On 4 October 1992 I was on initial training for KLM. At that time, I had just gone through a significant career change from being a police pilot on small planes to a commercial airline pilot. I remember that day very well. In the morning I drove with a friend of mine to the KLM simulators. We passed by the parking spots of several aircraft and stated to each other what a miracle it was that an aircraft that weighs more than 400 tons can fly. In the evening when I drove back home I heard on the news that an ELAL Boeing 747 Cargo had crashed on the outskirts of Amsterdam, hitting apartment buildings. All four people on board were killed, including 39 victims on the ground.

Last month it was the 20th anniversary of this sad event. Reflecting on the accident, I realise that we, pilots, should do everything possible to prevent such terrible accidents from happening. Either by improving technical safety standards, providing more detailed information to the pilots to determine the cause of a technical failure or by more adequate training.

I also realise how important the work done by volunteer pilots is to achieve these goals by working relentlessly at national and international level. They invest their spare time to keep aviation safe because they believe they can make a difference. And they do. 

In this Cockpit News you can read about the Single European Sky (SES) project, which is actively supported by ECA and our pilot experts. It looks like International Politics have delayed this crucial program. Luckily, the European Commission recognises its importance and is doing everything in its power to revitalise the program. 

In November 2012 my two-years term as President of the ECA ends. I would be honoured to be elected to serve another two years as President of the ECA and to support all the work done by individual pilots in the name of ECA and our 37 Member Associations.