Dutch Pilot Girl - Questions & Answers - Part 1

Questions & Answers – Part 1

One of the reasons why I created this website was to enable myself to answer your questions in a more efficient manner. Don’t get me wrong, I love to receive questions and to offer help and advice where ever I can! It is just that I get a lot of similar questions and as you can probably imagine, answering these requires a lot of time. Time which I rather spend on making video’s or writing articles 🙂

From now on I will create Questions and Answers articles on a regular basis. They will contain questions that were asked on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook and this website. In the future I will also answer questions in videos that will be uploaded to my Youtube Channel.

In Questions & Answers – Part 1 I am answering questions from Instagram, you can find some of them below. Should you have questions of your own, please comment on this page or use the contact form. I will do my best to answer your question as soon as possible 🙂

 

@charlie_tango_205
What was the spread in your Type Rating group between modular and integrated training?

This is a very interesting question, Charlie. Let me first briefly explain the difference between modular and integrated training. The training to become a commercial airline pilot consists of a few phases; first you finish the theoretical phase, that phase is followed by flight training (practical) after which you complete the course by following a MCC course.

Integrated means that you complete all of these phases at the same school according their syllabus. Modular means that you completed the phases at your own pace, in an order of your own choosing and without a syllabus that covers the entire training from A to Z.

Most airlines have strong preference for pilots that completed an integrated training program. Mainly because the progress and performance of the pilot was monitored from start till finish. The downside of an integrated course is that it is in most cases a lot more expensive then a modular training.

Around 15% of the people in my Type Rating course came from a modular program. Unfortunately I have no idea how much people in previous courses came from modular programs.


@kennethjoseph92
I just saw your video of your first solo flight, how old were you at that time?

Dear kennethjoseph92, I was 20 years old when I performed my first solo flight! 😉 It was really one of the greatest experiences of my life! Flying an aircraft completely by myself for the first time.. their is simply no better feeling. You mentioned that you will start your training next year, I wish you the best! You will surely love your first solo, everyone does 🙂

For people that haven’t seen the video yet, you can watch my first solo in a Diamond 40 here.


@stelios2
Which plane is better for learning how to fly? And which one is easier to fly? The Cessna 152 or Diamond 40?

Unfortunately I don’t have any experience on a Cessna 152 so I am not really able to give you a clear answer to your question. What I can say though, is that I really liked to fly the Diamond 40. In my opinion it is very easy to operate this aircraft. The view is absolutely amazing since there are no bars on the windows. It makes looking out for traffic way more easy and therefore safer than flying in an aircraft with thousand bars on the window, if you know what I mean. 😉  Another thing is the low wing which I like. I would always prefer flying an airplane with a low wing to be able to look around properly.

You can also feel that the Diamond 40 aircraft wants to fly. On final you have to pull power back very early otherwise you will never ever land. Besides that, it has the Garmin 1000 equipment installed. You might not be familiar with the Garmin 1000 so I’ve linked a picture here. As you can see, it looks very similar to the glass cockpit that is being used in larger commercial airplanes nowadays.

Hence, you are getting used to the instrument layout that you will be using during the rest of your professional flying career. That is why I would always choose to learn flying on a Diamond 40. My answer might sounds like I am promoting the Diamond brand but I just love the airplane. However, I also know a lot of pilots that fly the Cessna 152 and they are really happy with its performance and handling. 

Maybe you have an opportunity to fly them both before deciding on which of those you want to start training?


Sooo here you go, Questions & Answers – Part 1. I hope you find the questions and answers as interesting as I do. Should you have any comment on the questions or answers that are stated on this page, please leave a reply below. Maybe you fly an aircraft which is much nicer than a Diamond 40 or Cessna 152. Maybe you are flying for a major airline although you finished your training in a modular course. Or perhaps you are an aviator that performed the first solo at an age of 75 years old. Those are the stories I wanna hear about! And it might help others as well 😉

19 thoughts on “Questions & Answers – Part 1

  1. I have flown the Cessna 150 and found it to be very responsive. Doing a power stall would cause the port wing to drop and without any control the plane would do a 180 degree drop and turn and right itself. Just a bit of fun on a very basic aircraft. 😘

  2. Hey there !!Greetings from Asheville NC/A tricky sky to fly!!.I have been wondering when you are in school training.I notice each pilot chooses which type of aircraft to fly?Boeing or Airbus????Can you be trained on both????As for training to become A pilot here in the USA delta will pay for your schooling !!!!.I really njoy your blogs ….Steve Paradise

  3. Hi! I would like to ask few questions. First of all I want to give an information about me for you will answere for it.
    I am 23 years old and I am a student through finance. But it is not for me. And I want to be pilot. I read few articles or found some sites on Internet about it. But they do not enough to answere my questions. And I found you on Instagram. And I admire you ) My questions are: ( I want to line up my questions:) )
    Is there a age limit to be a pilot?
    What can physically demand from me?
    Is it possible to be a pilot by going to courses?
    Do you know scholarship programs for aviation?
    I want to thank you in advance. And I wish you good luck )

    1. Dear Ulkar Elkhan, I’ve reviewed your questions:

      Age limit:
      Try to finish your education before the age of 31. Most airlines don’t hire unexperienced pilots (ab-initios) above the age of 31. I mention airlines because I presume you want to make a living out of it. In case you just want to learn how to pilot an aircraft there is not really an age limit. More here.
      Physical demand:
      You need to obtain a class 1 medical. Nothing too fancy, your general health conditions should be fine. Eye sight within certain limits, no hearing problems, no diabetes etc etc. I will create an article about a class 1 medical in the future.
      Courses:
      You can become a pilot by following a modular or integrated course. Both consist of a theoretical and practical part. The difference is explained here.
      Scholarship:
      I know EasyJet has a sponsorship in place at the moment. Other airlines might also have sponsorships in place but at the moment I can’t think of any besides EasyJet.

