IS-A Salamandra

One pre-war “Salamandra” survived the war in Goleszow. Based on this example, engineers Marian Gracz and Rudolf Matz at the Gliding Institute in Bielsko-Biala reconstructed the documentation, and serial production began in 1946. The first batch comprised 5 gliders and was manufactured at the Gliding Institute. The abbreviation IS before the names of the first Polish post-war gliders comes from the name of this Institute. The next series was produced at the glider workshops in Jezow — 75 units, designated “Salamandra 48”. Compared to the pre-war original, the IS “Salamandra” had an improved construction and modified manufacturing technology.

Based on pilot experience and feedback, the glider was gradually modified. The next series built in Jezow, “Salamandra 49”, was equipped with airbrakes. Further modifications included, among others, increasing the area of the horizontal stabilizer. The last series, after a tailplane change, was designated “Salamandra 53”. The export version “Salamandra 53A” was sold to China, where “Salamandras” were also built under licence. Many gliders built in Finland, France, Yugoslavia, and Canada were modelled on the “Salamandra”. Gliders of successive series were used for mass flight training between 1947 and 1961. A total of 264 units were produced, and the “Salamandra” made its last flights in 1962 at the Zar gliding site.