On May 29, 2026, the Arma Hobby team attended the anniversary celebrations of the 23rd Tactical Air Base near Mińsk Mazowiecki. The base carries over a century of Polish fighter aviation traditions — from the Kościuszko Squadron and the 111th Fighter Squadron to the famous No. 303 and No. 316 Polish Fighter Squadrons, and later the 1st Fighter Aviation Regiment “Warszawa”.
We arrived early to take part in the ceremonial roll call and the full military ceremony, including the presentation of awards, a parade, and a short performance by the military band.
The ceremony took place in front of a technical hangar whose doors were decorated with a huge Polish checkerboard insignia and the emblem of the “Winged Scythemen”.
A Black Hawk helicopter and various airfield support vehicles were displayed in the background. At the same time, forest fires were spreading near Wołomin, outside Warsaw. As a result, Dromader firefighting aircraft could be seen repeatedly taking off to battle the blaze.
FA-50 and the Traditions of the Winged Scythemen
After the official ceremony, guests were invited for refreshments and coffee inside the hangar. There, we were greeted by two FA-50 fighters and a MiG-29.
The first FA-50 formed part of another important moment of the celebrations — the unveiling of the new Winged Scythemen emblem. The emblem was unveiled by the base commander, Colonel Pilot Adam Kalinowski, together with special guest Richard Kornicki, son of Wing Commander Franciszek Kornicki VM — a pilot of No. 303 Squadron and later commander of No. 308 and No. 316 Polish Fighter Squadrons in Great Britain during the Second World War.
The second FA-50 was displayed fully armed with Sidewinder missiles, 500 lb bombs mounted on multiple ejector racks, and an AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missile. I must admit that the weapons configuration looked extremely impressive. Modelers may think of the FA-50 as a relatively small aircraft, but standing next to it gives a completely different sense of its true size. The aircraft makes a truly powerful impression in person.
The MiG-29 was also displayed with a full air-to-air missile loadout. This particular aircraft had already been retired from service.
Lectures and Presentations
The main part of the program consisted of lectures devoted to the history and traditions of Polish military aviation.
Pilots, aviation historians, modelers, and guests connected with the traditions of Polish fighter units all took part in the event.
Marek Rogusz spoke about the origins of the Winged Scythemen tradition. Wojtek Matusiak presented the evolution of fighter aviation from the First World War through the end of the Second World War, illustrating these changes through the stories of the Kościuszko Squadron, the 111th Fighter Squadron, and No. 303 Squadron.
Colonel (Ret.) Pilot Andrzej Rogucki discussed the jet fighters operated by the 1st Fighter Aviation Regiment — from the Yak-17 to the MiG-29 — as well as the challenges of introducing jet aviation into the Polish Air Defence system and the traditions of the regiment’s aerobatic team.
Pilot Jacek Mainka spoke about his grandfather, Corporal Ryszard Kwiatkowski — a mechanic with No. 303 Squadron — as well as Brigadier General Pilot Tadeusz Sawicz and Lieutenant Colonel Pilot Jan Zumbach.
Recognition for the Modelers
The event concluded with presentations and acknowledgements for the people involved in organizing the celebrations.
For us, one particularly meaningful moment was the recognition given to three modelers closely associated with the base. They were responsible for painting the technical hangar doors and the emblems displayed on the aircraft:
- Andrzej “Flacha” Ligocki
- Grzegorz Kogut
- Tomasz Kaźmierczak
We would like to sincerely thank the Base Commander, Colonel Pilot Adam Kalinowski, and Lieutenant Colonel Arkadiusz Nawrot — Commander of the Technical Support Group — for the opportunity to participate in this remarkable event.
It was a day when the traditions of No. 303 Squadron and the Winged Scythemen met the modern aircraft that today stand guard over Polish skies.
See also:
Special promotion celebrating the 23rd Air Base anniversary, May 29 – June 7, 2026 link
Wanted to be Philanthropist, statesman and patron of the arts. Temporarily focused on developing scale model production in Poland. Co-founder of Arma Hobby. Designer of kits: TS-11 Iskra, PZL P.7a, Fokker E.V, PZL P.11c, Hawker Hurricane, Yak-1b, Wildcat, P-51B/C/D Mustang and 1/48 Hurricane.
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