PPL since 1995, IR since 2002. Flew in my father’s plane since 1969, so grew up with airplanes around. My mother crashed in an airliner two years before I was born, and refused to fly again. Studied Political Sciences and Marketing/Advertising. Advertising specialist and copywriter with IT companies like Digital Equipment and Microsoft for a couple of years. Then editor, photographer and freelance journalist for aviation magazines. Editor in Chief of Airbus Magazine “Planet Aerospace”. Author of three aviation and space related books, also did a coffeetable photo book called “Above Munich”. As a hobby I develop aviation related apps. First one is “smartCHECK”, but working on some other stuff. Co-owner of “CROY s.r.o.”, a Mercedes-Benz truck dealership (general importer of the Unimog line) and Service Center, a company that was founded by my father in 1992. Own a Piper PA-28 (in our family since 1978) and a 2006 Cirrus SR22 which I bought in 2013. Live in downtown Munich with my longtime girlfriend, and we have two kids of 12 and 14 together.
Wrote an e-commerce website in 1999 that got big and was sold in 2007. In 2009 I made another one that wasn’t as successful, but still quite ok. Still own that one. I did linux and freebsd sysadmin, programming in C and PHP, some database stuff when I was in my 20s. Not doing it anymore. Flying since 2007.
Work in tv & online making money for people who don’t really need it anymore.
IT :( Programmer: now C#, Javascript previously Java, C. Programming is interesting but not building web sites for 15 years.
Currently fly PZL-101 Gawron as glider tug. Also have CPL with ME/IR.
Dream about being airline pilot every day…
Been working as a software developer for 18 years (Java, Delphi, C#). Last 10 years with e-health care solutions. PPL 2007. IR 2011. FAA 61.75 PPL/IR 2014. Have a 9 year old daughter.
And yet another IT guy here: freelance sofware developer (mainly Windows platform)
And another IT guy! VMware, Linux, FreeBSD when I can find somewhere for it (although it’s the best Unix out there, IMHO.) Also Oracle, with an out of date smattering of the eBusiness Suite too.
Curious that this thread comes back to life now – I’m contemplating a move to France – where do people suggest is a good location in France if you work in IT with my skills?
Different positions in the energy markets, partly IT-related ( :-)), mostly not.
Currently managing international power and gas procurement and regulatory affairs for a chemical company.
In parallel helping SMEs to reduce their energy bills by way of better deals, subsidies and exemptions.
Living (mostly) in Munich.
Looks like I’m up – a Linux admin/engineer/architect; part-owned a web hosting company, some e-commerce sites, currently part-owner of an IT outsourcing company (individual specialists as well as teams, mainly Java and .Net programmers, as well as QA)
Started as a mechanic in the Air Force. Worked on “line”, first level maintenance on F-16. Then went civilian and got a PhD (dr.ing) in fluid mechanics (turbines and related stuff). Worked in R&D my entire carrier, both with commercial companies and non-profit institutions in oil and gas and hydropower. I’m also a part time professor, teaching control systems for hydropower. Currently working on advanced control systems (MPC and related stuff) for entire plants. Had the first installation a couple of years ago on a 960 MW plant.
In between I’m building experimental aircraft, and try to fly as much as possible. Extremely difficult to balance the time for this stuff (especially when life and house and wife and kids interfere) 
Flying gliders, microlights and PPL.
