Vice-President Wladyslaw Skorski retiring

Władysław Skorski, M.Sc., Eng. has been working for “PZL Warszawa-Okęcie” since 1976. Since 2002 he has been holding the positions of Vice-President and Operations Director.

He is a graduate of the Warsaw University of Technology, where he studied from 1969 to 1975, already specializing in the field of aircraft and helicopters.

He is also, which he proudly emphasizes, a Reserve 2nd Lieutenant, a graduate of the Reserve Officers Academy, which he finished in 1976.

When he worked at Polskie Zakłady Lotnicze (Polish Aviation Works), he took part in the implementation of many aircraft projects, including Skorpion, Wilga or Kruk B-T, and finally PZL-130 Orlik. In the meantime, he went through all the stages of professional career, starting from a calculation engineer, through a marketing and Sales Director, a member of the company’s Management Board, and finally the Vice President and the Director of aviation programs (since 2015) and member of the company’s Management Board.

He speaks fluently a few languages, which greatly facilitated his communication with the company’s contractors and corporate bodies after the privatization and transfer of ownership.

In his opinion, his studies provided the necessary foundations, but all the vast knowledge he gained only through practice, as he went through multiple stages of his career. At the same time he was very fortunate to meet magnificent mentors, amongst whom he mentions first of all Mr. Andrzej Frydrychiewicz, a great aircraft designer. Also, he always stresses the importance of team work and of the people with whom he has collaborated through all those years.

He recalls successes, but also what he refers to as “slip-ups”, which in his opinion are an inherent part of pioneering activities, particularly of unfinished projects, but also provide great, or actually the best lessons possible if only one can draw the right conclusions from them.

In his opinion, an element of risk is built into the work he has done for all those years. Yet, he emphasizes that “it is worth not to be afraid of that risk, as it always pays off finally.” That has become a motto of both his life and career.
“Today you cannot achieve anything without taking risks, making investments in state-of-the-art technologies, and being open even to seemingly ‘crazy’ proposals,” he says.

As he looks back, he regrets nothing. He has the sense of professional fulfilment and satisfaction. The only thing that worries him is the fact that he will see some of his co-workers less frequently.

He thinks of the years spent at the company as of an absolutely happy time. He speaks particularly warmly about the Orlik program, as despite numerous ups and downs it has been and remains the driving force behind the operations of the company and the development of its potential.

In February 2011, he received the prestigious Buzdygan 2010 prize awarded specifically in relation with the said program for (as the justification of the award reads) “modernization of the PZL-130 Orlik TC-I trainer operated by the Polish Air Force and for construction of its TC-II version.”

In the opinion of retiring Władysław Skorski, he is leaving the company in good hands. He believes in its further development, which – as he says – he will observe from a different position, but with the same attention.

The Management Board of PZL „Warszawa-Okęcie” and all its Employees would like to thank Mr. Władysław Skorski for all the years of fruitful co-operation, and wish him to continue flying high – wherever he happens to be!