Władysław Józef Marian Turowicz | |
|---|---|
 Turowicz's photo at Monument of Air Cdre Władysław Turowicz in Karachi | |
| Born | (1908-04-23)23 April 1908 |
| Died | 8 January 1980(1980-01-08) (aged 71) Karachi, Pakistan |
| Alma mater | Warsaw Polytechnic, Poland |
| Known for | Pakistan's Space Program Pakistan Air Force pioneer Missile and Rocket Technology |
| Awards | Sitara-e-Imtiaz Sitara-e-Pakistan Sitara-e-Quaid-e-Azam Tamgha-e-Pakistan Order of Merit of Poland Cross of Merit of Poland Sitara-e-Pakistan (1965) Tamgha-i-Pakistan (1967) Sitara-i-Khidmat (1967) Sitara-e-Quaid-e-Azam (1971) Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Mil) (1972) Abdus Salam Award in Aeronautical Engineering (1978) ICTP Award in Space Physics (1979) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Aeronautical Engineering |
| Institutions | Polish Air Force Academy Royal Air Force College Cranwell Pakistan Air Force Academy Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission |
| Doctoral advisor | Dr.Antoni Kocjan |
| Notable students | Abdul Majid (physicist) |
Władysław Józef Marian TurowiczSPkSI(M)TPkSKSQA (Urdu:ولادیسلاو جوزف مارئین تورووچ,romanized: Vladislav Joseph Torovich;Polish pronunciation:[vwaˈdɨs.wafˈju.zɛfˈma.rjantuˈrɔ.vit͡ʂ] 23 April 1908 – 8 January 1980), usually referred to asW. J. M. Turowicz, was a Polish-Pakistani aviator, military scientist and aeronautical engineer.[2]
He was one of 45 Polish officers and airmen who joinedRPAF on contract in the early 1950s. After completion of his initial contract, Turowicz opted to stay on in Pakistan and continued to serve in thePakistan Air Force. Turowicz was the administrator of Pakistan'sSpace and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), which leads the national space programme, from 1967 to 1970.
Turowicz made significant contributions to Pakistan's missile/rocket program as a chiefaeronautical engineer. In Pakistan, he remains highly respected as a scientist and noted aeronautical engineer.
Turowicz was born to an aristocratic family in the village of Wadziejewsko inSiberia (Russia) in 1908, where he graduated from high school. The Polish name of the village may suggest it was inhabited byPoles who wereexiled or imprisoned by theTsar, as it was unusual for Polish aristocrats to live in Siberia for non-political reasons.[3]
From an early age on, Turowicz was fascinated by aviation technology and had collected different models of aircraft. Due to this passion, he moved toWarsaw where he attended the most prestigious engineering institute, theWarsaw University of Technology (WTU) in 1930, majoring inaeronautical engineering; upon graduation, he received his PhD withhonours in 1936.[4] He completed an MSc inastrodynamics in 1937 from the same institution.[4]
While at Warsaw University of Technology, Turowicz joined and became a pioneering member of aAeroklub Polski (better known asPolish Aero Club) where he worked and studied with notedPolish engineers to the field of aerospace engineering. As a member of Polski Club, he had an opportunity to study and work withRyszard Bartel,Jerzy Drzewiecki andHenry Millicer, amongst others. It was at the Aero Club that Turowicz met his future wife, Zofia Turowicz[5] with whom he would have 4 children. He completed an MSc inastrodynamics in 1937 from the same institution.[4]
He joined thePolish Air Force as anaeronautical engineer and fighter pilot, but later emigrated to United Kingdom where he joined theRoyal Air Force in 1939 as a reservist Polish pilot.[4]
Though initially joining the Polish Air Force, Turowicz enlisted as a Royal Air Force reservist duringWorld War II. He was immediately sent to Great Britain where he flew the British-builtHandley Page Halifax during the war. Later, he was transferred into the Royal Air Force Aeronautics division where he served as Technical Inspector, and was put in charge of aircraft electrical and system information, organising, testing, and evaluating aircraft. After World War II, Turowicz did not return to Communist Poland due to the negative official attitude towards those such as him, those who had served in the West (see alsoPolish Armed Forces in the West).
As the political situation in Poland grew worse, many Polish Air Force officers began to settle permanently to the United States, Australia, Norway and Canada. Turowicz and 45 of his colleagues opted to move to Pakistan in 1948 on a three-year contract.
Turowicz set up technical institutes in Karachi. He taught at and revitalised thePakistan Air Force Academy, where he worked as a chief scientist. He initially led the technical training in the airbase and a part of the Polish specialists in the technical section in Karachi.
In 1952, Turowicz was promoted to the rank ofwing commander. In 1959, Turowicz was promoted in the rank ofgroup captain. In 1960, he became anair commodore and an assistant chief of air staff, in charge of PAF's Maintenance Branch.
Władysław Józef Marian Turowicz | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Air Cdre Wlady |
| Allegiance | Poland, United Kingdom, Pakistan |
| Branch |
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| Years of service | 1927–1980 |
| Rank | Air Commodore |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Other work | Administrator atSUPARCO |
In 1966, the Government of Pakistan transferred him toSpace and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, Pakistan's national space agency, where he worked as the SUPARCO administrator.
Zofia, Turowicz's wife, and his two daughters joined him in Karachi in 1949, where a third daughter was born. Between 1950 and 1954, Zofia taught gliding to the Shaheen Air Cadets in Karachi and Rawalpindi. Two of his daughters married Pakistanis while the third daughter married a Bangladeshi. His widow,Zofia Turowicz, who taughtapplied mathematics andparticle physics at theKarachi University, was awarded thePride of Performance andSitara-i-Imtiaz. She died in 2012. Turowicz's son is currently working at the SUPARCO as anaerospace engineer and chief scientist.[6] Turowicz's grandson has completed a PhD in quantum physics fromBrown University and is currently running the AI statistical modelling division atJP Morgan.[relevant?][importance?]
Air. Cdre. Turowicz was involved in a car accident on 8 January 1980 along with his driver. He was quickly taken to themilitary hospital where he was pronounced dead. He was buried in theChristian Cemetery in Karachi with full military honours. Both Polish, including the Consul-General of Poland in KarachiKazimierz Maurer, and Pakistani military and civilian personnel attended his funeral in Karachi. The Government of Pakistan issued a condolence letter to his family, stating that Turowicz was an outstanding Air Force officer.
A documentary film on the life and scientific work of Air Cdre Władysław Turowicz was completed in 2008. It was directed byAnna T. Pietraszek, a Polish journalist and filmmaker with an honorary Pakistani citizenship. The film shows how Air Cdre Turowicz and other Polish officers and technicians had contributed in building the PAF soon after independence.[3]
In 2005, thePAF Museum, Karachi, placed a memorial plaque in the honour of Air. Cdre. Władysław Turowicz where both Polish and Pakistani civilian and military personnel attended. On this occasion the Consul General of theRepublic of Poland inKarachiIreneusz Makles profoundly thanked thePAF and especiallyAir Chief MarshalRao Qamar Suleman and other officers for their efforts to make this memorial a reality.
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| Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War (War Medal 1965) | Tamgha-e-Jamhuria (Republic Commemoration Medal) 1956 | 1939-1945 Star | Defence Medal |
| War Medal | Queen Elizabeth II (1953) | Order ofMerit (Poland) | Cross of Merit (Poland) |
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 UK | 1939-1945 Star | |
| UK | Defence Medal | |
| UK | War Medal 1939-1945 | |
| UK | Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal | |
 Netherlands | Order of the Orange Nassau | |
 Lebanon | National Order of the Cedar | |
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