Graduation!!!!!!!!!!

First day at school: 23 Nov 07
Last day at school: 10 Jul 09

19 months and 18 days = 596 days = 14 304 hours = 858 240 min = 51 494 400 seconds

FINISHED!!!

It looks like it was only yesterday that I went to SFA to pick up my books. And at the same time it looks ages ago. It still didn't sunk in that I'm finished and that I graduated last Friday. And at Sabena we always finish with a big BANG! IT'S PARTYYYYY TIMEEEEEE !!!

First there is a ceremony with the family and some friends where the students get there diploma and a little present. All boys got a blue present, me the only girl got a pink one, little surprise from our sweet Klaartje. It's then as well picture time! After the aperitif and the little delicious appetizers we are invited for a big big big yummy yummy yummy dinner! The theme of the eve was Hawaii and so was the food. After the dinner the music starts and the tables are moved to make some room. The other proms are then as well welcome to come and have a drink.

It was a great party. Now it's time for me to move on and start to look for a job. Which will not be easy with the lovely economical situation that we are in but like Guy Vanderlinden always says, NEVER GIVE UP.

I hope you guys liked the blog and I hope I can continue soon with it for the next chapter of my life.

Blue skies, tailwinds, and happy landings!!!

3lke

MCC/ACPP CHECK

The 8th of July I had my final check. The ACPP check on the B737NG. My crew existed out of 3 people meaning it would be a 6hrs flight. It was pretty long, but all three the flights were nice. I had a flight from EBOS (Ostend) to EBCI (Charleroi). We had a rejected take off, a take off with a failure between 80kts and V1, take off with an engine failure after V1 and a failure without re-call items...couple of landings, go-arounds, ILS 26 at EBCI and other fun stuff. Joost Smith our examiner was a really nice guy.

All three of us passed, and we were ready for the graduation that would follow already Friday evening!

links

Two links to check out:


Amelia's(sry in Dutch)

http://www.amelias.be/

Het nieuwe "Luchtvaartthema-Meeneem-Eetcafé " We kozen de naam “Amelia's” voor onze zaak als ode aan de feministe “Amelia Earhart “die leefde van 1897 tot 1937. Ze werd bekend als "Lady Lindy" in 1932 toen ze de eerste vrouw en de tweede persoon was die solo de Atlantische Oceaan overstak, precies vijf jaar nadat “Charles Lindbergh” dit had gedaan. Ze vloog een “Lockheed Vega” van Harbor Grace, Newfoundland naar Londonderry in Ierland. We willen hiermee benadrukken dat vrouwen ook in staat zijn tot grootse dingen. Het luchtvaartthema hebben we gekozen uit fascinatie voor alles wat vliegt.

Dagelijks doorlopend open van 8u-19u Zon-& Feestdagen van 10u-19u

The Flying Juniors
http://www.flyingjuniors.com/index.htm

A group of 3 young pilots are making their own plane to fly in 18 legs around the world.

MCC/ACPP

G'day,

After the CPL check, the SFA story didn't end. I started the 8th of Jun with the last chapter of the training. The book 'Sabena Flight Academy: from zero to a pilot' is almost finished and it's almost time to start a new book. I hope the next one will even be better and more fun.

The last SFA Chapter: MCC/ACPP
Multi Crew Co-operation Course - MCC
Airline career preparation program - ACPP

http://www.sfa.be/pilot-training/en/mtrmccacpp.htm

I choose to do the training on the B737NG and after 3 days of CRM (Crew Resource Management), which I found very cool, and 3 days of CBT (Computer based Training) which I found less cool but very interesting at the same time, I and my team started finally to fly the B737NG on the FFS (Full Flight Simulator). The first FMS mission we did as well on the FFS because we don't have an FMS trainer for the NG at school. Yesterday, I did my FBS (fixed base simulator) mission and tomorrow we will start with the first FFS session.

CPL ME IR

Friday was FINALLY the big day....The Final CPL ME IR check. (Commercial Pilot License check) Thé check of all checks for my training. I don't have to mention that I was pretty nervous, do I? Two years I worked for that flight, two years I worked for those 2 nerve racking hours and 12 minutes.

