DutchPilotGirl
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About my year / Merry Christmas!
🕑 Added 2020-12-23 19:27:17 +0000 UTCHi everyone! There are no words to describe how grateful I am to have you supporting the DutchPilotGirl channel. I know 2020 has been an insane year, I realize all of us are dealing with our own struggles which not everyone is always aware of. Losing a loved one, losing jobs, a house or losing freedom. We are all in this together. It is why I have great admiration for you, who despite of everything, still decided to take a generous part of your income to support my channel. I am truly grateful for this and extremely lucky to have you playing a part in this community. Thank you so much!
January 2020 I was in simulator training, line training and all kinds of ground courses because I just joined Transavia. Corona was just mentioned once while in the simulator. Due to this ‘innocent flu’, the oxygen masks and headsets should not be used. Apart from that, we did not think of it as a big deal.
I completed my line training in February and performed 3 normal flights during the following weeks. Corona was being discussed more and more and before we realized it… we were all grounded. It was back then, when I first started worrying about my job.
I joined the company simultaneously with 11 other experienced pilots and we were the last people to join. Unfortunately, like most airlines, in case of redundancies LIFO (last in first out) would be applied. Basically it means I would be one of the people to be let go in case the management decided to furlough some pilots. Luckily, they never did.
Fast forward to June… I started flying again! 5 days continuously, 6 days out of base, on a normal roster. Busy months! I flew almost every day… towards Greece, Spain, Croatia, Italy, Egypt and Israel. That lasted until mid August since travel restrictions were slowly being implemented again.
Currently I still have a job, which is due to the loan that the Dutch government provided to the KLM- group, of which Transavia is a part. Our salaries did reduce by 20 % but as long as I am healthy and have a job, I am happy!
I realized more than ever that joining this company was one of the best decisions I ever made. The aviation industry is tough and fluctuating like no other industry. In the months that I wasn’t flying, I focused on future projects such as new websites, the new app, the new training platform and Discord.
A few Patrons decided to be moderator on the Discord server. Thank you Johna, Ryan and Ray for doing an amazing job! I literally, could not have done that without you!
I would love for you to share with me and the others how your year has been. How did this year affect your health and life in general? Is there anything else you’d like to share? Please do!
I would like to wish each and everyone of you a Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy, loving, adventurous, fulfilling and successful 2021. May this be the year that you will achieve whatever it is that you want to achieve. I send you and your family nothing but health, love, kindness, support and positive vibes to make all of that happen. Whenever travelling will be possible again and you happen to be in Amsterdam or anywhere near, let’s grab a coffee! ;)
For now, have a great day and I can’t wait to hear about you!
Big hugs, kisses and love from me,
Michelle
Comments
Michelle
Thank you Johna! Hope you can move to Finland in 2021!!
Michelle
Thank you Spyros!
Michelle
Thank you Marcos!!
Johna Wright
Merry Christmas to you and your family, Michelle! I wish you all health and happiness. Thank you so much for sharing a bit about your year and how it’s been for you. It’s been pretty rocky for me as well, having to start my master’s programme online and being held back from going to Finland. However, I was fortunate enough to have two amazing internship opportunities over the summer and fall that really helped me to prepare for my future. Also, I’ve been able to dedicate much more time to advocacy efforts, which has been super refreshing. I’ve also realized how important advocating is during the COVID-19 era, as many inequalities have surfaced (especially for disabled people and other minority groups). So, I feel that even though this year was tough, it did bring about some positive things for me. I look forward to 2021 and hope that it’s a fulfilling year for you and everyone else! Sorry for the long comment (:
Marcos E. Lübke
I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas as well Michelle, be blessed and that the hope for better coming year remains strong. The year for me as with a lot of hard work, I can't complain, it was great and I'm glad. I hope that the next year will be better for us all, because, willing or not, this situation really affect us one way or another. I'll consider a cup of coffee when I'll be visiting Amsterdam Michelle ;-) It would be nice. Warm greetings from Brazil
Spyros Spyropoulos
Merry Christmas Michelle and thank you for the great content you gave us in 2020, despite being a tough year! We are looking forward to the great things you will share with us next year! Wishing all a healthy New Year!
ROBERT A GROSSMAN
Happy Holidays!
