BŽ - 1 "Gil" – the Polish helicopter

In 1948, Professor Z. Borzozka and engineers B. Zhurakowsky and T. Chylinski constructed an experimental helicopter at the Main Aviation Institute. It was a two-seater single-carrier propeller with a tail control propeller. After almost a year of work, the team introduced an already installed helicopter in 1949. After installation, the machine was marked SP-GIL, which later became the name. In January 1950, the helicopter was ready for its first flight, but a strong gust of wind pushed the machine through an icy aerodrome and overturned it. After repairs, on April 4, “Gil” took off for the first flight. The fifth flight ended in an accident. During the repair, the design of the chassis and control propeller was changed, and it was broken again during the following flights. The flights continued until February 8, 1957, and by that time 354 flights had been completed, lasting 33 hours in air. The helicopter is transferred to the Warsaw Technical Museum and later transferred to the Polish Aviation Museum in Krakow, where it is still on display.

An uncomplicated, but slightly intricately designed, well-detailed model that, even under the supervision of a more experienced colleague, can be assembled even by a novice modeler.