PlaneFox tracks 1 PZL TS-11 Iskra aircraft for sale and re-reads every one of them from the broker and dealer sites it watches, so the figures below move when the market moves. Every number on this page is measured from those live listings, not taken from a published price guide.
A PZL TS-11 Iskra flies about 675 nm, roughly 1,250 km, which is about 2 h 5 min in still air at typical cruise.
The PZL TS-11 Iskra is a Polish tandem-seat jet trainer developed by WSK PZL Mielec for military pilot training. It first flew on 5 February 1960 and entered series production in the 1960s, with production continuing into the 1980s. Designed under Tadeusz Sołtyk, it became the standard advanced trainer of the Polish Air Force for decades and was also exported to India. Its importance lies in being Poland’s first indigenous jet trainer to reach operational service, combining straightforward systems, rugged construction and enough performance for jet transition, formation, instrument and weapons training.
Typical published figures for the TS-11 Iskra include a maximum speed of about 390 knots, with cruise normally planned lower depending on altitude, fuel and engine condition. Range is commonly listed at about 675 nautical miles, and service ceiling is approximately 36,000 feet. The aircraft is powered by a single WSK SO-3 or SO-3W turbojet, with the SO-3W rated at about 2,425 lbf of thrust. Typical maximum takeoff weight is about 8,380 lb, with empty weight around 5,640 lb, giving a useful load in the region of 2,700 lb including fuel, crew and any mission equipment. As with most ex-military jets, real operating figures depend heavily on configuration, maintenance status and permitted civilian operating limitations.
The cockpit has two seats in tandem under a long canopy, originally arranged for instructor and student with military ejection seats. The cabin environment is functional rather than spacious, with good forward visibility from the front cockpit and more limited sightlines from the rear. Original avionics are analog military instruments with basic communications and navigation equipment for training operations. Civilian examples vary widely: some retain largely original panels, while others receive modern VHF radios, Mode S or ADS-B transponders, GPS navigators and engine monitoring where certification or operating category allows. Garmin Perspective and G1000 suites are not typical factory equipment for the PZL TS-11 Iskra.
Buyers usually encounter the PZL TS-11 Iskra as a demilitarized warbird or experimental-category jet, rather than as a conventional business aircraft. Key due-diligence items include airframe hours, fatigue documentation, engine time and hot-section history, landing gear and hydraulic condition, canopy condition, corrosion inspection, ejection seat deactivation or servicing status, and completeness of Polish-language maintenance records. Common variants include the TS-11 bis A, bis B and bis D trainers, plus reconnaissance or light-attack derivatives such as the bis DF. In the used market it generally sits as a niche collectible and jet-training aircraft, often compared with aircraft such as the Aero L-39, but with a smaller support ecosystem and a more specialized spares chain.