Sonda title screen.

TV Show / Documentary (1977-1989)

Starring:
Zdzisław Kamiński (host)
Andrzej Kurek (host)

The most successful scientific program in the history of the Polish TV. It enjoyed unflagging popularity till the last episode, gathering for 12 years huge audience in every age and of both sexes. Responsible for this were mostly the interesting, a bit humorous, formula of the show and strong TV personalities of the two main hosts, who always tried to present the scientific and technical progress in the context of our everyday live improving. Their sudden and tragic death in car accident, during the preparation of the next episode, meant also the end of the program production in 1989.
Except own materials “Sonda” used also a lot of footages from around the world, taken for example from the manufacturers promo videos or documentaries provided by the embassies.

Ep. 195 Helix

WSK PZL-Świdnik W-3 (Prototype)

These have to be the first two, late 70's, prototypes of the future "W-3 Sokół". They are visible here during the ground tests at the WSK plant. Episode was filmed in 1981.

WSK PZL-Świdnik Mi-2

SP-SAO was used in eps 195 and 196 (both filmed at the WSK/PZL-Świdnik factory)

Reg. SP-SAO, s/n 525522028.

Reg. SP-SLG, s/n 525642058.

Westland SA 341C Gazelle HT2

Royal Navy SA 341C Gazelle, built under licence by Westland.

Westland SA 341C Gazelle HT2 of the Royal Navy.

Bell 206 JetRanger

Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm BO-105

Enstrom F-28C

Registration G-BHTF, c/n 348 built in 1976.

Sud Aviation SA 313B Alouette II

Alouette II.

Sud Aviation SA 313B Alouette II.

Hughes 369D

Mil Mi-10k

Model of some Soviet helicopter, maybe shaped after the real one...

Mil Mi-10k in Aeroflot livery.

Ep. 196 Pteron

Hughes 269B

SP-SKA.

Bell XV-15

Registration N702NA or N703NA.

Chased by a Beechcraft T-34 Mentor.

Hawker Siddeley P.1127

Boeing 747-136

Boeing 747-136 of British Airways.

Westland Scout AH.1

Westland Wessex HAR.2

UK built version of Sikorsky H-34 Choctaw.

Westland Wessex HAR.2 of the RAF.

Sikorsky HH-52A Seaguard

Reg. 1370 Sikorsky HH-52A Seaguard c/n 62-048 of the US Coast Guard.

Bell 412

Unidentified Aircraft

Old test model of V/STOL plane, maybe we can say sometihng more about it...in a way it evocates same kind of project than the Kamov Ka-35 project.

Grumman 698

Another "V/STOL". Grumman 698 project.

Grumman 698.

Unidentified Aircraft

Unidentified Aircraft

Archive footage also seen in Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 hours 11 minutes - IMPDb: Frequently Seen Aircraft.

Gray Goose

Unsucccessful prototype by Jonathan Edward Caldwell.
Same aircraft in other movies at IMPDb: Frequently Seen Aircraft (Others / Human Powered Flight / Ornithopter section).

Gray Goose.

Unidentified Aircraft

Archive footage also seen in Fröhliche Zukunft! — Wünsche, Wunder und Visionen - IMPDb: Frequently Seen Aircraft.

Unidentified Aircraft

Unidentified Aircraft

Archive footage also seen in Fröhliche Zukunft! — Wünsche, Wunder und Visionen and Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 hours 11 minutes - IMPDb: Frequently Seen Aircraft.

Pitts Sky Car

Archive footage also seen in Fröhliche Zukunft! — Wünsche, Wunder und Visionen and Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 hours 11 minutes.

Pitts Sky Car.

Ep. 370 Test cz. 2

Airbus A310-200

Experimental flight.
Registration F-WZLH, serial n° 162.

F-WZLH Airbus A310-200 in corporate Airbus Industrie livery.

Experimental fly – test of the rear part strength. As visible, it is one plane with two different liveries of Lufthansa and Swissair. This airplane did its first flight in April 1982 and has been delivered to Swissair in 1984, as A310-221 registered HB-IPE.
Registration F-WZLH, serial n° 162.