Podłęże is a small village in Poland, located in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in the Wieliczka district, in the commune of Niepołomice. It lies approximately 16 km east of Kraków and about 2 km west of Niepołomice. Voivodeship road No. 964, connecting Kasina Wielka with Biskupice Radłowskie, runs through the center of the village, while the A4 motorway passes along its southern side. In Podłęże, there is a railway station on the important railway line 91 Kraków Główny – Medyka, as well as the Podgrabie Wisła stop on the freight bypass route that relieves central Kraków, running from Podłęże through Nowa Huta to Mydlniki.
This place — specifically the railway station building in Podłęże — is connected with the history of Polish aviation. It was there, on January 26, 1893, that Observer Major Kazimierz Kubala was born.
During the Great War, he served in the Imperial and Royal Army, including in the 11th Balloon Company and the 26th Aviation Company. He was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant with seniority from January 1, 1916, in the infantry reserve officers’ corps.
After the war, in November 1918, as an observer pilot he participated in flights supporting the defense of Lwów during the Polish-Ukrainian War. During the fighting for Lwów, he completed 16 flights, ranking second in the number of flights after Second Lieutenant Władysław Toruń.
In 1920, he took part in the Polish-Bolshevik War, serving in the 59th Air Squadron and the 3rd Air Division. For his participation in the fighting, he was awarded the Silver Cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari in 1922. After the war, he studied pharmacy at the Jan Kazimierz University in Lwów and obtained a pharmacist’s diploma. He then returned to service in the Polish Army, where he held various positions in the aviation officers’ corps.
In April 1926, Ludwik Idzikowski was assigned to the Polish Military Purchasing Mission in France, where he tested French aircraft purchased by Poland. At that time, he proposed the first airplane crossing of the Atlantic in the more difficult westward direction, against the winds — something no one had yet accomplished. Despite the lack of support from Polish military authorities, Idzikowski planned a solo flight. However, after the press took an interest in the project, the Polish authorities decided to support it. A new racing aircraft, the Amiot 123, named “Marszałek Piłsudski,” was purchased, with Idzikowski designated as pilot and Maj. Kazimierz Kubala as navigator.
The first crossing attempt began on August 3, 1928, from Le Bourget airfield near Paris. After covering approximately 3,200 km, the crew noticed a drop in engine oil level, indicating a cracked tank. They decided to return to Europe, and after 31 hours of flight, ditched next to the German ship “Samos,” approximately 70 km from the coast of Spain. The aircraft sustained significant damage as a result of the ditching.
Idzikowski and Kubala made another attempt to cross the Atlantic a year later, on July 13, 1929, taking off from Le Bourget. After covering 2,140 km, the engine began to malfunction, forcing the crew to land on the island of Graciosa in the Azores. Unfortunately, during the emergency landing, the aircraft struck an unseen rocky embankment and crashed. As a result of the accident, Ludwik Idzikowski was killed, and Kazimierz Kubala sustained minor injuries. The cause of the crash was found to be damage to a bearing in the engine reduction gear. During the investigation aimed at determining the causes of the crash, Kubala came into conflict with General Pilot Ludomił Rayski.
In 1933, Kubala left Poland and moved to Brazil, where he engaged in business activities and worked as an expert in the field of civil aviation. He died there in 1976.
