More than half a century of educational flights over the city and port

Young people beam when they step out of the Cessna 172 of Youth & Aviation. They have just returned from a flight over the harbor and the city. “That’s what we do it for,” says chairman Christian Van Looy. In 25 minutes they can see the MAS, the Liefkenshoek tunnel, the Scheldt, the Sportpaleis and the Bosuil Stadium. “But they also learn a bit about the history of Antwerp when they fly over Fort Kallo and Fort Sint-Filips. Today, 15 students from the UA Transport and Regional Economics flew along.

About our house consequences

“Amazing” is the word we hear most when the students get out. Everyone is particularly surprised by the size of the port of Antwerp. Celine Kuysters and Milena De Backer, both Marketing & Communication strategists, are the last to take to the air. “It is impressive, you have a beautiful view of the harbor, the cathedral and the city park,” says Milena enthusiastically. “We flew right over our house,” Celine adds.

“They are not always Transport and Logistics students,” Christian explains. Primary and secondary schools regularly replace the annual trip to the Efteling with a sightseeing flight because it has a higher didactic value. As the name of the non-profit organization suggests, the sightseeing flights are intended for young people. “We unfortunately have to disappoint senior associations that submit an application.” There is no real minimum age, but children under the age of 8 are not recommended because they are often too small to see properly.

Volunteers

A sightseeing flight for schools costs 90 euros per flight, with 2 or 3 passengers on board. “In these small devices we have to take the weight into account,” says Christian. The 90 euros per flight is also the cost price, both the pilots and the supervisors are all volunteers. These are aviation enthusiasts who want young people to experience the importance of Antwerp as an economic metropolis in their spare time.

Stampe and Vertongen museum

Schools and youth associations often combine the sightseeing flight with a visit to the Stampe en Vertongen museum and a look behind the scenes of the airport. They will then learn more about check-in and baggage handling and visit a hangar with private jets and the airport fire brigade. In the museum they get a tour of the old aircraft and learn more about the 100-year history of Antwerp airport.

RAAC

Youth & Aviation itself only has one aircraft. But to ensure that the sightseeing flights run smoothly, aircraft from the Royal Antwerp Aviaton Club, the oldest flying school in Flanders, are also used. This association provides training to become a private pilot and you can also go there three times a year for ‘Pilot for 1 day’. Then you will receive theoretical lessons in the morning and after lunch the participants can take a sightseeing flight of about 40 minutes, assisted by an experienced instructor. “After that experience, many people stick around and opt for a full course,” Christian says enthusiastically.

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