A pilot king, the story of William Alexander of the Netherlands
There are many celebrities who love to fly and pilot their own planes. Among the most passionate is John Travolta who [...]
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There are many celebrities who love to fly and pilot their own planes. Among the most passionate is John Travolta who has also obtained licenses for jet flying and commercial and passenger airliners. Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford and Clint Eastwood have also dabbled thanks to a deep passion for flying, but the story we are about to tell you is truly incredible. In fact, for the past few weeks there has been a small possibility of being able to meet King William Alexander of the Netherlands As a pilot of a KLM aircraft.
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Holger Motzkau 2010, Wikipedia/Wikimedia Commons (cc-by-sa-3.0), CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
A pilot king around the world
The first male ruler of the Netherlands has always had a passion for flying. In 1985 he obtained his first license, and in 2001 he realized his dream of obtaining an airline pilot's license (ATPL) and commercial aircraft. At the same time, he got his rating for flying a Fokker 70, featured in the KLM fleet. The curiosity stems from the fact that it was precisely a Fokker 70 that was the government aircraft of the Netherlands, and so the king himself has often driven the aircraft that is used by the Dutch delegation or his family for state visits and vacations. He almost always did the driving, a way of continuing to cultivate his passion.
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In order to maintain the ATPL, a commercial pilot must perform. Regular passenger service for at least 150 hours per year. King fulfilled this obligation by acting as a guest pilot for the Dutch airline KLM, operating in the air on airliners. King had been spotted on flights from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam to Istanbul, Athens, and Nice. With the replacement of Fokker 70 aircraft, the opportunity to be able to continue flying the state aircraft vanished. This prompted the king to retrain for a new type of rating, one related to the Boeing 737. To do this the sovereign typically serves as a guest pilot for KLM twice a month. Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing in advance which routes he covers, so it will be a case of listening well to the voice once on board.
Wilhelm Alexander's passenger service continues on KLM 737 flights
The Dutch press also pointed out that obviously the king is not in the habit of making announcements during the flight to introduce himself. He will never use the "This is Your Highness speaking to you" but generally likes like all other pilots to use the formula "On behalf of the captain and crew." Thus, the new government jet, a 737 BBJ (Boeing Business Jet) is the new aircraft that King William Alexander of the Netherlands will finally be able to pilot. Once again he will be the one to take his delegation or family around the world. Many media outlets tried to contact KLM and the press office of the government of the Netherlands, but both declined to comment on news regarding the king's passion.
What is certain is that any one of us could be on a KLM 737 flight with a royal pilot at the helm, in fact the ruler is continuing his regular passenger service and has no intention of abandoning his overwhelming passion.