy Zaklad Doświadczalny. Today, it is the production site of Allstar PZL Glider.

Bucker Jungmann airshow

In collaboration with this year's Polish Capital of Culture, Bielsko-Biała, and the Bielsko-Biała Aeroclub, which is celebrating the 90th anniversary of the airfield, we created Aerosploty - a huge aviation festival.

Follow Me Formation airshow

The 15,000 visitors attended the event over three days, from May 1 to 3, 2026, and immersed themselves in the world of gliding through a variety of activities and presentations, culminating in the grand Aerosploty Airshow on Saturday.

 Line-up of 30 SZD glider types

Living History

About 30 historic gliders from SZD, in all shapes and colors, were lined up like a string of pearls along the airfield. It was a unique opportunity for every glider enthusiast to explore 80 years of design evolution at SZD—from wooden construction to metal and fiberglass—and to compare the evolution of aerodynamic lines and details on the original aircraft.

IS-A Salamandra with glider specification

The first on display was the red IS A Salamandra from 1946. Using a glider that had survived the occupation intact in a barn near Bielsko, the newly founded Glider Institute developed the Salamandra training glider through reverse engineering. On display was a flyable replica from the Gliwice Aeroclub.

Historic glider SZD-32 Foka 5

Latest exhibition object SZD-55-2 Nexus-e-motion

In addition to unique aircraft such as the SZD-40 Halny high-performance aircraft from the early 1970s, on which new structural and aerodynamic solutions were tested, the exhibition also featured the SZD-24 Foka from 1960. A model that was produced in series and whose design concepts were carried forward through the SZD-32 “Foka 5” all the way to the SZD-36 Cobra from 1968. The historical display extends to the present day, represented by the SZD-55-2 Nexus-e-motion with an electric propulsion system from 2023.

Preperation of SZD-22A Mucha Standard and aerobatic glider JAY for the exhibition on friday morning.

Many days earlier, the courtyard of the SZD production buildings had slowly begun to fill with glider trailers. Like butterflies emerging from a cocoon, the classic and one-of-a-kind gliders began to appear.

The SZD-27 Kormoran (1965) from the Muzeum Polskiego Szybownictwa (Bartek Kot) —a two-seater all-metal glider with a semi-monocoque construction—was assembled in the SZD workshop by dozens of helping hands. The heavy wings could only be carried by eight men.

SZD-21 Kobuz landing after the flying SZD-parade

The exhibition lineup was finalized from the air,. The SZD-30 Pirat (1966) by Wojtek Murzyn and the aerobatic aircraft SZD-21 Kobuz (1961) from the Gliwice Museum took advantage of the good thermals the previous day. The SZD-9bis Bocian (1957), SZD-24 Foka (1960), SZD-35 Bekas (1970), and SZD-40 Halny (1972) flew in from Gliwice under tow on Saturday morning.

Gliders and visitors enjoy the fantastic weather during the air show

The Huge Party in the Sky

This colorful display on the ground set the stage for what was to unfold in the sky: the grand Aerosploty air show. Everyone looked for the best spot in front of these gliders. The show kicked off with the SZD parade, featuring five historic and modern SZD glider models. Marek Siuta, a glider pilot and museum guide at the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków, provided commentary on the airshow and explained what was happening in the sky to the glider enthusiasts. In Poland, he is known for his historical aviation YouTube channel.

Artur Kielak airshow

Things then got loud and spectacular. The aerobatic pilots of the Flying Bulls Aerobatic Team, Bucker Jungmann, Artur Kielak, Follow Me Formation and more put on a spectacular show in the sky.

Johan Gustafsson air show

Unusual sounds filled the air as the jazz duo Justyna Miguła and Piotr Damasiewicz provided live musical accompaniment to the most impressive air shows of this anniversary celebration: the quiet, elegant gliders.  Swedish aerobatic pilot Johan Gustafsson gracefully painted a beautiful picture in the bright spring sky with his SZD-59.

