Success stories

On 17 May I met with the Buch family at Eelde airport for a beautiful trip to Heligoland. In the morning the cloud base wasn't too high but navigation to Heligoland is not so difficult because of the presence of VOR beacons near Eelde and Heligoland. If so, even without GPS is possible. But flying on sight and dead reckoning (wind/course/speed calculations) alone to a destination as Heligoland is not possible because of its situation in the North Sea. The PH-AEC is an instrument equipped aircraft with all means of navigation on board so a such-like trip can be made with this aircraft. The trip lasted 1 hour and 5 minutes of which 20 minutes are over water. During the trip above German territory it is mandatory to establish and maintain radio contact with Bremen Information on the frequency 125.10. Five minutes before arrival to the frequency of Heligoland Info at 122.45. The visibility was very good; at a 15 NM (nautical mile) distance Heligoland was already to be seen. The wind velocity was almost to be neglected; wind direction from 210° at 4 knots runway 15/33 was in use which was extended with 80 metres recently. An exceptional light wind in the middle of the North Sea. Just as at every German airfield a sign with the indication ½ is located halfway the runway. Put the aircraft on the runway before this sign and you can make a stop before the end of the runway using the brakes at all times. Particularly useful for short runways. They should do it in all countries.

After locking the aeroplane a landing fee had to be paid. For aircraft with a noise certificate according chapter 10 ICAO the landing fee is EUR 11,-. For this fee the flight plan is also closed with airtraffic control. Which is not usual in Germany; at many other smaller airfields one must not forget to close the flight plan oneself by telephone. The landing fee bill shows the taxfree status of the eiland already; the VAT number is not applicable and the VAT amount is EUR 0,00.

Because the airfield is located at the island of Düne you have to go to the main island by a ferry boat where the duty free shops are present in a large number. Between the shops prices for liquor do not differ much. Cigarettes do not differ at all. E.g. a carton of Camel cigarettes of 200 pieces costs EUR 29,- inclusive a ... ± EUR 11,- levy of the community of Heligoland. What's next? What's that? Tax after all? Well, this community has no other means of ripping off such as parking tickets because there are no cars on Heligoland. Transportation of goods is done by electro-car. Whiskey 1 liter is approximately EUR 10,-. Parfumes do differ per shop and because of the vast number of shops it is impossible to compare and pick the cheapest one. So always ask if your favourite brand is on special offer and I have experienced that the sales person offered a special price right away before I asked. In comparison to the main land perfumes are ± 50% cheaper.

In the morning it was cloudy but in the afternoon at about half past one the weather cleared up, it was blue sky and it felt clammy because of the lack of wind. Incredible, in the middle of the North Sea. At 5 we left again for Eelde. It's remarkable that there is a lot of shipping in the Heligoland Bight. The beautiful cloudless weather enabled us to enjoy the view. Flying at 3000 feet we returned. We saw the German Wadden islands from far away. Via Delfzijl to the beacon SO for an ILS 23 (instrument landing system runway 23 Eelde) to conclude a beautiful trip.

The Buch family enjoyed a marvellous trip, the unique destination, the sun -an island has a lot more hours of sunshine- and wanted to fly again. Wyk auf Föhr followed 22 June.

Family Buch, also, thank you for a beautiful day!

Arrival on Heligoland. There's a lot of shipping in the Heligoland Bight. Dutyfree shops in vast numbers.

Heligoland is devided in the so-called oberland and unterland. From the oberland you have a marvellous view on the rest of Heligoland, the island Düne and the roadstead of Heligoland where the ships anchor. The vessels do not moor but the passengers are landed on Heligoland through so-called Börteboote (sloops). The cliffs of Heligoland. The lumpy landscape are craters from the bombardments of the British after the 2nd worldwar when they tried to wipe the island off the map.

Börteboote by which passengers are transported from and to the vessels. Nothing has changed; with the Wappen von Hamburg Tom Buch arrived at Helgoland in 1961 also (pictures taken from the Dünenfähre; the ferry between the main island and the island Düne upon which the airport is situated). With departure the GPS indicates 75,9 NM (nautical mile) to the beacon EEL (near Eelde).

• Date: 28 April 2006
• Aircraft: Diamond 40
• Registration: PH-FLD
• Route: EBAW - EBOS (Antwerp - Ostend)

Kristoff de Smedt has his mind on flying!

Success stories: Kristoff de Smedt wrote:

Peter,

Thank you very much for the wonderful trip you flew, it was super and we'll go another time for sure! Also I want to thank my girlfriend Mieke for my birthday present: a flight with a Diamond-Star! The flight went on smoothly from Deurne (airport of Antwerp), over the city we live in (Maldegem) to Ostend, and back. Once we arrived over our city we had an excellent view of our home from an original perspective, thanks to Peter. In Ostend we took our time to take a refreshment. Then we returned to Antwerp. This was also a wonderful trip, despite the strong wind!

I am very grateful for Peter letting me handle the controls. What a marvellous aircraft this is! By the way, great profile, manoeuvrable, comfortable, quiet,... this one got it all! And also because of the enthousiastic stories and pleasant company of our third passenger, Jef, this day turned out to be an unforgettable surprise!

