Franciszek Żwirko

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Franciszek Żwirko (September 16, 1895 – September 11, 1932) was a prominent Polish sports and military aviator. Along with Stanislaw Wigura, he won the international air contest Challenge 1932.

He was born in Švenčionys, near Vilnius in Lithuania (at that time part of the Russian Empire) and attended school in Vilnius. During World War I, he volunteered for the Russian Army, graduated from an officer school in Irkutsk, and served in infantry, fighting against the Germans. He was awarded with St. Anna Cross 4th class. In 1917 he joined Polish corps of Gen. Józef Dowbor-Muśnicki, formed in Russia. After the corps was disbanded in 1918, he enlisted in Gen. Anton Denikin's Volunteer Army and fought against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War. He completed an air observer course then. After the Bolsheviks' victory in the war in 1921, Żwirko fought his way to Poland across the Soviet-Polish border.

In Poland, he completed an aviation school in Bydgoszcz in November 1923, and a higher pilotage school in Grudziadz. He became a fighter pilot in the 18th fighter squadron of the 1st Aviation Regiment, with a rank of porucznik pilot (flying lieutenant). He also became active in sports aviation. Zwirko distinguished himself as a very skilled and calm pilot. In August 1927, flying a Breguet 19 military plane, he took the 2nd place in the 1st air contest of the Little Entente and Poland, and the 1st place in its racing part. From 1929 he was assigned as a liaison officer in the University Aeroclub (Aeroklub Akademicki) in Warsaw.

Thanks to his new post, he could increase his sporting activity, meeting young aviation enthusiasts. He especially made friends with young engineer Stanislaw Wigura, one of designers of the RWD team. They often flew together from then, Wigura as a mechanic and second pilot. Between August 9 and September 6, 1929, Zwirko and Wigura flew on the RWD-2 prototype across Europe, on Warsaw–Paris–Barcelona–Milano–Warsaw 5000 km route, and on October 6 they won a Polish air race. On October 16, 1929, Żwirko and Antoni Kocjan set an international FAI altitude record of 4,004 m (13,136 ft) in the light tourist plane class (below 280 kg or 616 lb empty weight) on that plane.

In July 1930 Żwirko and Wigura took part in the International Tourist Plane Competition Challenge 1930, flying on the RWD-4, but they had to withdraw on July 25 due to engine failure, after a compulsory landing in Spain. In September and October 1930 they won in two Polish contests, flying on RWD-2 and RWD-4, and in October 1931 they won another one, flying on a prototype RWD-5. On August 7, 1931 Żwirko and Stanislaw Prauss tried to break another altitude record, on RWD-7, climbing at 5996 m (19,672 ft), but it was not recognized by the FAI due to a non-standard recording device.

In December 1931 Żwirko was assigned a training escadre commander in an aviation school in Deblin. In April 1932 he was chosen to be in a Polish team for the International Tourist Plane Competition Challenge 1932 on August 20-August 28, and he chose Wigura as his crewmate. They won the competition, over favourite German and other teams, flying the new RWD-6, and became heroes in Poland. The success was brought by Zwirko's pilotage skills and high quality of the plane, designed among others, by Wigura.

On September 11, 1932, flying to an air meeting to Prague, Żwirko and Wigura fatally crashed in their RWD-6 in the forest in Cierlicko near Cieszyn, when the wing broke in a heavy storm.