In 1923, the village of Czarna Góra and the Litwinka hill became the scene of a significant event in the history of Polish aviation and aviation experiments, especially unpowered ones, later known as gliding. Organizing competitions at this location was quite a challenge, as no one had previously attempted to organize similar events in Poland. The first aviation event was originally planned for the spring of 1923, but the lack of gliders caused it to be postponed to autumn. Another crucial problem was finding a suitable venue for the competitions. Czarna Góra proved to be the optimal choice. An account from “Skrzydlata Polska” (Winged Poland) from October 1938 described the course of the search: “In August, 9 gliders were ready: two each from Warsaw, Poznań, Bydgoszcz, and Lublin, and one from Suchedniów. (…) Building the gliders was only half the problem. One also needed to find a suitable terrain for flying. On August 15, a group of future glider pilots departed from Warsaw for Zakopane with the motto: We’re going to hold a competition in the Tatras!” The next day, a tent was pitched on the well-known Antałówka hill, located within the town itself. But the pilots refused to fly there. A search for some other terrain began on the spot. On August 17, A. Karpiński, J. Wędrychowski, and W. Ulass set out to search… the Czerwone Wierchy peaks! However, they found nothing “suitable.” On the 19th, Karpiński unsuccessfully explored the slopes of Gubałówka. Finally, on August 22, they agreed on Czarna Góra near Białka.” The ceremonial opening of the competitions took place on August 30, 1923, at 3:00 PM. They were held from August 28 to September 13.
The first three trial flights during the competition were made by Adam Karpiński on the Akar glider. The first flight lasted 68 seconds, the second 24 seconds, and the third 37 seconds. A total of ten pilots took part, with two of them sharing one Akar-type glider. The participants’ gliders were placed in three aviation tents to the west of the slope, just beyond the Białka river. Launches were conducted using bungee cords. The competition rules provided for three events: duration flights, cross-country flights, and soaring flights. Of particular note was Adam Karpiński’s exceptional flight on September 1, which lasted 165 seconds. It began in difficult storm conditions and ended during a torrential downpour. The competitions were interrupted multiple times due to capricious weather. Ultimately, Karpiński took first place on the Akar glider. It is worth mentioning that in April 1924, on the same Akar glider, Karpiński set a new gliding record of 4 minutes and 5 seconds on Babia Góra, reaching an altitude of 50 meters.
The First National Gliding Competition of 1923 was a pioneering gliding event in Poland. Flying in those times was far from easy, but it certainly provided enormous pleasure. The competitions also marked the beginning of rivalry in the field of glider design. In organizing the gliding competition, all available resources were utilized, including the enthusiasm of pilots and organizers, the passion for building gliders, and the desire to fly.
Members and supporters of the Nowy Targ Aero Club, wishing to commemorate this important event in the history of Polish aviation, decided to organize a rally of vintage gliders combined with competitions and air shows, which will take place at exactly the same location — on Czarna Góra, now known as Litwinka.