At 0605 I took the train and I arrived at EBAW (Antwerp) 1h30 later. The usual stuff to-do followed: weather, notams, calculating the Mass and Balance, calculating the headings/time/time ticks for my VFR flight plan/navigation, filing a IFR flight plan for EBCI (Charleroi), calling EBCI tower to ask them of it was possible to come and shoot a couple approaches at 1130LT. They gave me a slot at 1200 LT and when I was done with everything I went downstairs to the C-hangar. I did the walk-around and dropped my 4 little pillows on the left seat. I had to put the OO-SFA outside but I wasn't able to do it solo, nor did I actually want to take the risk to tow it outside by myself. Luckily two maintenance guys came by and they helped me push it outside. At 1030 LT I had to be in the restaurant of EBAW to meet my Examiner, Mr. Cabooter. A friendly and relaxed pilot. He checked all my documents - student pilot license, medical and logbook - and asked me a couple questions about the approaches we are going to do. When we arrived at the plane two groups of primary school kids - who were on a guided tour at the airport - stood around my plane. One of the little girls said, "look, it's a girl who will fly!" I gave the girl a wink of my eye and did again a quick walk around, just to check of I still had my two wings, two engines and three wheels.

Because my slot was at 1200LT in Charleroi, my examiner decided to let me first do the ILS approach in Antwerp to loose some time. The approach wasn't bad, and I continued with my IFR navigation. To win myself some time and free hands to prepare myself for the other approaches, I put the flight plan in the GPS and with one push the autopilot was on. (only for the en route part) The ILS approaches in EBCI was good as well and when I got vectors for the VOR approach the examiner pulled an engine. I recovered immediately but was cursing in myself because I still had to go 12 DME outbound to intercept the final approach course and flying on one engine is very heavy, especially if you are like me too small and if you can't reach the rudders very well. The rudder trim helped a bit, but not completely. Till now I never did a good single engine approach because of the heaviness but I think the adrenaline of the check helped. My leg didn't start to shake, I was able to keep my heading and I didn't drop more as 20 feet, which I recovered easily. The VOR approache went very smooth and I was not the only one who was a bit surprised. After the touch and go, I smiled secretly when the examiner made a comment about the good approach.

The most scared I was for the IFR part of the check, but it was the VFR part that didn't went as good as I hoped. I first had to go to the point 'Yankee', but to find a point in Belgium is not that easily as in Arizona. Let us say, VFR navigations in AZ are very cool, pretty easy once you are used to them and relaxed. To do VFR navigations in Belgium however...everything looks the freaking same here! And If you have a low ceiling or rain, you are screwed. Anyway, to continue, EBCI - who knew it was a check and knew I was 'on my own' in the plane - helped a bit by 'whispering' a heading and a distance to find Yankee. I recovered and followed my flight plan. Then it was time for some maneuvers. Two stalls and a steep turn, which was like always better too the right side. Back in Antwerp for the visual pattern I had to follow one of the VLM Fokkers for a flapless landing. The fokker's pattern was of course a bit bigger then mine and when turning final I saw that my speed was to high. I thought it was just because I didn't had my flaps, but when I started to say out loud my landing checklist I knew why my speed was to high. "Gear Down, three gre..." Sh*t, no green lights!!! My landing gear! I pulled my landing gear out and the speed dropped. I could have hit myself! ONLY, ONLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!! on a check you "forget" to put the gear down. Thanks for the checklists! I was very glad I was on a extended final and I still had to cover some distance. I established the approach and made a nice landing.

Back in the restaurant Mr. Cabooter gave me a short debriefing. Meanly he said "you are to small for that aircraft and that I was lucky that I saw in time that my landing gear wasn't down. When he said, "Congratz you passed", it felt like 1000000 tons fell off my shoulders.

The whole way back I had a smile that reached till my ears and when I arrived home, the champagne was already cold :-)

happy flights everybody!!!!

Flying in Belgium

Flying in Belgium...is...well...euhm....different. While AZ is a huge playing ground for pilots with only a few rules, sunny days, nice to navigate, cool airports, superb views and a lot of fun with all the pilots from India and China, Belgium how ever is not. For every rule in AZ, they have 10 more rules here in Belgium. I even think they have rules for rules. Flying in Belgium is totally crazy. Restrictions everywhere and it seems to me that every airport has their own set of rules just to make everything even more complicated. Before every flight you even have to call the tower of the airport where you are going to ask them of it wouldn't be a problem to come to shoot an approach of two or to come and do some patterns/circuits. If they say 'no', you have to start again to prepare everything and try to contact the next tower and hope you are welcome there. Madness! At my new "home base" EBAW (Antwerp) only, !2! aircrafts are allowed to make some VFR patterns and you have to inform them beforehand to make a 'reservation' so you can take one of the two spots. In America 5 or more aircrafts in the pattern wasn't rare. And you also have to inform every Navigation office that you are leaving or coming and with how many souls on board and who's the PIC. Not only all the calling makes me a bit irritated (almost 15€ gone on my cellphone in less then 2 weeks only for the aviation related calls) but last time I had to hold short for a local VFR flight because there was a Piper Warrior aircraft on a !8!NM final. Meaning +- 4-5 minutes before touch down. I'm sure of it that at KFFZ in that time 3 aircrafts could have done their Take off without disturbing the Warrior but no, here I wasn't allowed because he was 'to close'.

