Biało-Czerwone Iskry
Poland’s national jet team for half a century, and the last unit in the world to fly the home-built PZL TS-11 Iskra trainer.
Biało-Czerwone Iskry: how the team came to be and what it flies today
Rombik at Radom
The team was formed on 16 February 1969 at Radom, home of the 60th Training Wing, under the name Rombik, after the diamond formation it flew with four TS-11 Iskra jet trainers. Its first public display, according to European Airshows, was at the Polish Air Force Day show on 17 August 1971. The Iskra was the first Polish-designed jet to enter series production, built at Mielec from 1963 to 1987, so the team flew a national product as well as a national colour scheme. Rombik was disbanded in 1981, during the political crisis in Poland.
Rebirth as the Sparks
The team was revived in 1989, at first unofficially as Iskry (Sparks), with seven TS-11s. It went abroad for the first time in 1991, displaying in Hungary on 8 August and Belgium on 7 September, and flew at the Royal International Air Tattoo in 1995. European Airshows records nine aircraft plus solo pilots in 1993 and eight with two solos after a 1998 reorganisation. On 11 November 1998 a fatal crash, during a weather check before a flypast over the Warsaw parade, halted the team for two years.
Dęblin and seven Iskras
On 17 June 2000 the team moved to Dęblin and the 1st Aviation Training Centre (English-language Wikipedia places the move between 1993 and 1998), and from 2000 flew as Biało-Czerwone Iskry, the White-and-Red Sparks, with seven aircraft including one solo. The red and white jets became familiar at Polish and European shows for two decades while grey Iskras trained cadets on the same airfield.
The last Iskras
The Polish Air Force ended Iskra cadet training on 9 December 2020, leaving the team’s jets as the last TS-11s flying in Poland. The final air-show display was on 22 August 2021, and the farewell flight at the 41st Air Training Base in Dęblin on 27 July 2022 closed more than 58 years of Iskra service; the M-346 Bielik took over advanced training. On 12 September 2025 the seven team aircraft were handed to the Biało-Czerwone Skrzydła foundation in Mielec, which said it hoped to fly them at shows.
Biało-Czerwone Iskry in numbers
The team
- Formation
- 7 aircraft
- Seven TS-11 Iskra from 2000, one flown as a solo
- Four aircraft in the Rombik era
- Up to nine aircraft plus solos in 1993
Letadlo
- Flown
- PZL TS-11 Iskra
- PZL TS-11 Iskra (1969–1981, 1989–2022)
Domov
- Based at
- Děblin
- Radom (60th Training Wing) 1969–2000
- Dęblin from 17 June 2000
The display
- Aircraft in the display
- 7
- Livery
- white and red
Every type Biało-Czerwone Iskry has flown
| Letadlo | Roky | Number | Poznámka |
|---|---|---|---|
| PZL TS-11 Iskra | 1969–2022 | 7 | Four in 1969; seven from 1989; up to nine in 1993. The team was the last operator of the type. |
What Biało-Czerwone Iskry is known for
- The team was the last operator of the TS-11 Iskra anywhere (Wikipedia).
- First foreign displays in Hungary and Belgium in 1991, and a Royal International Air Tattoo appearance in 1995 (European Airshows).
- Its seven jets were transferred to a civilian foundation in Mielec, where the type was built, in September 2025 (Dziennik Wschodni).
Biało-Czerwone Iskry, year by year
Team formed at Radom as Rombik with four TS-11 Iskras.
First public display at the Polish Air Force Day show.
Rombik disbanded during the political crisis in Poland.
Team reborn, unofficially named Iskry, with seven aircraft.
First display abroad, in Hungary.
Fatal crash before the Warsaw parade flypast; team stood down for two years.
Team moves to Dęblin and the 1st Aviation Training Centre; named Biało-Czerwone Iskry.
Iskra cadet training ends; the team’s jets are the last TS-11s flying in Poland.
Final air-show display.
Farewell flight at Dęblin after more than 58 years of Iskra service.
Seven team aircraft handed to the Biało-Czerwone Skrzydła foundation in Mielec.
The cost of flying this close
Display flying is among the most demanding flying there is. These are the accidents on record, with the findings as published.
PZL TS-11 Iskra. A team aircraft that had taken off to check the weather before the Warsaw parade flypast crashed; the crash was fatal and the team did not display for two years.
Everything people ask about Biało-Czerwone Iskry
What aircraft did the White-and-Red Sparks fly?
Where were the White-and-Red Sparks based?
How many aircraft were in the team?
Are the White-and-Red Sparks still flying?
When was the team founded?
Around Biało-Czerwone Iskry
Každý fakt, ověřený
- White-and-Red Sparks — Wikipedia
- White and Red Sparks final display — European Airshows
- PZL TS-11 Iskra — Wikipedia
- Pożegnalny lot TS-11 Iskra — Zbiam
- Nowy dom dla dęblińskich Iskier — Dziennik Wschodni
Verified 2026-10-02.