🇵🇱Major Maciej "SLAB" Krakowian F-16CJ Tiger Demo Team (🇨🇿NATO Days in Ostrava 16.09.2023.)

Lockheed Martin F-16CJ Fighting Falcon (4052) Block 50/52
F-16 Tiger Demo Team Poland
  / f16tigerdemoteampoland  
🇵🇱Polish Air Force (Siły Powietrzne)
🇨🇿NATO Days in Ostrava 16.09.2023.

Major Maciej “Slab” Krakowian, the Polish fighter pilot who died on Thursday (28th, August 2025.) while training for an upcoming air show, was among the country’s most accomplished F-16 aviators.

A NATO mission veteran, he became the international face of Polish aviation as the leader of the country’s award-winning F-16 Tiger Demo Team.
Krakowian’s journey began at the Polish Air Force University in Dęblin. After graduation, he flew training aircraft before being selected for a prestigious training course on the F-16 Fighting Falcon in the United States.
There, he not only mastered Poland’s most advanced fighter jet but also qualified as an instructor, preparing him to train new generations of pilots.
On his return to Poland, he was assigned to the 31st Tactical Air Base in Poznań-Krzesiny, the main hub for the country’s F-16 fleet. He flew NATO air policing missions, safeguarding the alliance’s airspace, and fellow aviators described him as a mentor and a standard-setter in the cockpit.
In 2015, Krakowian became the leader of the newly established F-16 Tiger Demo Team, created to highlight both the aircraft’s capabilities and the skills of Polish pilots. Under his leadership, the team won international recognition, winning awards at multiple air shows and building a reputation for the precision of its displays.
His greatest international recognition came in July 2025 at the Royal International Air Tattoo in the United Kingdom, where he received the “As the Crow Flies Trophy” for the most memorable flying display of the year. The award, voted on by fellow pilots, placed him among the most celebrated demonstration aviators in Europe.
Throughout his career, he logged more than 1,200 hours in the F-16.
He died on August 28, 2025 during preparations for the Radom Air Show, Poland’s largest aviation event.
“Though words fall short of capturing the weight of this blow, we wish to express our deepest solidarity in mourning. Farewell, Master. Your flights will remain in our memory as a symbol of excellence, passion, and dedication,” Poland’s Armed Forces Operational Command wrote in a statement shared on social media.
https://tvpworld.com/88609171/who-was...

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