Bleicher Michał

Michał Bleicher (1898–1992) — major pilot-observer of the Polish Army, engineer, glider designer and test pilot. During the Polish-Bolshevik War he served in the 16th Reconnaissance Squadron, carrying out reconnaissance and ground-attack flights in the Radzymin, Lida and Grodno areas, among others; he was twice decorated with the Cross of Valour. In the interwar period he served as an officer of the 2nd and 6th Aviation Regiments, then as an instructor in Dęblin; a graduate of Lwów Polytechnic (1931), he was associated with the development of Polish gliding — commandant of the Military Glider Camp in Ustjanowa, designer of gliders (including B-1, CW-5 bis/35, WOS-37, B-38, WWS “Tryton”), Polish record holder (1934), activist and lecturer of the League of Air and Anti-Gas Defence (LOPP). In 1939 he was commandant of the 6th Aviation Regiment’s Park; after the evacuation he served in the Polish Air Force and RAF in Great Britain as an instructor and technical officer (including at Evanton, Boscombe Down, and 13 Maintenance Unit), promoted to the rank of major (Squadron Leader). After the war he served in the RAF and the Royal Canadian Air Force. He died on 11 June 1992 in Milwaukee.