      I hope this helps, let me know if you need more detailed answers 😉

  4. Michelle, which kind of airplane was “more difficult” to pilot until now?
    Greeting from Brazil 🙂

    1. I guess the most difficult aircraft was the Cessna 172… Not because it was difficult to handle but because of the impaired view due to the high wing. The Cessna can also give you a hard time while landing in crosswind conditions. I’ve flown many different aircrafts and most of them were easy to operate. Take the Diamond for example, it comes with a Garmin 1000 which is very convenient. The most advanced aircraft I’ve flown till this day is the Boeing 737, it has a lot of switches and buttons and takes some time getting used to 😉

      Thank you for your comment Leandro!

  5. Hi, Michelle.
    I am very impressed on what you have done in your life, I am very happy for you ?.
    My name is Amr Tawdi, I am 49 yrs old. I have always loved aviation. I got my PPL in 2004 and Multi a few years after. I live in sunny Southern California. And I have always wanted to became an Airline pilot. But I got lazy a few times and stopped flying. But now I want it again like really bad, really bad. But I keep thinking that I am getting a bit older to do this now. But I do know you can fly for an airline up until 65 now.

    So my friend’s and many other people tell me “Get Off Your ASS” and do it. Which I am going to do. My ASS is starting to hurt from not doing it, been sitting on it to long.

    So please give me your true input, what do you think? I always kick myself in the ASS, for not doing this many year’s ago. So please let me know, how you feel about what I wrote you, thank you. And like I said I am really impressed with all you have done. I am guessing your about 25-26 years old?

    Hope to hear from you soon (Amr Tawdi).

    One last thing, I am thinking about going to the flight school you went to. I can go to the one in Phoenix,AZ.

    1. Hi Amr Tawdi!

      Thank you for comment and email 🙂 Took me a while to get back to you but I have been rather busy as of late.

      Actually I am unable to give you useful feedback because I don’t know how everything works in the US. I’ve always heard that they demand a lot of experience before you are eligible to take a seat in an airline cockpit. Is that true?

      On the other hand, I believe that you can achieve anything as long as you go for it. It doesn’t matter how impossible it might seem, we are capable of achieving our goals as long as we work for it. If you really want to become an airline pilot I would surely try it. You already obtained some licenses and you still have 16 years to go.

      To start from scratch would have been a different story since the costs to achieve your dream would have been too high. You would probably spent most of those 16 years to get rid of the debt to become an airline pilot.

      I heard there is a pilot shortage in the US. This might increase your chances as well. You have only 1 life 😉

      Good luck with your decision!

      Michelle

      1. Hello, I sent a reply but don’t know if it went to you. Thanks for the input. I will start the journey again, soon. Are you still doing your line training? And I am sure your enjoying the hell out of the job. After all the time and effort you put in. Is your goal to end up with “KLM” after you put in sometime where your at? Maybe down the road you should try to fly with “Emeritus” kick ass airline but then you would have to live in Dubai. But you go into the B-777, not bad. Anyway please let me know, about what I sent you. And I hope to keep in touch with you, gives me energy to keep going. ??. Amr Tawdi.

        1. My Line Training was finished a while ago… End of December if I am not mistaken. Flying is really great, I feel so privileged to make a living while doing something I love. In the end thats what we all seek right?

          At the moment I don’t really know which way I wan’t my career to go… I feel like I need to focus on my current job first until I’ve accumulated some flight hours. Besides that I love to work on DutchPilotGirl 🙂 At the moment that is keeping me busy!;) But perhaps I might end up with KLM or Emirates… we will see!

    1. I completed my education at CAE NLS (Nationale Luchtvaart School) in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands. The practical part took place in the Phoenix, Brussels and Oxford. The school was later named; CAE Oxford Aviation Academy Amsterdam. At the moment its closed and not accepting any students.

      When I was still looking for a school where I could sign up to become a pilot this school was one of the best to chose from in the Netherlands. The school was well known in the world of aviation. Besides, their theoretical part took place in the Netherlands which was very convenient. But most importantly I chose this school because of the atmosphere. It was very much down to earth and people were still acting in a normal fashion. It might sound weird but people start to act differently when they are about to become pilots..

  6. Hey, Michelle. Great job on the continuing evolution of your websites. They are all informative and light-years from your first YouTube efforts. This may become a second career as you move forward in the aviation world. To shed a little light on the Diamond 40 vs. the Cessna 150 / 152, I agree that the DA-40 has considerable advantages over the Cessna, but when factoring price while a primary student, the C-152 can be rented for less money. One can solo in the C-152, then transition into the DA-40 when more funds become available. And you’re right: the Diamond loves to float – you really need to stay ahead of the aircraft and watch airspeed on final or you can run out of runway. Careful energy control is crucial in this slippery creature. Of course after several hours in the Diamond, it becomes pretty hard to climb back into the Cessna, though this a/c is a bit more forgiving. And the Garmin suite is pure icing on the cake; but it is the future of avionics, so best to learn it now if you can afford it. Keep up the good work with these sites, Michelle – people will learn much from you. All the best.

    1. Hi Dennis Garling, thank you for leaving a comment! Its much appreciated and great to hear your feedback ?

      I couldn’t agree more with what your saying… I didn’t really take the price into consideration while I was comparing them. The total picture definitely looks different when you take into account the rental costs.

      The option you mentioned might be the way to go; first learn how to fly on the Cessna 152/172 and then transition to the Diamond 40. In case you have more good tips please don’t hesitate to reply!

Leave a comment, I appreciate it and will reply as soon as possible:)