Re-reading all the above, some things sound a bit harsh and it gives the impression that I don't like it here. Well, I guess that's correct :p I always said to the Indian and Chinese guys that Belgium people are quickly moody, a bit depressed and often not that friendly because of the weather and other stuff. I guess I left my good mood and my joyful spirits behind in AZ because I didn't found them back yet. I know I'm nagging a bit or even a lot, but I don't feel like writing an 'everything-is-just-perfect' story like I mostly do. I feel a bit 'trapped' at the moment and I miss AZ, especially the people who I had to leave behind. I feel like I'm nagging to everybody the last few weeks, especially to the people at home. Nothing over here 'is good enough' anymore. But I can't help it. In AZ it was me and a lot of friends. Sometimes you had a bad day, but then there would be a lot of friends that would try to cheer you up. Or you would go and cheer somebody else up after a check-gone-bad. Here in Belgium I feel alone again, like I have to compete and fight the rest of the world. I miss the mountains, the smell of flowers mixed with sand, the millions of colors from the sunset/rise and the laughter of people who just did their first solo and feel like they own the whole galaxy. I miss the hummingbirds, salamanders, little prairie dogs and the cacti. I miss the evening walks to the park, the Chinese food, good pizzas, 101 flavors of ice cream, ice creams so wicked you will never find in Europe. I miss the Saturday and Monday van drives to Walmart with Bob, the Chinese and the Indians who I really really really start to miss. I miss the cheerful 'Goodmorrrrrrrrrrrrrning's from Bill who always was so positive that I'm wondering of he ever had a single pessimistic thought in his life. I miss Kim and Sharon with who I always could talk if there was something wrong. I miss Mike (dispatch) who was always concerned and who always helped me if I did (again) something stupid. I miss the serious talks with Don and Mike (van drivers) and the goofy stuff with Bob (van driver). I miss the cheerfulness of the most instructors and the exciting feeling of a solo to a far airport where you never went before. I miss the simplicity of the flying in AZ and to be able to really enjoy every single moment in the air with my whole soul, something I only felt once in this little country. I miss Ryan, Gaurav and Sid who always were there for me, Simon and Benjamin, who made me smile. The never-met-such-a-sweet-and-cheeky guy Peter, Frank who I never saw without his affective smile, and the other Chinese guys who always made me feel welcome. I miss Rohit's, ravi's, Bharat's and Preetham's grin. The camera-dude Akaljot who's pictures will become world famous, Harbir who would help if the computer wouldn't obey my orders and the copy machine would turn his back to me. Neil 'knock knock', Priyang who I still need to give the last show of Jeff Dunham, Jd who moved to another state to finish his training, Varun who always amazed me with his intelligence and of course all girls: Swati, Shriya, Smita, Divya, Monica 1, Monica 2 and Monica 3.

Now, if you are thinking, 'Is there something you do not miss from AZ', then my answer is 'yes'. I do not miss the horrible turbulence and the mountain obscuration. I do not miss the American bread, fries, chocolate and beer. Ow, and I do not miss all the degrees that the sun is giving above the 25°C.

Cya all next time, with I hope a better story and mood...

3lke

Home

Hi Guys,

I have a lot to talk about today and I don’t know where to start…At the moment I’m writing this piece at 0220, sitting on my bed…in BELGIUM. That’s right, I’m back in the country with a major jetlag. Anyway, the start of the ending goes as follows…

