PZL  P.11c

The first in the Puławski P.1 family of aircraft, it attracted international attention. The P.6 and P.7 followed, all attracting interest from foreign designers and winning awards at international aviation shows. In 1930, the Department of Aeronautics ordered the development of a successor to the P.6 and P.7. The new PZL P.11 fighter was a single-seat, all-metal, strut-mounted, high-wing monoplane with fixed landing gear. The aircraft was characterized by original technical and technological solutions. The first of these was a wing covered with finely corrugated sheet metal, known as Wibault sheet metal, with an original shape and design, allowing for low weight, high strength, good aerodynamic properties, and excellent forward and side visibility from the cockpit.

This unconventional solution, known abroad as the “Polish wing” or “Puławski’s wing,” gave the wings a distinctive “gullwing” shape. The second was a fixed scissor-type landing gear, with shock absorbers hidden inside the fuselage. Also noteworthy was the semi-monocoque fuselage structure, previously used on the P.7 fighter, and the main fuel tank, which could be ejected from the fuselage in the event of a fire. Puławski’s work, which he died as an aviator in 1931, was continued by engineer Wsiewołod Jakimiuk. The P.11 prototype was flown in 1931 by Bolesław Orliński. Presented in December 1934 at the Paris Air Show, it generated considerable interest among specialists. Technologically, it was several years ahead of contemporary designs.

In the autumn of 1936, the Republican government in Spain attempted to purchase 36 airframes, but the Polish government’s declaration of neutrality prevented the transaction from taking place. By 1937, as other countries introduced modern low-wing monoplanes into service, the P.11 became obsolete.

The PZL P.11c was the primary fighter type in the Polish Air Force in September 1939. By then, it was already inferior to the new generation of airframes, such as the German Bf-109. However, thanks to the skill of the Polish pilots, the “Eleven” can claim approximately 120 kills. The example on display flew with the 121st Squadron of the 2nd Air Regiment in Kraków. Today, this aircraft is a symbol, the most valuable exhibit at the Aviation Museum. It’s not just about its material value; it is currently the only surviving Polish fighter from the September 1939 period, a symbol of the lonely struggle against the German Luftwaffe.