The open day of the KLM Flight Academy

in #blog5 years ago

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My son want's already become a pilot from his fourth birthday. He never doubted a minute and always hold on to this 'dream'. Now he is fifteen and thinking of the future after highschool he is orienting on a education at the KLM Flight Academy. (KLM is the national Dutch Airline).

So today it was "open dag" (open day) at the academy where aspirant students can have a look at the school and how things go overthere. So my son and I went to Airport Eelde (it's a 160 km drive) where the Academy resides.

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When we arrived we first got a short film (vlog) made by a the famous dutch vlogger Enzo Knol. He filmed a day out of the life of a student at the Flight Academy.


Source

After the vlog video a lady gave a presentation about the courses and admission requirements. She told that only 10 to 15 % of the aspirant students really get selected to to education. The requirements are really heavy. The way the selection process works:

  • First the student get's a psychological test to show if he or she is able to connect little math puzzles and things to show if they are capable of quick math.
  • A second psychological test is about the well being of the student, if he or she is stress-resistant, a born leader and emphatic towards others.
  • When the psychological test are passed possitive the students are going to a flightsimulator for 4 full days. The have to make flightplans and stuff and are tested if they have a natural feeling for flying a plane.
  • If they pass the flightsimulator they get another psychological test and conversation with a board of different professionals to judge the mental capabilities .
  • And finally when also the test is cleared possitive the have to to a medical examination.

This whole process can take up to eight months so a lot of uncertainty for aspirant students if the are selected or not. For young students (students who are applying right after high school) there is a second chance if they fail, for older students it is a one way ticket.

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When a student is selected to the education the real deal begins.

  • The first nine months is totally theoretical. It is a heavy module to study, the tempo is really high and there are a lot of exams.
  • After the theoratical course they are going to learn to fly in a single-motor plane. That is at Lelystad Airport. This takes about 22 weeks.
  • After the course for single-motor planes they are going to learn to fly multiple motor planes. Again for the time of 22 weeks.
  • After that they have already flew a great time in different planes and are ready to be educated for the commerical planes. The first plane they are going to learn is the Boeing 737 at Schiphol Airport. These are all KLM planes.

So after two years it is possible to graduate and be a real pilot, but it is a really though course.

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There were a lot of youngsters overthere , just like my son, and it was kind a awkward to realize just a happy few would only be addmitted to the education...

Finally they discussed the financial consequences ;).
The whole study will cost 84.000 euro's of which parents (or the students) can take a loan. After the academy KLM has 5 years time to hire the newborn pilots to their own fleet, if they won't the entire loan is payed of by KLM, the student also only have to start paying for the loan if he or she has a actual job as a pilot with at least 80% of the salary KLM would pay them if they worked for them.

I think that these kind arrangements are good. Despite the fact a student or their parents have to take a loan, payment is only done when they have a working situation, or KLM is paying for it when they won't get hired. This way everybody get's a fair chance and not only the rich kids.

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After the presentation we got a tour around the campus. We saw the students rooms (they have to be intern 5 days a week) which are realy student rooms, dirty and messy. after that we went to the classrooms and finally to the hangars where the teaching planes resides.

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It was a great day and Senna had a good impression about the education. I think the selection will be hard but he is so motivated so I really hope he will manage. At this moment they have a admission stop and will be recruiting again in the beginning of 2020, but for Senna there is time enough, he is 15 now and can admit from 16 so he has some time for some good preparation :)

Have a great day


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Wow, that is pretty impressive! That doesn't seem to bad that they only have to go to school for two years. I get that it is pretty rigorous though. Do they still have the military service thing? Is it possible your son will have to fly for that if he has some of the training in already?

We do have military service but not obligated. You can join the army as a pilot but it is a kind the same like this training, just a few places available. You can't first train in the army and then join this training..

O cool, i hope he gets in, i blogged on our journey with number 3 a few weeks ago and its Nice to see them think about their future.
Very exciting
Have a great weekend

We hope it too, so fingers crossed :) It's great to see them think ahead of their future. It's (for me) so much different from the time I was young.... Waaaaaay back hahaha... Have a great weekend too Britt !!

Indeed times were very different when WE BOTH were young but i am now understanding my parents better too and love to see what our boys Will be in the future, and me i Will stay here and comment hahahah

I don't really had the support when I was young, "ik ben er niet slechter door geworden" ... But indeed I am looking forward to their future and will support them where I can and how I can :) And commenting, I love it...hahah

Dan wil je het beter doen dan je ouders dus dat is weer een plus!
Ik vind het geweldig en soms best moeilijk maar als ze allemaal gelukkig zijn en wij kunnen helpen dan ben ik een heel blij ei, trouwens twee van de vier worden alleen blij van Fortnite en daar word ik weer niet blij van hahahaah das ook een generatie kloofje

helemaal waar, dat wil ik (willen we zeker). Fortnite is hier gelukkig een beetje op een laag pitje, maar ik weet precies wat je bedoelt :)

Omlaag pitje heb ik dat ook op die PS4? 😂😂🙋🏼‍♀️

hahaha zekers :)

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