Stanisław Skarżyński Stanisław Jakub Skarżyński ( 1 May 1899 − 26 June 1942 ) was a Lt . Colonel in the Polish Air Force and aviator famous for his transatlantic solo flight in 1933 . Early military career . He was born in Warta . In 1916−17 he was a member of the Polish Military Organisation ( POW ) . In November 1918 he volunteered for the newly created Polish Army , and commanded units disarming German soldiers in Warta . He then fought in the Polish - Soviet War with the infantry , being promoted to 2nd Lieutenant in 1919 . He was wounded but returned to the front . During the battle of Radzymin he was severely wounded in one leg on 16 August 1920 . The infected wound needed long rehabilitation , and Skarżyński always limped thereafter . Unable to continue serving in the infantry , he managed to transfer to the military aviation arm . He completed pilot training in Bydgoszcz in 1925 , and served in the 1st Aviation Regiment in Warsaw . In 1927 he became a Flying Captain ( " kapitan pilot " ) . Between February 1 and 5 May 1931 together with Lt . Andrzej Markiewicz , he flew around Africa in the Polish - designed aircraft PZL Ł - 2 ( registration SP - AFA ) , a total distance of 25 , 770 km . Transatlantic flight . On May 7 / May 8 , 1933 Skarzynski flew solo in a small single - seater Polish tourist airplane RWD - 5 bis ( SP - AJU ) across the southern Atlantic , from Saint - Louis , Senegal to Maceio in Brazil . The flight took 20 hours 30 minutes ( 17 hours 15 minutes above the ocean ) . He crossed 3 , 582 km , establishing a distance World Record in a FAI tourist plane category II ( weight below 450 kg / 1000 lb ) . The plane had no radio nor safety equipment , due to weight restrictions . The RWD - 5bis remains the smallest plane to ever to have flown across the Atlantic . Plans of his flight were kept secret . It became a part of Warsaw - Rio de Janeiro flight , between 27 April and 10 May 17 , 885 km long . He then flew on to Buenos Aires and returned to Europe by ship . Later service and World War II . In 1934 he was promoted to Major and commanded a bomber squadron , and from 1938 he was deputy C / O of the 4th Aviation Regiment in Toruń , with a rank of Lt . Col . ( " podpułkownik pilot " ) . In April 1939 he became President of the Polish Aero Club . In August 1939 he was sent to Romania as the deputy Air Attaché . After the outbreak of World War II he helped in transferring Polish pilots , fleeing from Poland , through Romania to France where the Polish Air Force was recreated . In 1940 Skarżyński after the fall of France he helped ship 17 , 000 Polish airmen Britain where he became Commanding Officer of Polish Flying Schools at RAF Hucknall and then RAF Newton . He requested a combat posting , and was assigned as C . O . of RAF Lindholme and No . 305 Polish Bomber Squadron . On 26 June 1942 returning from a mission over Bremen , his Wellington had to ditch in the North Sea due to engine damage . Skarżyński ditched the heavy damaged aircraft in the stormy sea and all the crew were saved . Skarżyński , leaving the Wellington last , was washed out to sea and was the only crew member lost . He was later buried with full military honours on the Dutch island of Terschelling . Honours . He was awarded the Virtuti Militari 5th class ( for the Polish - Soviet war ) , Cross of Independence , Order of Polonia Restituta 4th class , Krzyż Walecznych ( four times ) , Golden and Silver Cross of Merit , the French Legion d ' Honneur and the Brazilian Order of the Southern Cross . The FAI awarded him the Louis Blériot medal ( 1936 ) of which he was one of the first recipients . He was made a full Colonel posthumously ( " pułkownik pilot " ) and the President of Poland awarded him the Order of Polonia Restituta 2nd class posthumously . There are numerous streets and schools named after him . He is the Patron of the Aeroclub of Włocławek and of the 13th Transport Squadron in Kraków . On 10 August 2009 the Minister of National Defense signed the Decree to appoint him to be Patron of 8 Air Base in Kraków - Balice , which now is named after him . It should be noted that there was another Polish pilot named Stanisław Skarżyński . He was shot down and killed during the Polish - Soviet war on 15 July 1920 .