The last fewer days I have wondered how to compose a memory of “Slab”. So many threads, so many memories, so many emotions. Whenever I blinked, I saw a different scene. And this is when, with a grin on our lips, he welcomes us to the office of pass 31 of Tactical Air Base and invites us for coffee. And this is erstwhile another time he tries to hide his anger due to the fact that I'm half an hr late. Or erstwhile he sends me a message saying, “I have the creeps after seeing your material!” What to choose... Do you want to know that he had Poland in his heart? Or that he loved his audience? That the word “security” changed through all cases? That he loved his squad from the F-16 Tiger Demo Team? Everything seems so obvious.
Yesterday I was talking about “Slab” with Bartek Bera, an aerial photographer. He made me aware that “Slab” became an icon for Poland. “He was an idol. He was the face of the air force, he was a model for young people, but besides those older, aviation enthusiasts looked at him with admiration," Bartek told me. Indeed. Anyone who looked at the air force, towards fast aviation, wanted to be like "Slab". And I'm not surprised. Polish aviation had the perfect man. A capable, hardworking, devoted countryA wise patriot. With extraordinary charm, charisma, spark in the eye. He promoted aviation not only in Poland, but worldwide. He was a large ambassador of Polish aviation. Can anyone else handle it? Today, I think there are people that can't be replaced.
The last joint task I implemented with Slab was a study on the decade of existence Team F-16 Tiger Demo Team. The movie was scheduled to premiere on August 28, 2025 at 8:00 p.m. It didn't happen, but fundamentally the communicative in the face of this tragedy doesn't matter. However, I would like to quote "Slab". In 1 of the scenes, I ask him how he calms down before flying. He smiled, And there was a flash in his eyes, as always erstwhile he was talking about flying. “I don’t request to calm down. Flying alone calms me.” He wants to remember him – “Slaba” with a spark in his eyes, calm, happy.
Today, on 5 September, the ceremony of Colonel Maciej Krakowian will be held in Poznań. I look at the blue sky above the city, and I can't aid but feel that nothing fits, that something's missing... Hey, "Slab," you hear? We miss you. In the sky, on the news on WhatsApp. Why don't you call me? I want to look at the sky again, I want to hear an F-16 engine bang, and I want individual to teardrop out my ear again: “It’s “Slab”!”
Rest in peace. I'll miss you.
