Stanisław Wigura (9 April 1901 – 11 September 1932) was a Polish aircraft designer and aviator, co-founder of the RWD aircraft construction team and lecturer at the

Warsaw University of Technology The Warsaw University of Technology ( pl, Politechnika Warszawska, lit=Varsovian Polytechnic) is one of the leading institutes of technology in Poland and one of the largest in Central Europe. It employs 2,453 teaching faculty, with 357 professor ...

. Along with Franciszek Żwirko, he won the international air contest

Challenge 1932 The Challenge 1932 was the third FAI International Tourist Plane Competition (french: Challenge International de Tourisme), that took place between 12 and August 28, 1932 in Berlin, Germany. The four Challenges, from 1929 to 1934, were major aviat ...

. He was born in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...

. In his youth he was interested in mechanics and aviation, and he was also a

Boy Scout A Scout (in some countries a Boy Scout, Girl Scout, or Pathfinder) is a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split ...

. In 1920, during the Polish-Soviet War, he volunteered for the 8th Field Artillery Regiment. In 1921, he started studies at

(Warsaw Tech), where he met

Stanislaw Rogalski Stanislav and variants may refer to: People *Stanislav (given name), a Slavic given name with many spelling variations (Stanislaus, Stanislas, Stanisław, etc.) Places * Stanislav (Village), Stanislav, a coastal village in Kherson, Ukraine * Sta ...

and Jerzy Drzewiecki. He was one of founders of the Aviation Section of Students' Mechanical Club. In December 1925, students of the Section founded their own workshop, where they built aircraft. In 1926, Wigura and Rogalski designed their first light aircraft WR-1, built in 1927. In 1927, three designers: Rogalski, Wigura, and Drzewiecki started working together, creating the RWD team (it was an acronym of their names). Wigura's task was for all the initial design calculations and development. In 1928, they built their first sportsplane RWD-1. In 1929, Wigura graduated from Warsaw Tech, receiving the

Engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

title. In the same year, he completed a pilot course in the Academic Aeroclub. The RWD team began constructing more successful aircraft - sportsplane RWD-2 of 1929 (4 built) and the bigger

RWD-4 The RWD 4 was a Polish sports plane of 1930, constructed by the RWD team. Development The RWD 4 was constructed by the RWD team of Stanisław Rogalski, Stanisław Wigura and Jerzy Drzewiecki in Warsaw. It was based upon their earlier RWD 2 ...

of 1930 (9 built). They were used in Polish sports aviation, with some success. Wigura himself became active in sports aviation. It was thanks to his friendship with 8-years-older pilot Franciszek Żwirko, assigned by the military as a liaison officer in the Aeroclub. They often flew together, Wigura as a mechanic and second pilot. Between August 9 and September 6, 1929, Żwirko and Wigura flew on the RWD-2 prototype across Europe, on a

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ...

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-Warsaw route of 5,000 kilometers. On October 6 they won a Polish air race. In July 1930, Żwirko and Wigura took part in the International Tourist Plane Competition (

Challenge 1930 The International Touring Competition in 1930 (french: Challenge International de Tourisme) was the second FAI international touring aircraft contest, that took place between July 18 and August 8, 1930 in Berlin, Germany. Four Challenges, from 1929 ...

), flying the

, but they had to withdraw on July 25 due to engine failure after a compulsory landing in Spain. During September and October 1930, they won in two Polish contests, flying on RWD-2 and RWD-4, and in September 1931, they won another one, flying on a prototype

RWD-5 The RWD 5 was a Polish touring and sports plane of 1931, a two-seat high-wing monoplane, constructed by the RWD team. It was made famous by its transatlantic flight, being the smallest aircraft to cross the Atlantic. Development The RWD 5 was ...

. In a meantime, Wigura with others designed further aircraft: liaison plane

RWD-3 The RWD 3 was a 1930 Polish sports aircraft and liaison aircraft prototype, constructed by the RWD team, a single-engine high-wing monoplane. Development The RWD 3 was constructed by the RWD team of Stanisław Rogalski, Stanisław Wigura and J ...

in 1930 (one built), record sportsplane RWD-7 in 1931, and a sportsplane

in 1931. The latter was made famous as the lightest plane that made a

transatlantic flight A transatlantic flight is the flight of an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe, Africa, South Asia, or the Middle East to North America, Central America, or South America, or ''vice versa''. Such flights have been made by fixed-wing ai ...

(20 built). He also started designing the

RWD-8 The RWD 8 was a Polish parasol wing monoplane trainer aircraft produced by RWD. It was used from 1934 to 1939 by the Polish Air Force and civilian aviation. Development The RWD 8 was designed in response to a Polish Air Force requirement in 19 ...

basic trainer. In 1932, he developed a modern sportsplane, the

RWD-6 The RWD 6 was a Polish sports plane of 1932, constructed by the RWD team. It was a winner of the Challenge 1932 international tourist aircraft contest. Development The aircraft was designed specially for the purpose of competing in the internat ...

, that was intended for the International Tourist Plane Competition (

), which took place between August 20–28, 1932. Żwirko, intended as a pilot, chose Wigura as his crewmate. They won a competition, over the heavily favored German and other teams, and both became heroes in Poland. The success was brought by Żwirko's piloting skills and the high quality and performance of the plane."Challenge 1932" Heinkel 64, undated
retrieved on 2008-07-06. On 11 September 1932, while flying to an air meet in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

, Żwirko and Wigura fatally crashed in their RWD-6 in the forest in Cierlicko near

Cieszyn Cieszyn ( , ; cs, Těšín ; german: Teschen; la, Tessin; szl, Ćeszyn) is a border town in southern Poland on the east bank of the Olza River, and the administrative seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship. The town has 33,500 inhabita ...

, when the wing broke in a heavy storm.

Honours and awards

Stanislaw Wigura was awarded the Knight's Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta , image=Polonia Restituta - Commander's Cross pre-1939 w rib.jpg , image_size=200px , caption=Commander's Cross of Polonia Restituta , presenter = the President of Poland , country = , type=Five classes , eligibility=All , awar ...

and the Polish Gold Cross of Merit.

Footnotes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wigura, Stanislaw 1901 births 1932 deaths Polish aviators Polish aerospace engineers Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War Warsaw University of Technology alumni Knights of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland) Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Czechoslovakia Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1932 Burials at Powązki Cemetery People from Warsaw People from Warsaw Governorate