Zbigniew Burzyński

Zbigniew January Władysław Antoni Burzyński ( born March 31, 1902 in Zhovkva, now Ukraine, † December 30, 1971 in Warsaw) was a pioneer of Polish ballooning. He won in 1933 and 1935 the Gordon Bennett Cup in ballooning and set a world altitude record in 1938.

Life

Zbigniew Burzyński was born in 1902 as son of the forest engineer Władysław Burzyński in Zhovkva. He attended secondary school in Lviv, Vienna, and finally in Krakow, where he in 1920 at the Cadet School in Łobzów district passed his Matura. Subsequently, he attended the Artillery School in Poznan and served briefly in the 1st Mountain Artillery Regiment in Nowy Targ.

With the ballooning he first came into contact, when he was sent on 1 May 1921 a training for balloon reconnaissance of the Aeronautical Officer School in Toruń. He was subsequently transferred to V. Aeronautical Battalion in Jabłonna at Legionowo. In 1922, he led here by his first balloon ride. In the balloon factory Wytwórnia Balonów i Spadochronów in Legionowo the first Polish bondage and free balloons were made under his direction.

From 1928 Burzyński participated in balloon sporting competitions. Together with Franciszek Hynek he won the Polish Championship in Lwów balloon free hot air ballooning for the longest travel distance reached. At the prestigious Gordon Bennett race he participated six times. In 1933 he won with Hynek in the Kościuszko, 1935 Władysław Wysocki Polonia II and 1934, he and Jan Zakrzewski completed with the second place in the balloon Warsaw the Polish double victory. On March 29, 1938 reached Burzyński and physicist Konstanty Narkiewicz - Jodko in the open basket of the balloon Warszawa II a height of 10,853 m. So they improved the existing world record of German meteorologist Arthur Berson and Reinhard Süring that had risen in 1901 to 10,800 m. Burzyńskis record lasted until 1964.

As an experienced pilot for the Gwiazda Polski ( German Star of Poland), the was with a capacity of 124,700 m3 hitherto largest gas balloon in the world, wanted, the choice was logical to Burzynski. Equipped with a pressurized cabin balloon should rise up to an altitude of 30 km. The launch on 14 October 1938 in Zakopane failed, however, because ignited the hydrogen used as carrier gas and destroyed part of the balloon envelope.

In September 1939 Burzyński commanded a balloon reconnaissance company and came in early October in German captivity. In 1945 he served the 4th Polish command brigade in Germany as a liaison officer, before he returned to Poland. In 1955 he completed an engineering degree at the Technical University of Warsaw, where he worked then as an assistant. He he was among the first active balloonists, as the balloon sport in Poland in 1956 resumed. In 1957 he won the first Polish balloon race since the end of World War II. Three years later he completed his 100th balloon ride. He worked actively as a functionary in the Aero Club of the Polish People's Republic and took these from 1966 to 1969 in the world air sports federation FAI.

Honors

Zbigniew Burzyński received numerous state awards in Poland. After the first Gordon Bennett victory, he was decorated with the Golden Cross of Merit of the Republic of Poland. In 1935, he received the Knight's Cross, 1964, the Officer's Cross of the Order of Poland Reborn. The FAI honored him with the Paul Tissandier - Dyplom.

In Poland today carries an international ballooning event its name. Located in Warsaw's Gocław and in Gdansk Przymorze streets are named after him.

Writings (selection )

• Zbigniew Burzyński: " Kościuszko " nad ameryka. Wydawnictwo Aeroklubu Rzeczpospolitej Polskiej, Warsaw 1934 (in Polish )
• Zbigniew Burzyński: Pomiędzy chmurami. Państwowe Wydawnictwo Książek Szkolnych, Lemberg 1936 ( Polish)
• Zbigniew Burzyński, Franciszek Mieczysław Janik and Pietraszek: Balony. Państwowe Wydawnictwa Techniczne, Warsaw 1958 ( Polish)
• Zbigniew Burzyński: balonem przez kontynenty, Wydawnictwo MON, Warsaw 1969 ( Polish)