To stay current you have to practice. That is what I tried to do with a IFR flight from EHTW (Twente) to EDDG (Münster/Osnabrück/FMO). The flight is very challenging, it’s a short flight and it can push you in a high work load situation. After take off from Twente I activated the IFR flight with Dutch Mill at the 030 Radial 10 DME from Rekken. The route which I was choosing was RKN (Rekken VOR), Soneb and than via radar vectors to the field for an ILS 25 approach. Because of the traffic load at EDDG I had to do a hi speed approach. A Boeing 737 of Air Berlin was breathing on my six. My final approach speed was 130kts, so to say no time to waste. After a coffee break and paying a lousy euro 6,91 for the landing fee to a friendly employe (even with the runway lighting on) and headed back to my home field via the RKN1C departure. Normally when do this flight at EHGG (Groningen) it will cost you more than one hundred euros. Fifty euro’s for the landing fee and additionally  sixty-five euro’s for the runway lighting.  I must say EDDG is one of my favorite fields !

 IFR Flight EHTW-EDDG

Some flights are really memorable. So was this flight from EHTW (Twente, The Netherlands) to EDWJ (isle Juist, Germany). It was a cumulus cloudy day in summer time in 2007. During flight I wanted to touch those clouds, is this how heaven looks like ;).

I filled a Zulu flight plan and switched to the filled Yankee flight plan abeam the beacon EEL (Near Groningen) and canceled IFR west of the isle Juist (TOD). The initial cruise altitude was FL040, at EEL climbing FL080. It took some time to get this movie online, but finally I had some spare time during the Christmas holidays. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

A trip to Juist (EDWJ)

Trip back from Juist (EDWJ) to Twente (EHTW)

I passed the annual Prof Check on the 24th of September. The check flight was done at Groningen (EHGG). In the morning I did some additional circuit training at Lelystad (EHLE), just to get the feeling right.

A movie made during the Training flight on the Seneca II for the upcoming prof check

Today I did a training flight for my upcoming annual prof check ME-IR. I find flying single pilot a multi engine turbo piston on instruments a real thrill. A year has passed since I last flew the Piper Seneca II. Instead working together with a crewmember you have to work together with this bird.

After completion of the MCC Course I did not sit back and relax. These are quiet times job wise but instead I did some additional training. I obtained the following certificates: CRM (Crew Resource Management), dangerous goods, real fire fighting and security at TFC in Düsseldorf (Germany).

This week I received my certificate for MCC-course (Multi Crew Concept) which I have completed successfully. It was a tremendous experience flying the Boeing 737-300. During this course you learn to work in a two man crew and learn the basic skills of handling a jet aircraft during mostly IFR operations.  Believe me you never have a normal flight. Engine fires, engine failures, hydraulic failures, electrical failures are normal operations during this training. You would almost think that this would be daily life of a pilot.

I was lucky that I did some extra multi engine hours in the US. That helped me to get this job done in the minimum required hours for the ME-IR rating. That saved a lot of money because these flight hours are really expensive here in the Netherlands. I flew the Piper Seminole (PA-44) in the US for around 150 euro’s. One hour in a slight bigger plane, the Piper Seneca (PA-34) cost here in the Netherlands around 450 euros. So every hour you spend less in the Netherlands you save around 300 euro’s.

During my single engine instrument rating I had to change my flight school. The airport EHTW where I live nearby had been closed because the residential air force left. Training was almost impossible due to lack of ATC and fire fighters.

Here a some pictures I made during my CPL Course in the USA.

Finally I have my training now on the twin, a Piper Seminole PA44-180. I did my written test too this week and scored 90%.