Stanisław Jakub Skarżyński (1 May 1899 − 26 June 1942) was a lieutenant colonel in the Polish Air Force and aviator famous for his transatlantic solo flight in 1933.

Between 1 and 5 February 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.

On 7/8 May 1933 Skarzynski flew solo in a small single-seater Polish tourist airplane RWD-5bis (SP-AJU) across the southern Atlantic, from Saint-Louis, Senegal to Maceio in Brazil.

He crossed 3,582 km, establishing a distance World Record in a FAI tourist plane category II (weight below 450 kg / 1000 lb).

[1] On 25/26 June 1942, while flying on a mission over Bremen (one of the thousand-aircraft raids), an engine stalled in his Wellington Mk II, code letters SM-R, above the North Sea.

[1] Skarżyński, leaving the Wellington from a separate emergency hatch, was probably washed out to sea from the fuselage top, and was the only crew member lost.

Posthumously he was made a full colonel (pułkownik pilot) and awarded the Order of Polonia Restituta 2nd class by the President of Poland.

On 10 August 2009 the Minister of National Defense signed the Decree to appoint him as Patron of 8 Air Base in Kraków – Balice, which now is named after him.