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A student pilot says "Hello EuroGA"

Hello everyone,
About two weeks ago I stumbled upon these forums after reading the homepage http://fliegen-in-uk.de by Philipp Tiemann (better known as boscomantico here) which is explaining the pecularities of flying in the UK to German pilots. I was then wondering what pilots from other European countries might find difficult or peculiar about flying in Germany, did a google search and ended up on euroga.org.
I’ve been a keen reader of this site since then and thought that now would be a good time to introduce myself and join discussions instead of merely “lurking” the forums.

My name is Leonard, I’m a 31-year old German working as an anaesthesiologist in East Frisia. While becoming a pilot was a childhood dream for me (in elementary school I answered “Concorde pilot” when asked about what I wanted to do professionally when grown up), I abandoned such plans in my teen years (and Concorde doesn’t fly anymore anyways…) and eventually ended up becoming a doctor, which is probably an even more challenging yet also more rewarding profession than full-time pilot.
I remained interested in flying however, which manifested itself mainly through playing flight sims on PC. After racking up about 50 flight hours on Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition, I accidentally stumbled upon a local aero club on the web and their offer for trial lessons.
I gave it a shot and ended up in the cockpit of an Aquila A210, next to my current FI. The experience was so fascinating that I decided to join the club and start PPL(A) training. Progress was initially slow because my lessons were often weeks apart due to my very demanding work at our hospital’s intensive care unit and me becoming a father all at the same time. But things took up speed when my intensive care rotation was over and I finally managed to pass the PPL(A) theory exam in autumn and the radiotelephone proficiency test (BZF I in German and English) last month.
Now with about 28 hours in my logbook I’m looking forward to complete the PPL(A) in the next few months and despite being probably the least experienced flyer of all posters on this page I am eager to learn from you all and occasionally contribute from a student pilot’s perspective (I’ve read older threads complaining about a lack of posts from student pilots and pure VFR-flyers…well here you go

PS: I didn’t know if this sub-forum is appropriate for introductory posts. If not, please move my post as appropriate Peter.

Last Edited by MedEwok at 10 Feb 16:57
Low-hours pilot
EDVM Hildesheim, Germany

Hello Leonard!

MedEwok wrote:

…and eventually ended up becoming a doctor, which is probably an even more challenging yet also more rewarding profession than full-time pilot.

One of my colleagues was an anaesthesiologist before making his childhood dream come true by getting himself an ATPL. He has been flying business jets for almost two years now and still does not want to set foot into a hospital ever again… Our working times and conditions are crap, but a lot better then in medical care obviously.

So: Never say never…

Good luck with your upcoming PPL checkride – and should you wish to continue thereafter, we are quite short of pilots on the type I’m flying… there would be the rare opportunity of two anaesthesiologists flying together

Regards
Max

EDDS - Stuttgart

Welcome to EuroGA, Leonard

Good luck with the rest of your PPL, and don’t be worried about asking any questions whatsoever.

we are quite short of pilots on the type I’m flying… there would be the rare opportunity of two anaesthesiologists flying together

With some of the planes you fly, W-N, you might need two of them

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Thank you for the warm welcome, Max and Peter!

what_next wrote:

One of my colleagues was an anaesthesiologist before making his childhood dream come true by getting himself an ATPL. He has been flying business jets for almost two years now and still does not want to set foot into a hospital ever again… Our working times and conditions are crap, but a lot better then in medical care obviously.

So: Never say never…

Good luck with your upcoming PPL checkride – and should you wish to continue thereafter, we are quite short of pilots on the type I’m flying… there would be the rare opportunity of two anaesthesiologists flying together

Hehe interesting to hear. I’ve actually heard of several anaesthesiologists flying in their spare time, but your story is the first I hear of someone completely changing professions.
One of my colleagues with very dry humour once quipped: “Many anaesthesiologists are also pilots. Both are very similar, the main difference being that if you mess up in anaesthesia, the patient dies, but if you mess up as a pilot, you die [as well]” (it sounded even better in German and with his azerbaijani accent…)

I’ll see how far I can go, what_next. After PPL I am aiming for a Night Qualification next and maybe IR in the next couple of years (but I doubt I’ll have the time).

Reading EuroGA topics made me realize that many pilots drop out after holding a PPL again, especially if they have nothing to aim for. I never thought much about this before signing up, I admit, but now I think my aim is rather simple: I’d like to fly my family to places all around Germany and Europe. Unfortunately for flying the family around I need a plane that can carry as much useful load as my trusted VW Golf Variant VI. But while that one cost me a mere 10,000€ at 3 years old, carrying about 600 kg easily with a range of about 400 nm, no plane carrying 600 kg is anywhere near my budget atm (unlike what they tell you in the media, we don’t earn fortunes in medicine…well most of us don’t)

Low-hours pilot
EDVM Hildesheim, Germany

Welcome, Leonard, and my congratulations for making your own decisions and for balancing your dreams and your ambitions and, as we say, “the things of life”. Also a big “Bravo!” with your offspring: life must go on!

Philipp “Boscomantico” has indeed very much contributed to our common stock of knowledge, and his websites have a large client base, far exceeding the Bundesrepublik. As some say in Mr. Tolkien’s famous writings: “may his beard grow ever longer!”

It is strange to me to see that you needed to take the BZF test separately. Myself flying an ultralight I have not kept up with EASA PPL training but I always understood R/T° (including the test) was included in the PPL training and subsequent testing.

Do keep us posted about your progress!

° R/T: radio telephony, a somewhat outdated English abbreviation for what is in German so concisely (for once!) called “Funken”.

Last Edited by at 10 Feb 18:34
EBZH Kiewit, Belgium

The classical version of this saying goes: “pilots are buried with their mistakes and doctors bury their mistakes”.

@MedEwok
I think you’ve made an excellent choice of profession if your goal is to fly for fun!

Your goal “to fly my family to places all around Germany and Europe” is the type of flying I do. I don’t know how big your family is, but a Cessna 182 might be a good choice( 2 parents, 2 kids, light bags). We make do with a 180HP Rallye (2 parents, adult son, light bags) and do quite long distances VFR. There ARE affordable choices!

Make sure to enjoy the process of learning along the way! It’s not all about goals.

Tököl LHTL

Jan_Olieslagers wrote:

It is strange to me to see that you needed to take the BZF test separately.

That’s a German speciality that will probably never go away. Although the theoretical part is now covered by the PPL theory and there is no requirement to do any practical training, the exams are taken by the “Bundesnetzagentur” and not one of the aviation authorities. Because this authority regulates everything which is organised as grid (trains, electricity, mail, …) and that includes everything which has to do with electromagnetic waves (Radio, TV, mobile phones, microwave ovens!).

EDDS - Stuttgart

I wonder if you transfer a pilot’s licence from a country that includes radio privileges in the PPL with no separate exam (i.e. as part of the PPL exam flight), and then move it to Germany – will you have to sit this additional exam or will you get it based on equivalency? This seems to be an area not covered by EASA in Germany.

Last Edited by Rwy20 at 10 Feb 18:21

Rwy20 wrote:

I wonder if you transfer a pilot’s licence from a country…

In the end it is all entered in your EASA pilot’s license, no matter how and where you got your radio license. So in my understanding, every EASA license is also acceptable in Germany, RT included.

EDDS - Stuttgart
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