Kristoff

Approach at Ostend Airport. There was a strong cross wind; pay attention to the aircraft nose. Only above the runway this "crab" is corrected by, in this case, applying left rudder and at the same time, holding the right wing into the wind. The airplane has to be corrected continuously and will touch the runway with its right wheel of the main gear first. This manoeuvre requires regular practice.

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• Date: 12 April 2006
• Aircraft: Diamond 40
• Registration: PH-FLD
• Route: EHLE - EHTX - EHAL - EHLE (Lelystad - Texel - Ameland - Lelystad)

Stretch the legs for a while on the island of Texel.

Success stories: Willem Posthumus Meyjes wrote:

At first instance the weather was not looking good on Wednesday 12 April. Too cloudy and wind force 4. Pilot Erwin Steen postponed the flight for an hour to wait for the weather to improve. After a visit to the "Aviodrome" museum of aviation to bridge one hour, at noon we departed from Lelystad heading for the island of Texel under a broken cloudy sky. Near Enkhuizen the sun broke through. Texel plenty of sunshine. We had a lunch at the airport restaurant. Then we flew to Ameland for a short stop. After that we returned to Lelystad. The Diamond Star aeroplane is comfortable and also fuel efficient because of a Diesel engine. My son and I took great pictures above the Wadden isles and the province of Friesland. We had a wonderful experience through this trip!

Willem Posthumus Meyjes

Success stories: Erwin Steen wrote:

I had an appointment with the Postumus family at 11:00 in the restaurant of Lelystad Airport. The weather was poor. Cloudbase at 1000 ft. = 300 metres and visibility 6 kilometres. I postponed the flight till 12:00.

After a coffee and performing the preflight checks we departed at 12:15 from runway 23 destined for Texel. Visibility was really moderate. We could not go any higher than 800 ft, = 240 metres. Via the "houtribdijk", which was only visible beneath us, to Enkhuizen. No other view whatsoever. After Medemblik the weather improved significantly. As if we flew out of the clouds. A very wonderful moment. We climbed to 2500 ft and reported to De Kooy Tower. We went on further via the corridor with a wonderful view on the Marsdiep (narrow sea between the island of Texel and the mainland). After contacting Texel radio we arrived at Texel airport under a blue sky.

We enjoyed our lunch with a tosti and coffee on the terrace in the sunshine looking at parachutists. After a 45 min. break, we continued our flight destined for the island of Ameland.

Via the radio we received a clearance from Cornfield Tower to cross the schooting range Romeo4 of the island of Vlieland. At 2000 ft (600 metres) one could clearly see that only the Wadden isles were clear of clouds. Above the main land weather conditions still were very moderate. After contacting Ameland radio we landed on runway 27 of Ameland Airport. A grass runway marked with plastic jerrycans. We reported to the airport office and went for a walk. On the home trip to Lelystad, just after the Wadden sea, we had to descend to 700 ft. Het "Tjeukemeer" was hardly visible. After a 50 minute flight from Ameland we arrived at Lelystad airport.

It was a special afternoon of flying. 2 hours and 15 minutes flying time. It remains a wonderful experience to fly into beautiful weather and to see the "Wadden" (sea between the Dutch mainland and the isles = a Dutch national nature reserve) and the seals from above.

Erwin Steen

The weather has improved; ready for departure. Above the northern part of the province of Noord-Holland. Texel already in sight.

Above islands the weather is better much more times than above the mainland. Lighthouse "De Brandaris" on Terschelling island. Airfield Ameland.

Above Harlingen heading for Lelystad airport. During final approach a nice view on the Aviodrome museum of aviation at Lelystad airport.

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• Date: 18 February 2006
• Aircraft: Cessna 172
• Registration: PH-SKJ
• Route: EHRD - EHRD (Rotterdam - Rotterdam)

Cor Spaans departing.

Success stories: Cor Spaans wrote:

I saw MeetAPilot in a magazine and I was interested right away.

I must say I am rather familiar to flying; for more than 18 years I fly as a repatriation medic across the world both scheduled flights and private flights and both large and small aircraft. Once I flew with the flying-doctors. In my opinion the most beautiful aspect about small aircraft is flying manually and not a set of computers taking over from the pilot, although this has its advantages, of course. Besides that, I work in a hospital.

Via MeetAPilot I made arrangements to fly for an hour from Rotterdam on 18 February; it was not very difficult to persuade two colleagues to join me. Luckily the weather was good for flying.

At the meeting-point on the airport the pilot was already waiting for us. His name was Peter. He took us to the airplane and explained us the proceedings and after the necessary preparations we departed.
For my two companions this was the first time flying in a small aircraft; very exciting!
We saw a part of the so-called “Randstad” (large cities in the West of the Netherlands) from above and saw our resp. houses.

Taking over the yoke for a moment gives an extra kick. In the past I took a few flying lessons and now I got the itch again and Peter gave me some information through the internet. For this moment my biggest obstacle is the medical examination which I have to pass. Then flying is a step closer for me.

