Janusz Żurakowski
Janusz Żurakowski (12 September 1914 – 9 February 2004) was a Polish fighter and test pilot. At various times in his life he lived and worked in Poland, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
Early life
Żurakowski was born in 1914 to Polish parents in Ryżawka near
Żurakowski was educated at a high school in
Second World War
In September 1939, "Black September", Żurakowski had his combat debut in an outmoded PZL P.7 trainer against a squadron of seven German Dornier Do 17s attacking Dęblin on 2 September. He was able to damage one of the Do 17s but was forced to break off combat when his guns jammed.
Following the defeat of Poland, Żurakowski made his way to England via Romania and France. Like many of his compatriots, he was smuggled out of the war zone with false documents and a new identity as a forester. Thousands of the Polish Air Force pilots who had made their way to France fought against Luftwaffe forces in the Battle of France.[citation needed] Żurakowski was originally posted to a fighter unit in France before he was selected to train as a bomber pilot in England. Once he arrived in England, the RAF changed its mind and sent him and the first group of Poles to fighter squadrons, which were rapidly being deployed in anticipation of an attack on Britain in 1940.
Żurakowski was first posted as a
In 1942, now
Postwar
After the war, Żurakowski, among many other Polish veterans, chose to stay in Britain. In 1944, he was posted to the
While still at
Retiring from the RAF as squadron leader in 1947, Żurakowski was employed as chief experimental test pilot for Gloster Aircraft Company under Chief Test Pilot Bill Waterton. When Waterton was in Canada on assignment, Żurakowski assumed the role of acting chief test pilot.[3] Żurakowski tested the many experimental versions of the Gloster Meteor, Javelin, and Gloster E.1/44 fighters. He set an international speed record: London–Copenhagen–London, 4–5 April 1950.[1] The attempt was organised by Gloster to sell the Meteor IV to the Danish Air Force, and it succeeded.[4]
At the 1951 at Farnborough Airshow, Żurakowski demonstrated a new aerobatics manoeuvre, the "
In April 1952, Żurakowski and his family left for
During the Avro Canada years, Żurakowski continued to fly as an aerobatic display pilot with spectacular results. Especially successful was the 1955 Farnborough Airshow, where he displayed the CF-100 in a "falling-leaf". He was acclaimed again as the "Great Zura" by many aviation and industry observers. In 1958, he was chosen as the chief development
After flying Arrow 203 on 26 September 1958, Żurakowski decided to give up test flying for good, fulfilling a promise he had made to his wife to stop experimental flying once he reached the age of 40, although he had already exceeded that age.
Later life
Żurakowski retired from active test flying in November 1958 but continued with the Avro Aircraft company as an engineer in the Flight Test Office. On 20 February 1959, the infamous "Black Friday", Żurakowski, along with the approximately 15,000 employees of Avro and
After deciding to leave the aviation world altogether, Żurakowski and his family moved to
Following a lingering battle with
Honours
In recognition of his contributions to Canadian aviation, Żurakowski was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame in 1973. He was further honoured in 1996 by the Royal Canadian Mint's release of a commemorative coin, the Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck, which featured an insert of Janusz Żurakowski. In 1997, he was inducted into the Western Canada Aviation Museum "Pioneers of Canadian Aviation" annals. He was profiled the following year in the documentary film "Straight Arrow". On 23 July 1999, CFB Cold Lake (Alberta) Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment named its new facility, the "Żurakowski Building". And in September 2000, he became an honorary fellow of the Society of Experimental Test pilots, joining the ranks of Charles Lindbergh, Neil Armstrong, and Igor Sikorsky, among numerous other luminaries.
Żurakowski received the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland in 1999.[7]
His adopted hometown built Żurakowski Park in 2003, recognizing his contributions to the community and to the world. Two imposing statues of Janusz Żurakowski and his beloved Avro Arrow dominate the arrow-shaped Żurakowski Park (an elongated triangle evocative of the Avro Arrow's profile). It is located at the crossroads of two main streets in Barry's Bay, Ontario. A future museum and visitor's commemorative centre consisting of a gazebo and display area will be located at Żurakowski Park.
The former Gloster Aircraft company airfield site at Brockworth has become a residential area in Gloucester, UK and has a Zura Avenue.
References
Notes
- ^ Zurakowski's lifelong friend, Stanislaw Wujastyk, a colleague of Żurakowski's at flying school in Dęblin, recalled in 2011, that on parachuting to the ground, Żurakowski was approached by an Englishman who said, "This is private property, you know. But never mind, come in and have a cup of tea."[2]
Citations
Bibliography
- Hamilton-Paterson, James. Empire of the Clouds: When Britain's Aircraft Ruled the World. London: Faber & Faber, 2010. ISBN 978-0-571-24794-3.
- Kusiba, Marek. Janusz Żurakowski: From Avro Arrow to Arrow Drive. Toronto: Address Press, 2003. ISBN 0-9733641-0-6.
- Rossiter, Sean. The Chosen Ones: Canada's Test Pilots in Action. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2002. ISBN 1-55054-930-8.
- Sutherland, Alice Gibson. Canada's Aviation Pioneers: 50 Years of McKee Trophy Winners. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd., 1978. ISBN 0-07-082704-4.
- Waterton, Bill. The Quick and the Dead. London: Frederick Mueller, 1958.
- Wujastyk, Stanisław. Czasy i Przyjaźnie. Lublin: Zaklad Literatury Wspólczesnej, 2010. ISBN 978-83-227-3155-0.
- ISBN 83-900358-7-1.
- ISBN 0-920517-05-6.
- Zuk, Bill. The Avro Arrow Story: The Impossible Dream. Calgary: Altitude Publishing, 2006. ISBN 1-55439-703-0.
- Zuk, Bill. The Avro Arrow Story: The Revolutionary Airplane and its Courageous Test Pilots. Calgary: Altitude Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1-55153-978-0.
- Zuk, Bill. Janusz Zurakowski: Legends in the Sky. St. Catharine's, Ontario: Vanwell, 2004. ISBN 1-55125-083-7.
External links
- Peter Wieslaw Grajda: Web site dedicated to Janusz Zurakowski & the Canadian aircraft Avro Arrow CF105
- Zurakowski Park, Barry's Bay official website
- "Zurabatics" a 1951 Flight advertisement for the Meteor