Perkoz-Duo during landing in the sun set

While we spectators watched Gustafsson with rapt attention, the “Perkoz Duo” was towed into high attitude for their start position. The duo consists of Adam Pietrzykowski and Mariusz Stajewski, two test pilots and employees of Allstar PZL Glider, who had already performed their show at last year’s Balloon Night in Leszno. They fly our SZD-54-2 Perkoz, which we use for customer presentations, and our Perkoz prototype X-153.

These two special Sailplaine displays came to a spectacular conclusion as Adam and Mariusz landed in the sunset amid a violet haze. It was an honor for us to celebrate in the sky alongside the great aerobatic and display pilots.

Multi-colored fog and applause for the Perkoz Duo

The audience was given only a brief respite. As darkness fell, it was time for Johan Gustafsson to take to the skies a second time in his illuminated SZD-59 to conjure up a glittering world of pyrotechnics in the sky. The extraordinary shows by Wiatrakowiec Tercel, Ogniste Motolotnie, and The Flying Dragons Team concluded the evening and lit up the dark night sky.

Aerosploty - dazzling fireworks

The Foundations of Gliding

Saturday afternoon, May 2, 2026, demonstrated that flying and emotion go hand in hand. The festival also highlighted what it takes to make the dream of flying a reality: flying skills, knowledge, training, and modern gliders.

Modernist-style airfield building of 1936

Gliding is a team sport. Gliding clubs play an important role in this sport, often serving as the foundation for training pilots passionate about air sports. One such club is the Bielsko-Biała Aeroclub, based at the Bielsko-Biała–Aleksandrowice Airport (EPBA). It celebrated its 90th anniversary with us. The airfield opened in 1936 and has a modernist-style airfield building designed by architect Karol Schayer, who worked in Poland and Lebanon.

In addition to the members of the Bielsko-Bialski Aeroclub, the staff of Allstar PZL Glider, the city, and the sponsors, another aviation club played a key role in making this weekend’s event possible: the Gliwice Aeroclub. It brought 10 historic gliders from the Gliwice Museum and oversaw the exhibits at the three-day aircraft exhibition.

Manufacturing facility at Allstar PZL Glider

Just a stone's throw away, across the Aleksandrowice Airfield bike path, stand the production facilities of Allstar PZL Glider, formerly the buildings of the SZD Glider Research Institute. For anyone interested in taking a look behind the scenes at a glider manufacturer, we opened the factory gates on Friday afternoon May 1 and Sunday morning 3 May.   

Factory tour at Allstar PZL Glider

Engineers, production and administrative employees staff led groups of visitors through the Fibergalss production halls for wings and fuselages, as well as through the pre-assembly and final assembly areas. They provided a brief introduction to the history, design, materials science, and production steps. A lively discussion ensued as visitors examined the various glider components in their current state of production and at different stages of manufacturing.

Photo Exhibition by Kasia Zolich

Kasia Zolich’s art exhibition “The Dream of Flying” offered further insight into the world of glider production. Large-format portraits and photographs were displayed along the long fence separating the factory grounds from the airfield. In her work, the artist portrayed employees from an artistic perspective and highlighted specific locations within the production process.

We would like to thank our visitors, partners, aircraft lenders, and sponsors. It was a wonderful birthday celebration with all of you! Let’s celebrate the next round birthday together again.

Partners

• Aerosploty
• Aeroklub Bielsko-Bialski at airfield Bielsko-Biała - Aleksandrowice (EPBA)
• Artist Kasia Zolich

Lenders of Historic Gliders

• Aeroklub Gliwicki
• Aeroklub Nowy Targ
• Aeroklub Zamojski
• Muzeum Polskiego Szybownictwa (Bartek Kot)
• Józef Kwaśniak
• Łukasz Kolek
• Mariusz
• Pietrzykowski

Sponsors

• Bielsko-Biala Polska Stolica Kultury 2026
• Totalizator sportowy, właściciel marki Lotto
• Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego
• Miasto Bielsko-Biala
• Avio Aero
• Narodowe Centrum Kultury
• Polska Organizacja Turystyczna