It's just an Ilyushin

"Planning permission has been denied..." Yes, but never mind the bureaucracy - is this a good idea? The fuselage of this Ilyushin Il-14 passenger plane suddenly turned up on the corner of ul. Marszałkowska and Świętokrzyska, just across the street from my office, just after I'd read about it on Twitter. Apparently, it's going to be a themed diner. And I must say, I like the concept. It will play well with the tourists seeking the communist-era vibe. Across the way to the left is the Palace of Culture, from where fleets of Nyskas, Fiat 125Ps, Maluchs  and Ogóreks take foreign visitors on themed 'adventures' around the city. Son Eddie disagrees. He says that for him Warsaw has not a shred of communism left in it - it's now the dziki kapitalizm atmosphere of the early 1990s.

But at city hall, the powers-that-be are not happy. "Mr Restaurateur - your papers are not in order." Or simply not even filed. This large aluminium tube just popped up overnight.

Will it remain? And in time, become another well-loved, must-visit icon of central Warsaw? As I passed it today after work, a guy was busy spray-painting it (note newspapers masking-taped to windscreen). Or will the authorities terminate it with extreme prejudice? If they do so, the view from my window will be just that little bit less interesting...

The Ilyushin Il-14 was a twin-piston commercial and military transport that first flew in the mid-1950s, intended as a replacement for the licence-produced copy of the Douglas DC-3, the Lisunov Li-2. In Poland, the Il-14 remained in service into the 1980s.

If your memories of early 1980s British popular music are waning (or non-existent), let me refresh them. Have a listen to Imagination - Just an Illusion...



Bonus shot, 14 July: an Antonov An-26B (EW-328TG) of Belarusian cargo airline Genex coming into land this evening. A regular visitor to Okęcie, usually before 8pm, photographable at this time of year.

This time two years ago:
Marathon stroll (31.5km) along the Vistula

This time three years ago:
Complaining about the lack of a river crossing between Siekierki and Góra Kalwaria!

This time four years ago:
S2 update (nearly ready, as it happened)

This time five years ago:
Progress on S2 bypass - photos from the air

This time seven years ago:
Up Śnieżnica

This time ten years ago:
July continues glum (2007 - a rainy summer)