Szybowcowy Zakład Doświadczalny , Glider Experimental Works was a glider design and research centre of the Polish aerospace industry after World War II, located in Bielsko-Biała. Through its history it underwent many organizational and name changes, among others in 1946-1948 it was Instytut Szybownictwa. After 1969 it existed under other names, but an abbreviation SZD continued to be used on designs. The SZD gliders themselves were produced in the production centre in Bielsko-Biała, organized around the SZD, and by several other works of the state aerospace industry and didn't bear specific manufacturer's names.
Beginnings
Just after World WarII, which destroyed most of Polish pre-war gliders and - more importantly - their production blueprints, the Main Scouts' Gliding Centre was created in Bielsko-Biała in May 1945, by the Ministry of Communications. In autumn 1945 it was re-organized into the Gliding Organizational Centre, and in January 1946, into the Gliding Institute. It inherited tasks and traditions of the pre-war Gliding and Motor gliding Institute in Lwów. It consisted of Training Division, Technical Division and Experimental Workshops. As more organizations took on a gliding training, the main task of the Institute became design work and technical research. At that period, several gliders were designed, under IS designation. As a sign of new tasks, in 1948 the Gliding Institute was renamed to the Glider Experimental Works, headed first by Władysław Nowakowski. It became the main Polish centre of designing gliders, which were next produced by the SZD workshops or, in conditions of a centrally planned state economy, by other state-owned workshops and factories.
Organizational changes
In early 1950s, the SZD was incorporated into a Sports Aviation Equipment Works Management, as a design centre. The management covered also glider production works in Jeżów, Gdańsk-Wrzeszcz, Poznań, Krosno and Wrocław. In 1957 this management was subordinated to the Central Management of Communications Equipment Industry.
In 1963, there were created Sports Aviation Equipment Works in Bielsko-Biała, with the SZD as its main division. Works in Jeżów and Wrocław became its production divisions. About 1969, the SZD was renamed to Glider Development and Construction Experimental Works, and in 1971 to Gliding Research and Development Centre. Despite these changes, new designs were still marked with SZD letters. Around this time, works in Bielsko-Biała were enhanced.
Designs and production
In 1946-1972 only, the Polish centralized glider industry, focussed around the SZD, produced 2743 gliders, of which 1167 were exported, 367 of which to Western countries. In 1973 there started series production of laminate gliders.
Aftermath
After the end of communism in Poland, the glider production and design centre in Bielsko-Biała was renamed in the 1990s to a state-owned enterprisePZL-Bielsko, liquidated in 2008. In early 2000s part of its property was bought by a company AllstarPZL Glider Sp.z o.o., which still produces several designs under the SZD brand. Between 2005 and January 2007 there existed also different manufacturer with this name, PZL-Bielsko 1 Sp. z o.o. in Górki Wielkie, producing PW-5 gliders.
