- Title: Dutch king's double life as commercial pilot is "cool" in Holland
- Date: 18th May 2017
- Summary: THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS (MAY 18, 2017) (REUTERS) PEOPLE WALKING IN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRAZILIAN LAW STUDENT RESIDING IN THE HAGUE, VINICIUS, SAYING: "Well, personally I am afraid of flying, but if he's taking all the precautions if the airplane is well maintained, if he has the expertise. It's funny, if I would go out on a plane and I know that the Dutch King was the one flying (it), so I think it's nice." PEOPLE SITTING ON BENCH (SOUNDBITE) (English) FRENCH YOGA TEACHER, MEIVE MATTMANN, SAYING: "I think it's really cool. Actually, it's really cool that people didn't know that he had a normal job -- though not everyone is flying big planes -- but I think it's quite nice. We know he always tried before being king to have a normal life with his wife and with the children and now we know that that was true, because he had always that side, without using it for his image beforehand so I think it's nice to find out now." PEOPLE BUYING ICE CREAM (SOUNDBITE) (Dutch) DUTCH CONSULTANT, ALBERT, SAYING: "Everyone has his own hobby. One person goes car racing, the other flies."
- Embargoed: 1st June 2017 16:31
- Keywords: flights Dutch King Willem-Alexander Reactions Netherlands secret VoxPop airplane aircraft pilot
- Location: SCHIPHOL, AMSTERDAM AND THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS/ UNKNOWN LOCATION
- City: SCHIPHOL, AMSTERDAM AND THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS/ UNKNOWN LOCATION
- Country: Netherlands
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Human Interest / Brights / Odd News,Royals
- Reuters ID: LVA0046HD9T21
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: People in the Netherlands on Thursday (May 18) reacted positively after King Willem-Alexander revealed in an interview that he regularly flies commercial airline flights a co-pilot.
A Brazilian law student, Vinicius said he did not see the problem if all security procedures are respected.
Also living in The Hague, French yoga teacher Meive Mattmann praised the fact that he did not give up on living a normal life.
King Willem-Alexander spoke of his secret life as a co-pilot on commercial airline flights on Wednesday (May 17), in an interview with De Telegraaf newspaper.
The article detailed how the 50-year-old monarch flew twice a month for 21 years, with his passengers none the wiser.
A keen pilot, the King obtained his Commercial Pilot's Licence in 1987 followed by his Airline Transport Pilot Licence in 2001 according to the official website of the Dutch Royal Family.
The website states that he occasionally flew as a guest pilot with KLM Cityhopper in order to keep his skills sharp and has plans to train on Boeing 737 aircraft in order to continue with the airline when they replace their fleet.
A few hours after the revelation, KLM posted a picture of King Willem-Alexander in the cockpit of one its aircraft wearing his pilot's uniform on social media network Twitter. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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