Gilbert Buekenberghs
Founder member and Chairman
The Chairman of the Board of the EAC is Gilbert Buekenberghs from Belgium, who has been leading the EAC since the first Convention when the EAC became a formal organisation in 2000 and before that in several informal meetings in various cities across Europe. Gilbert is also one of the airshow organisers representatives on the EAC Board having successfully organised the Belgian Sanicole International Airshow for some 30 years until passing the main responsibility to his son, Geoffrey. However, he
not only continues to play an active part in that Airshow but has also accepted the challenge of assisting the Belgian Air Force organise its major annual airshow at BAF Kleine Brogel. Now retired from headmastership of the largest school in Belgium, he finds time for a wide range of activities including the conducting of tour parties to various countries.
Charles Skiera
Aviation has always played a part in Charles’ life, having attended his first airshow at just 6 months old and managing to sleep through the whole event. With an interest in flying and Gliding, spurred on by attending many airshows as a child, he joined the Royal Air Force Air Cadets at 13 and still works with the organisation as a Commissioned Officer at the rank of Squadron Leader. He was fortunate to fly in many aircraft in his time with the RAFAC, including 2 weeks with the Red Arrows,
which included a flight with the team. He has both light aircraft and Gliding experience, having been an avid aviator. He joined the RAF Waddington International Airshow Team in 2002, helping to stage the RAF’s largest airshow, until it finished in 2014. He now runs R5 Air Displays Ltd, with his former Waddington Colleague, providing Flying Display Management Services across the UK and further afield.
He is a UK Civil Aviation Authority and Military Aviation Authority Accredited Flying Display Director, with a vast range of experience in all sizes of events. Charles also works for the Police, giving him additional knowledge of Emergency Services work and responsibilities, particularly in event management and safety. In 2018 he also joined the Committee of the British Air Display Association, the National representative organisation of the UK’s Airshow Industry.
Ed de Brujin-Netherlands
Founder member and Board Member; Ed de Bruijn is Director at Texel Airport and he also organises their Airshow. He is also responsible to the Royal Netherlands Air Force for organising their participation in airshows outside the Netherlands as well as the big military airshows in the Country. He was awarded special recognition for his work in the community by the State. Ed is a founding member and Board Member of the EAC.
Ireneusz Fibingier-Poland
Ireneusz “Irek” Fibingier started his aviation adventure in 1970 as a glider pilot. Following his graduation from the Polish Air Force Academy he went on to be a member of the Polish Air Force for over 30 years, serving as a flight instructor on different aircraft tapes and in different units of the Polish Air Force Academy. He was also a member of two Polish Aerobatic Teams of international reknown: ISKRY and ORLIK (1990 – 1999). He successfully organized the first editions of the Radom International Air Shows (2000 – 2003). Irek has a record of about 3000 flight hours on 17 different types of airplanes. Upon leaving the PAF as a Lt. Colonel, he continued his career working as a civilian commercial pilot and Government Air Safety Inspector of the Polish CAA. Currently he is an academic teacher of the PAFA in Dęblin and an air law consultant in the BF Flight Operations Consulting organization.
