Why SP-EKS Carries the Badge of No. 303 Squadron
People notice the badge on the side of the aeroplane and ask about it, usually the British and Irish participants first. It belongs to No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron, and it is on there for reasons that are less about decoration than about who taught whom to fly.
The squadron
No. 303 Squadron was formed in Britain in 1940 from Polish pilots who had already fought two campaigns and lost both. They arrived with combat experience the RAF did not yet have, and with an approach to gunnery ranges that alarmed their British commanders until the results came in. During the Battle of Britain the squadron recorded one of the highest claim totals of any RAF unit while flying for a country that had ceased to exist on the map.
Its full name honours Tadeusz Kosciuszko, and the badge carries the Kosciuszko emblem: the American stars and stripes with two crossed scythes, from an earlier volunteer squadron of the 1919 to 1920 war. A badge that already crossed two continents before 1940.
Why it is on an aerobatic aeroplane
Three reasons, none of them nostalgic in the decorative sense.
The skills are the same family. What 303 did in a Hurricane was manoeuvring flight at the edge of the envelope: energy management, deflection shooting, recovery from attitudes nobody plans for. Strip away the war and you have the content of an aerobatic syllabus. A pilot who can hold a line under load and fly a figure to a heading is doing the same job with different stakes.
The line is continuous. Polish aviation was rebuilt after 1945 by people who had flown in those squadrons, and the aeroclub system they built is the one that produced the pilots flying today. Our own training runs under the Declared Training Organisation of Aeroklub Radomski, part of that same structure. The badge marks a line of instruction, not a museum piece.
Foreign participants recognise it. A British visitor climbing into a Polish aeroplane in Poland sees a badge from a shared piece of history. That conversation happens on the apron a few times a season and it is worth more than a paint scheme.
What it does not mean
SP-EKS is not a warbird and does not pretend to be. It is a 2000s-era competition monoplane with a carbon wing and a 300 hp engine. The badge is a mark of respect rather than a claim of lineage, and the aeroplane wearing it wins current national championships rather than reenacting old ones.
If you want to see the real thing
The Polish Aviation Museum in Krakow holds aircraft and material from the period, and the RAF Museum in London covers the squadron from the British side. Both are a better use of an afternoon than any blog post, including this one.
What participants usually ask next
Whether the aeroplane has any wartime connection: no. Whether Maciej has flown historic types: yes, and he will tell you about it in the debrief if you ask. Whether we would repaint it: no.
Frequently asked questions
What was No. 303 Squadron?
A Polish fighter squadron formed in Britain in 1940, crewed by pilots who had already fought in the Polish and French campaigns. It recorded one of the highest claim totals of any RAF unit during the Battle of Britain.
What does the 303 Squadron badge show?
The Kosciuszko emblem: American stars and stripes with two crossed scythes, taken from an earlier volunteer squadron of the 1919 to 1920 war and honouring Tadeusz Kosciuszko.
Is SP-EKS a historic aircraft?
No. It is a modern Extra 300L competition aerobatic monoplane with a carbon wing and a 300 hp engine. The badge is a mark of respect rather than a claim to wartime lineage.
Where can I see aircraft from that period in Poland?
The Polish Aviation Museum in Krakow holds aircraft and material from the era. The RAF Museum in London covers the same squadron from the British side.
Fly it yourself
Aerobatic flights in the Extra 300L SP-EKS from Radom-Piastów (EPRP), 100 km from Warsaw. From 2,222 PLN, no licence or experience required. Gift vouchers are issued as a PDF after payment confirmation and stay valid for 12 months.