Bolesław Orliński

Bolesław Orliński (13 April 1899 - 28 February 1992) was a Polish aviator, military, sports and test pilot.

He was born on the family estate in Niwerka, Podolia (now Niverka, Kamianets-Podilskyi Raion, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukraine). During World War I he was commissioned in the Russian Army, and fought in an infantry Regiment on the German front, becoming a NCO. In 1918 he joined the newly formed Polish 1st Corps of Gen. Józef Dowbór-Muśnicki. When the corps was disarmed by the Germans in May 1918 he went to the Ukraine and briefly served in the army of the Ukrainian People's Republic. He returned to Poland after independence and joined the Polish Army. He served in the cavalry during the Polish-Soviet war, and then volunteered for the air force.

He completed pilot training in Bydgoszcz and Grudziądz and in 1923 became an instructor in Grudziądz.

From 27 August to 25 September 1926, with mechanic Leon Kubiak, Orliński flew from Warsaw to Tokyo (10,300 km/6,400 miles) and back in a Breguet 19 A2. On the way back the plane was damaged by wind in Byrka and its left lower wing was broken and propeller was cracked. The Polish aviators shortened the opposite wing and repaired the propeller with glue and wire, and thus repaired flew the 6680 km to Warsaw. For the feat Orliński was awarded the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun 6th class, French Legion of Honor and was promoted to Captain.

In 1928 he quit the service and became a test pilot with the Polish PZL aviation works in Warsaw. He test-flew all PZL fighter prototypes, from the PZL P.1 designed by Zygmunt Puławski in 1928, through the PZL P.6, PZL P.7, PZL P.8, PZL P.11, PZL P.24 to PZL P.50 Jastrząb in 1939. He also tested the sports planes PZL.19, PZL.26, passenger planes PZL.4, PZL.44 Wicher, and liaison plane PZL Ł.2.

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