Józef and Bolesław Adamowicz, businessmen and amateur aviators of Polish nationality, were born in 1893 and 1896, respectively, in Vilnius region (then being a part of the Russian Empire). Before the outbreak of World War I, they decided to emigrate to the United States, just like their older brother Bronisław.
Some ten years after the Great War, the Adamowicz brothers had an opportunity to take their first flight ever, as passengers in a tourist aeroplane. It was the very moment they developed a deeper interest in aviation. Shortly thereafter they both completed a basic flying course and next bought their first Waco biplane, for a cost of 3400 USD. Soon, however, they replaced it with another biplane from the same manufacturer, but this time with a more powerful engine.
In 1927, an American pilot, Charles Lindbergh, flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean. His amazing feat caused many people, including the Adamowicz brothers, believed that transatlantic flights are safe and available for passenger aviation. Just the following year, Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft – DELAG (English: German Airship Travel Corporation) started with regular passenger flights across the ocean. The first non-stop flight, performed by ´Graf Zeppelin´ airship, took place between 11th and 15th October 1928.
Five years later, two unsuccessful attempts to cross the ocean were made by Stanisław Hausner, a Pole living in the USA. In May 1933, Stanisław Skarżyński flying an RWD-5 sport aircraft, became the first Polish pilot to cross the Atlantic.
It was also the time when Józef and Bolesław Adamowicz won a tourist aircraft competition at Floyd Bennett airfield. Highly motivated by their success – and having in mind Lindbergh´s flight, early Hausner´s attempts and eventually successful transatlantic journey of Skarżyński – the Adamowicz brothers have decided to follow those footsteps. They came up with an idea of their own transatlantic flight from the USA to Warsaw.
For their transatlantic flight, the Adamowicz brothers acquired a Bellanca J-300 Special (c/n 3003), the high wing monoplane with a 200 hp Wright radial engine – an aeroplane similar to the one used by Hausner during his earlier flights.
The aircraft, registered as NR797W and named ´City of Warsaw´, received a special livery – it included an inscription ‘New York – Warszawa’ (referring to the flight route) and an emblem of the Polish White Eagle, painted on the fuselage.
On 29th June 1934, the Adamowicz brothers took-off from Harbour Grace airfield in Newfoundland. In the morning of the next day, and after about 20 hours of flight, they landed the Bellanca near Fleury-sur-Orne in French Normandy.
On 1st June, Józef and Bolesław Adamowicz flew from Normandy to Paris and then, through Germany, to Warsaw. They reached the Polish capital on 2nd July, at around 5.00 p.m. – after four days and eleven hours since the take-off from New York.
After successfully completing their transatlantic flight, Józef and Bolesław Adamowicz returned to the USA by ship and spent the rest of their lives there (regrettably, without any further aviation adventures known). Their aircraft, the Bellanca J-300 Special ‘City of Warsaw’, remained in Poland.
Full story here.
Photos from the collection of Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe (National Digital Archive), used under public domain licence. Cover photo: American industrialists, amateur aviators of Polish origin Bolesław and Józef Adamowicz. (National Digital Archive collection, 3/1/0/16/1012a)
