Thread: Flying Amputees
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Old 25th February 2006, 18:38
Franek Grabowski Franek Grabowski is offline
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Re: Flying Amputees

Brian
It is a better story. Indeed F/O Roman Grzanka had one artifical leg, but as his r/o F/O Henryk Łepkowski was a little bit deaf, their loud talks at readiness caused anger among other pilots trying to get a nap. In the effect he got another r/o, Juliusz Baykowski, a veteran of 1920 war with Bolsheviks, who had a better hearing and also an artifical leg. Since that time crew Horlick 53 had a full pair of legs.
Since then Grzanka had a couple of other operators and saly was killed on 27 June 1943 when testing a freshly overhauled Mosquito DD644. The aircraft flew into a hill and Grzanka was killed instantly, while F/S Wacław Oyrzanowski, groundcrew chief A Flight died in hospital.
Another airman attempting flying without a limb was Zdzisław Radomski, who lost a hand over France in 1941. He did some training flights in a Spitfire but as the latter was not very ergonomic, flying with only one hand was very risky and I do not think he attempted any operational sorties.
Another airman flying Spitfire in combat single handedly was G/C Jerzy Bajan of 1936 Challenge fame. He had his hand paralysed, so not sure if he qualifies.
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