| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
| Contents | ||
The aircraft was designed in response to a Polish Air Force requirement for a jet trainer. The main designer was Tadeusz Soltyk - hence a designation letters TS. The new plane was the first jest aircraft designed in Poland. Work started in 1957, the first prototype powered by an imported British Armstrong Siddeley Viper 8 of 7.80 kN (1,750 lbf) was flown on February 5, 1960. The next two prototypes, with a Polish copy of the Viper engine named the WSK HO-10 engine were flown in March and July 1961.
The new plane fulfiled requirements and, after tests, was accepted for the Polish Air Force as the TS-11 Iskra bis A, produced since 1963. From about 1966, the aircraft were produced with a new Polish-designed engine WSK SO-1 with thrust of 9.80 kN (2,200 lbf). From 1969, WSK SO-3 engines with longer time between overhauls were used and later improved version WSK SO-3W with thrust of 10.80 kN (2,425 lbf).
In 1964, the TS-11 prototype beat four world records in its class, among others the speed record of 839 km/h (524 mph). The Iskra competed as the standard jet trainer for the Warsaw PactHeinz Hoffmann, Polish Premier Wojciech Jaruzelski, Warsaw Pact Commander in Chief Viktor Kulikov, and Czechoslovakian Defence Minister Martin Dzur discussing Warsaw Pact manoeuvres in Poland, March 1981. The Warsaw Pact or Warsaw Treaty was a military al, but due to a political decision, the slightly inferior Czech Aero L-29 DelfinThe Aero L-29 Delfin ( Czech: "Dolphin", NATO reporting name: Maya was a military jet trainer aircraft that became the standard jet trainer for the air forces Warsaw Pact nations in the 1960s. It was Czechoslovakia's first locally designed and built jet a was chosen. Poland became the only Warsaw Pact country using the Iskra. 424 aircraft were built by 1987This is a list of aviation-related events from 1987: Events January January 1 US Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphins and US Navy H-3 Sea Kings help rescue people trapped inside the Dupont Plaza hotel Puerto Rico after a fire there on New Year's Eve January 7 Frenc, when production ceased. 50 aircraft Iskra bis D were exported to India in 1987This is a list of aviation-related events from 1976: Events March March 17 a Japan Air Lines Boeing 747 makes the first non-stop flight from Tokyo to New York, taking 11. 5 hours for the 10,139 km (6,300 mile) journey. April April 5 Howard Hughes dies abo. In 2002This is a list of aviation-related events from 2002: Events American Airlines and British Airways drop plans to introduce codesharing on transatlantic flights after U. regulators demand that other American carriers be given access to London Heathrow Airpo, Poland still had 110 TS-11s, including 5 TS-11Rs. The Iskra became Polish first and only jet trainer so far - the programme for a succesor, the PZL-Mielec I-22 Iryda , (later designated M-93 Iryda) failed for several reasons and few were built.
From 1969 TS-11s have been used by the Polish aerobatics team, initially called "Rombik", and currently " Bialo-Czerwone Iskry " ("White-and-Red Iskras").