A 747 stopped before me, the captain waved to me

Denise van Os
  • Name: Denise van Os
  • Age: 19 years
  • Dreaming: from the age of 4
  • Education: Higher General Secondary Education
  • Level: Just obtained my Wings, +/- 60 hours
  • Goal: To work at a good airline company.
“I also chose Stella because of the atmosphere. It felt very good there right from the beginning.”

I already knew when I was quite young that I wanted to become a pilot. I used to go a lot with my father to Schiphol to watch planes. Once, I will never forget, a 747 of a Turkish airline company stopped right before me, and the captain waved to me … Then I also knew that I wanted this! I started to learn gliding as quickly as possible. And now …? I am in Phase 3, just obtained my PPL check, so now I have my WINGS!

The pleasant thing of being a pilot for me is that it is a combination of all things that I like. The most important thing is flying itself, the technique that you use and you also have much responsibility. You must manage and be a team player. And every time that I went into the air with gliding I thought that it would be fantastic if you could turn your hobby into a profession.

From the very start my father was very enthusiastic that I wanted to become a pilot. However, my mother had to get used to the idea, but she soon also supported me completely in my choice. Friends think that I was born to fly, and have to hear my stories about flying until they are completely bored. For example, the stories about my First Solo. It is an incredible moment of joy when you roll onto the runway and accelerate.

I also chose Stella because of the atmosphere. It felt very good there right from the beginning. Both the flying and theory instructors are very enthusiastic, and try to teach you as much as possible.

Pleasant and instructive
I have a room next to the airport. I share it with Jort, a classmate of mine. We really helped each other a lot during the theory lessons. Ronny also lives in the same house. He has already been following the course for a longer time. He also helped us a lot with the theory or with questions we had. And he of course was also our companion! You have a certain bond with your classmates, you really empathize with each other. In particular with Jort of course, because I share rooms with him in Teuge. He also went with me to America. So you see each other’s development, from theory, to solo, to Wings. And that is really super!

I just returned from Florida. I was quite lucky that I could fly a lot with Americans in the beginning, and later I could fly solo. Everything went quite fast. In particular in the beginning the weather for flying was very good and we could fly many hours. The surroundings are so beautiful for flying, you take off and immediately see the coast. I could land at many airports in the surroundings, during the day but also at night. Apart from flying I also of course saw many things. It was really an unforgettable experience. I could go back at any moment.

I hope that the job market will be open again when I am ready with my course. And that I can fly as soon as possible with an airline company.

Do you want to know more about Florida? Then check the photopage.

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