Rafał Brzoska Foundation. Hello everyone. Another episode of our firechat-style quick discussions with scholars. Rafał Brzoska Foundation. Absolutely outstanding young people, who are reaching for the stars. And here I'd say quite literally—Mikołaj, hi. A few words about yourself. What do you do, where are you heading—or actually, where are you flying? Because that better reflects what you do.
Currently, I'm in the middle of preparing for ATPL exams. At the same time, I'm undergoing aerobatic flight training, where I'm preparing to become the youngest aerobatic pilot in Poland. At the same time, I study at Warsaw University of Technology. The field is—
What exactly do you study?
Mechanical engineering and machine design, and at the same time I try to develop from an engineering perspective in aviation and astronautics.
Right, and that brings me to my question. What's the difference between commercial aviation and aerobatics? Also in terms of education, training—and why engineering and mechanics? Are they closely connected, or is there some bigger plan ahead of you?
Well, looking at my role models, which are certainly astronauts—among others Mirosław Hermaszewski, Neil Armstrong—they were people who were not only excellent pilots of large aircraft, but also highly skilled in a way aerobatic pilots, because test flying—that was exactly the aspect I wanted to emphasize, right, but to become a test pilot, unfortunately—or fortunately—you need to be an engineer and also highly talented. So I think being an engineer and aspiring to such a goal is something amazing—and an adventure like no other.
Right, so the question is—doesn't the lack of focus on just one of these things, and I'll get to another question in a moment, actually make it harder for you to achieve your goal? Many young people wonder whether, for example, studying two fields isn't counterproductive—whether it's better to put everything into one key direction. Do they complement each other, are they complementary—how do you see it?
I think they don't exclude each other, they actually complement each other. However, you have to be aware of the sacrifices that come with it. You definitely don't have every Friday or Saturday free. Exactly. There's a lot of work, and quite demanding work from a mental perspective, and at the same time you need to maintain good physical condition, which also doesn't exclude anything.
So how do you manage a kind of youth work-life balance? Or do you manage it at all? That's also a question.
I think that if a person is disciplined and loves doing what they do, then they don't even need work-life balance. For example, for me, intense running training—10, 20 km with 20–25 kg load—is a form of psychological relaxation.
Great, bravo. Is there any mobile app that helps you in your student life?
I think that app doesn't exist. However, there is an invention that helps a lot—it's called a calendar.
Exactly. Do you spend a lot of time studying?
I basically treat it as a full-time job, even more than that.
When it comes to role models—were they astronauts, or are there other inspirations that guide you daily?
I definitely prioritize astronauts, but also people who practice other extreme disciplines like Felix Baumgartner—the guy who jumped from over 40 kilometers in the stratosphere. In general, all people who achieved incredible things throughout history and centuries, like Columbus and others.
You study in Poland—is there anything you would change in the Polish education system? Something you see while studying that doesn't quite work or could work differently from the perspective of a talented young person?
I think the Polish system is very developed theoretically. We definitely have some of the best experts in the world. However, we lack funding for practical things, like building our own nuclear reactor. Instead, we have to send specialists abroad—and unfortunately they often stay there.
That's sad. So theory is great, but implementation, practice, and R&D are a bit weaker.
