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May 2001
Aunt and Uncle Arrive
Day Two
Amsterdam Canal Trip
Day 3
Delft and Day 4
2 Hours in Salzburg, Austria
Salzburg City Center
Kobenzl Hotel, Salzburg
Flight School
Troon, Scotland
Brugge, Belgium
More Images of Brugge, Belgium
Other Months
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Flight School
Wednesday, May 09, 2001; posted by Paris

My colleague Hester and I received a gift certificate each for one free flying lesson from the Rotterdam airport. We were finally able to schedule the sessions and just returned from a very exciting afternoon.

We had a very quick summary of the instruments and controls and off we went. Hester had her own instructor and flew a two seat Cessna 150 - and so did I.

We took off and flew over Delft and Kijkduin, buzzed my apartment, flew on past The Hague and Scheveningen. We returned much the same way, but detoured around Hoek van Holland and the EuroPort. We flew at 1500 feet at about 80 knots. It was a bit bumpy as the ground was giving off a lot of heat (not something flight simulators reproduce). I flew for quite a bit, but the instructor always was prepared to jump in (and he worked the rudder pedals). The instructor was a pro (he used to land jets on aircraft carriers) and we had a good chat while I rigidly dripped the controls.

One hour later we were all on the ground. Hester got a bit airsick because of the turbulence and had landed earlier than I did. After landing, we taxied to the fuel stand, topped of the tanks and parked the plane.

Looking forward to my real lessons at Prior Aviation.

Here is the view of my apartment and neighborhood from 1500 feet.

Here is the inside of the tiny Cessna 150 cockpit.

Here is the busy EuroPort (on the Hoek van Holland). Notice the robotic, fully automated cranes removing containers from the ship.

I am amazed that the greenhouses cover so much land. At the top of the picture is the coast of the North Sea.

This is one of two 'Eiffel-tower-sized' barriers that close off the waterway (Nieuwe Waterweg) at Hoek van Holland to control the water level.

A view of Kijkduin and the trails. The Atlantic hotel is on the bottom right, and the Thorbecke tower in the middle upper left side.

My skilled and pleasant pilot Mr. Koning.

A view of Scheveningen. You can see the pier, and at the end (just to the left) the old Kurhaus Hotel.

Typical Dutch countryside.