At the same time I have to express that MeetAPilot is great for making people enthousiastic for flying and that the members are doing a great job!

Also I want to show you a small part of the flight. I took the photo’s using a simple camera.

On behalf of Monica, Dirk and myself I thank Peter for the lovely flight and they will definately make an appeal to MeetAPilot for a flight in the future, too!

Cor Spaans

Photo's of surroundings Rotterdam / The Hague.

Typical Dutch: modern architecture, windmills and wet polders.

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• Date: 4 November 2005
• Aircraft: Cessna 172
• Registration: PH-SBM
• Route: EHRD - EHRD (Rotterdam - Rotterdam)

Martine te Winkel already in the clouds.

Success stories: Martine te Winkel wrote:

Friday 4 november my father Jan and I went flying with pilot Peter. A quarter to three we met at the red Meeting Point at Rotterdam Airport and after one hour we went into the air. At about 240 kilometers per hour we flew over my place near Central Station, over the Kralingse Plas in the direction of Krimpen a/d IJssel, where we circeled over my parents' place. We returned via the river Maas enjoying a marvellous view of the city and we could see The Hague in the distance. In about half an hour we saw a lot and Peter was very enthousiastic. Then we headed for the runway. Definately we intend to go another time!

Greetings, Martine

The old lift bridge and Erasmus bridge ("The Swan") crossing the Maas river in Rotterdam.

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• Date: 6 August 2005
• Aircraft: Cessna 172
• Registration: PH-BAD
• Route: EHRD - EHRD (Rotterdam - Rotterdam)

Jaco en Lianne before departure

Success stories: Pilot Peter Tanis wrote:

Hello Edwin,

Flight 6 August 2005 from Rotterdam.

Last saturday I made a flight with Jaco en Lianne departing from Rotterdam to Gouda via MIKE Departure and subsequently to Groot Ammers and via Romeo Arrival (Ridderkerk) back to Rotterdam (EHRD).
For both it was a first experience in a Cessna 172 (4-person aircraft). I enjoyed answering many questions they had and telling them what to expect of weather circumstances, the use of flying instruments and how to perform a crosswind landing.

They forgot their camera through circumstances but luckily I brought my camera, so that they took some pictures of the flight and especially from their home.
Jaco en Lianne thanks for your enthousiasm and for the opportunity you created for me to fly. See you at a next flight!

Greetings,

Peter Tanis

Downwind airport Rotterdam with the skyline of Rotterdam .

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• Date: 11 May 2005
• Aircraft: Piper Warrior PA28
• Registration: PH-EDD
• Route: EHLE - EHLE (Lelystad - Lelystad)

Family Roelofsen ready for departure

Success stories: Rob Roelofsen wrote:

Hello Edwin,

Surfing the internet for a nice getaway with my spouse and son aged 3½, I came across the site of Meet a Pilot.com and I did not hesitate to subscribe because my little son is fascinated by aeroplanes. After a few weeks there was a match for departure from Lelystad because we live nearby. After full explanation and instructions by the pilot we departed. It was a very beautiful and clear day and we could see very far.

We flew over Lelystad to the IJssel Lake subsequently to Swifterbant, Dronten and Biddinghuizen, where we flew a couple of turns over our house. We continued our journey to well-known places by us and then back to Lelystad where we landed very nicely. The pilot told us quite a lot about flying and aircraft during the flight. Surely he was someone passionated about flying and we shared this passion because of the very nice initiative of Meet a Pilot.

Regards, Rob Roelofsen.

A new experience for the son of Rob Roelofsen.

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• Date: 24 April 2005
• Aircraft: Cessna 172
• Registration: PH-SKN
• Route: EHHV - EHTX (Hilversum - Texel)

Fill up the aircraft at Hilversum airfield

Success stories: Nelly Janikian wrote:

Hi Edwin,

Yes indeed I had a flight with Robbie. Two of my friends joined me as well. It was fantastic and Robbie did a great job. I can definitely recommend him to anyone.

We went to Texel, landed had a coffee and went back to Hilversum. All in all it was one hell of an experience.

Thank you

Nelly

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• Date: 24 April 2005
• Aircraft: Piper Archer
• Registration: PH-LAG
• Route: EHSE - EHMZ (Seppe - Midden Zeeland)

Departure from Seppe airfield

Thanks to Daan Arnout for the pictures.

Success stories: Pilot Bram Gilliam wrote:

Hi Edwin,

There has been a flight, indeed. It was very nice. Daan's son and father in law were also joining and some very nice pictures have been made. His son was very enthousiastic to make a report of this flight and to send you some pictures.

We flew from Seppe to Midden-Zeeland and after a short break we returned to Seppe via the Delta Works.

Thanks! Regards, Bram

        Above Zealand                       En route                           Dam Oosterschelde

It's a very nice stay on the terrace of the restaurant at Midden Zeeland airfield.
If you see the hands of pilot Bram Gilliam, most definately the conversation is about flying.

In his spare time Daan Arnout is a fervent and enthousiastic builder of radio controlled model aircraft.