PWS-26

The aircraft was a final development of a series: PWS-12, PWS-14 and PWS-16, designed in response to a Polish Air Force requirement for an advanced trainer.The PWS-26 was a direct development of the PWS-16bis, sharing the same silhouette, being a more militarized variant - with strengthened construction, which allowed dive-bomber training.[2] The PWS-26 was used in Polish military aviation from early 1937, becoming a standard type of advanced trainer for fighter pilots.According to a report by Jan Falkowski, on September 3, 1939, while flying a PWS-26, he made a chasing Bf 109 crash near Lublin, by performing low-level manoeuvres, but there was no confirmation from the Germans.A single PWS-26 and two RWD-8s of the Independent Operational Group Polesie, were the last Polish aircraft in the sky during the campaign.(account of Jan Falkowski causing the Bf 109 to crash, taken from his auto biography "With The Wind In My Face").[5] Data from [citation needed]General characteristics Performance Armament 1 x 7.92 mm machinegun, 2 x 12 kg bombs (optional)
Soviet sentry guarding a crashed PWS-26 near Rivne , September 1939
Polish Aviation MuseumTrainer aircraftManufacturerPolish Air ForceRomanian Air ForcePWS-16training aircraftPodlasiePWS-12PWS-14aerobaticslanding gearWorld War IIfighter pilotsPWS-18sAvro TutorBartel BM-5dinvasion of PolandliaisonflightsJan FalkowskiBf 109LublinIndependent Operational Group PolesieFranciszek KleebergRomaniaLatviaBulgariaBulgarian Air ForceGermanyLuftwaffePolandRoyal Romanian Air ForceSoviet UnionSoviet Air ForceBaltic StatesAirfoilAvia-Wright J-5B WhirlwindPodlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów (PWS)PWS-10PWS-11PWS-15PWS-18PWS-19PWS-20PWS-21PWS-22PWS-23PWS-24PWS-33PWS-35PWS-40PWS-50PWS-51PWS-52PWS-54Avia BH-33PWS-101PWS-102PWS-103