Helmut Walgraeve is project manager for general cargo at International Car Operators (ICO) in Zeebrugge and Antwerp. In his spare time, he prefers to get behind the controls for flying trips from the Noordzee Vliegclub in Ostend.
“Flying has always fascinated me, but as a youngster I looked up to the heavy professional studies,” explains Helmut Walgraeve. “It kept itching, especially since I live near the airport in Ostend. Later in life, I walked in during an open day of the North Sea Flying Club (NZVC) and decided to enrol in the course immediately. I followed the theoretical and practical training there and, after exactly one year, obtained my licence PPL (Private Pilot) in 2019. Since then, I have been flying several times a week, totalling some 350 flying hours.”
“Our club has about two hundred members of which one hundred and twenty are active pilots. Some have their own aircraft, but most fly the three club aircraft: modern comfortable four-seater Robin 400/401 (Single Engine Piston SEP(L)). The club fleet also serves to educate and train the annual 12-18 students. It usually takes 2 years to pass theory and practice, though if you are flexible and the conditions are with you, it can be faster.
Chance of turbulence
This intense training is necessary, because even a hobby flight involves a lot for order and safety in the skies. “Beforehand, you have to draw up a flight plan and deliver it in time to the relevant authorities. For Belgium, this is air traffic control Skeyes in Brussels. In it, you have to take into account the characteristics of flight zones, airports and the weather forecast. En route, you are in constant radio contact with the nearest ATC (Air Traffic Control). Every movement you have to report and some require permission. Precisely because you are busy with that all the time, this is very relaxing.”
Time for action on this summer morning. A little before 9am, Helmut rolls the OO-SKV out of the hangar and a brief refuelling follows. “Today we are flying this club aircraft from Ostend to Kortrijk-Wevelgem for periodic maintenance. I made a flight plan for a nice tour via Zeebrugge, Flushing and Bruges. We leave on time, because on this hot summer day there can be quite a bit of turbulence from noon onwards.”
Circle around the port
After a thorough run-through of the checklist – gauges, controls, engine performance and so on – we taxi to runway 08 and are given take-off clearance. Ostend-Bruges International Airport has a 3.2 km runway for the largest aircraft, but we only need 400 to 500 metres of it. At a speed of 61 knots (113 km/hour), we are already detaching ourselves from the tarmac and floating gently as if in a hammock through the air. Between 1,000 and 1,500 feet (500 metres) high, we slide northwards between the wind turbines on the left and the coastline on the right.
Near Zeebrugge, Helmut reports to air traffic control that he will circle the port. We feast our eyes. “I started up that terminal in the outer harbour back in the day for the then Dart Line. And look how many cars there are in the back port. There you can see the construction of the truck park and also the construction of the elements for the Scheldt tunnel is progressing well.”
Sunbathing seals
From the air, you realise even better how connected our landmass is to water. Still above Zeebrugge, we can already see the Zeeland island of Walcheren and behind it the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier, over 40 kilometres as the crow flies. Beyond the Zwin – the remnant of the economic artery of medieval Bruges and Flanders – we follow the Westerschelde, today’s route of prosperity.
Our terminus is a bend around Vlissingen harbour, after which we set course straight south. “Shipping on the Western Scheldt is calm today. But see those grey and black dots on the sandbanks? Those are resting seals. Look, there’s Bruges already. At two hundred an hour, West Flanders is much smaller.”
British war airfields
In the basement of West Flanders, we land at Kortrijk-Wevelgem airport. There, clubmate Michel Verhaeghe is waiting for us at Gill Aviation, an aircraft garage. Michel has flown in with the second club aircraft 00-NSV to take us back to Ostend. Both are at least as passionate and over a coffee talk about how they can also enjoy multi-day trips abroad. “Regions like Brittany, Cornwall and Wales are beautiful from the air,” Helmut muses.
“Because our club is based at an international airport, we are well versed in international rules,” Michel knows. “But sometimes in France we come across very small, simple airfields, sometimes still grass slopes, where you have to be extra careful when landing. Even on numerous former war airfields in Britain, you often have to be very careful how they are put together. At large international airports everything is much clearer, but then you sometimes have another problem after landing: where to find the final destination among the numerous taxiways and buildings?”(laughs)
Traffic jam on the airstrip
The duo divide the tasks for the return flight: Michel pilots and Helmut takes care of navigation and radio communication. “Flying in pairs is sometimes no luxury. Now, for example, we have to navigate around the Koksijde military airbase and constantly adjust the radio frequency to keep in touch.”
After waiting for our turn to take off – even on an airstrip there is sometimes a traffic jam – we trot back into the air. To the left in the distance we can see Ypres and the Heuvelland picks up from the plain. Via Diksmuide, we follow the Yser to Nieuwpoort. Along the way, it becomes clear once more why flying never bores Helmut and Michel. Through the headset system, they chat endlessly about the landscape and remarkable constructions such as the IJzer Tower, the De Blankaart water reservoir, Nieuwpoort’s marina and Middelkerke’s new Casino.
Everyone welcome
At ten to twelve, Michel silently sets the plane down on Ostend’s runway, which was completely renovated only this spring. We feel small as we taxi past a large cargo plane to the flying club’s hangar. Whether they can still use members?
“We organise the training every year and there is still room. On weekdays, we only welcome our members, both those who fly themselves and affiliated plane spotters. But on weekends, all visitors are welcome in our cosy clubhouse with a viewing terrace right next to the tarmac. I can recommend everyone to drop by, because this is how this wonderful hobby started for me too,” concludes Helmut Walgraeve.
Info about Ostend North Sea Flying Club and opportunities to join: www.nvzc.be