Only 6 missions to do before the VFR CPL check, which we normally would do in The States. 6 missions, so around 1.5-2 weeks to go and to enjoy the sun who wants to kill every living thing that’s around...we thought. However Friday morning I got a phone call from Adria asking me to be at school in 10 min. because JP VDB wanted to speak with my group asap. Only 8 min to catch the van to school…jumping in my uniform, rushing downstairs with untied shoelaces, trying to put on my tie while walking very fast to the front gate and with a mind that can’t stop making doom scenario’s. We had to wait 1h30 and once we entered JP’s office it was very simple. ‘Oké guys, start packing you will leave Sunday morning back to Belgium’. Nothing more. One simple sentence. And then ‘Aren’t you happy?’. No I’m not happy! Why would I be happy to go back to cloudy-rainy-depressing-always-cold-and-wet-and-with-unfriendly-people-Belgium? Why would I be happy to go back to Belgium? Ok, I see my friends again and my family, that’s it. The only 2 things that are keeping me anyway in this *********** country. In 3min time we left JP’s office, not knowing what to do first. Only 1.5 days to arrange everything, pack and say goodbye to everybody. There was still so much I wanted to do, but Mr. Time was suddenly running away very, very fast. We all went home and started to pack our huge suitcases. The packing took already 0.5 day of my only 1.5 days time.

To do before I go back home list:
Friday,
*Going to eat with Ryan in New China
*Buy presents
*Visit the ramp to take a lot of pictures
*Say goodbye to everybody that works at school
*Having a last walk around the springs and in the neighborhood

Saterday,
*Go back to school to say Goodbye to Mike Dispatch
*Go and eat for a last time at Flencers with Delaney
*Take the van-ride to Walmart just to see Bob (my second boyfriend) for a last time
*Pack a bit more
*Making a complot with the Boyfriend so I can go home without informing my parents and sis. ‘Knock Knock, guess who’s back’
*Party
Almost everybody was at the party. From the normal SFA’ers, to some Chinese and Indian friends. The party was from 21h till 0530 the time Mike The Van Driver came to pick us up.
Phoenix, Sky Harbor – Washington, Dulles International – Brussels International Airport. The exact opposite route as the first time.

At the first trip next to me sat a woman who was very scared to fly and she was taking some medicine to calm herself down. As I was wearing my uniform she started to ask a lot of questions and I talked with her for the entire 04h30 min of flight to keep her mind off the fact that we were floating at 10 km above the earth. The second trip however was very boring. 06h45 min of turning uncomfortable in a little chair trying to decide which crappie movie I should watch next. And I almost had the privilege to sit on the jumpseat! I had permission from the steward to go and talk with the pilots to ask them if I could sit in the cockpit. Which was no problem as long as I showed them my commercial pilot license…What a joke!! The jumpseat was so close, and so far away at the same time. Only around 2 weeks of training. I thanked the pilots for the little chat and went disappointed back to my seat making myself ready what would be a horrible long flight. Which it certainly was…
I knew we were back in Belgium when I found the courage to peek through the window when we were approaching EBBR. I couldn’t see anything else then filthy grey clouds, filled with rain. Definitely THE sign to announce that I’m back and probably stuck for a long time in Belgium. The only thing that made me go off the plane instead of staying on it and waiting till it would return to America was the fact that the BF was waiting for me at the arrival hall and that I was desperate in need of a bed and a lot of sleep. My own soft bed for the first time in 7 months. After collecting all our stuff we headed to the arrival hall. Not a lot of people for us. A single pair of parents and the BF. Me and Tom didn’t told our parents. It would be a complete surprise.
And a surprise it was! First we stopped for some croissants and chocolate cookies for breakfast and then we drove to the house. We opened the door and tiptoed too the living room. My mom was taking something in the little cupboard 0.5 m from the door were we were standing. I waited till she would look up and see me. 20 seconds passed before she looked up. She started to scream and then she took me by the shoulders and started to shake me, followed by a suffocating hug… The dad was walking the dog and the sis was at school. When we heard the dad enter a couple of minutes later we hide in the room next door. I heard my mum say something about ‘Oli and a present’. At that time I came around the corner and said ‘koekkoek’. His face went from a healthy red-brown to pale white while his hands went to his chest. A movement he always makes when something catches him by surprise. He first didn’t moved and then another suffocating hug followed. We ate breakfast and around 1230 the sis came in. She didn’t moved, she didn’t do anything…for at least 30 second. She just stood there, not being able to get the full picture, not being able to put 1 + 1 together. Later on she told me that the first thing she thought was ‘Did I just came out of the kitchen while standing actually at the door in the living room?’
I was happy to see them all back and in the evening a lot of my close friends were there. Damn, I missed those guys so much. And I’m already missing a lot of good friends I had to leave behind in the states…I hope one day I also can surprise them as I surprised my parents and sis.
There’s no place like home…luckily I feel like the whole world is my home.
Ps: it’s freaking cold overhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!