He is too young for a ride on the scooter, but for a solo flight in West Brabant airspace he does not turn his hand around. At fourteen years old, Senna Versluijs from Putte is the youngest pilot of the West Brabant Aero Club. The silence, the speed and the dazzling view. For Senna, gliding is his passion.
As often as he can, the young pilot can be found at the club at Woensdrecht Air Base. Senna is a striking appearance among the older members. “We have a lot of gray pigeons here and that’s why we can use young members like Senna,” says Rein de Jonge of the WBAC as the youngest member prepares to take off.
“More peers would be nice.”
Senna would also like to have some more peers. “That would be nice because we understand each other better. Not only when we discuss flying, but also when we joke among ourselves.”
The gliding club has been in existence since 1934 and has one hundred active and eighty dormant members. To keep the hobby affordable for everyone, the club has started a membership recruitment campaign. Prior to the popular film Top Gun, commercials are shown in cinemas in the west of the province.
“Flying is just fantastic.”
Rein: “We joined this popular film because flying is simply fantastic. With us you can fly independently within three or four months. Fortunately, you don’t have to buy a plane yourself because we have seven of them at the club. You can become a member for 725 euros per year. We do expect you to help with maintenance in the winter.”
Gliding sometimes also has a dark side. This became apparent last Wednesday when a glider pilot from Schijndel was killed in an accident at Terlet airport in Gelderland. “Obviously this is a huge tragedy for the family. It also has a huge impact on the members of his club.”
“We train on the prevention of incidents.”
“We are constantly training to recognize and prevent accidents. We are also very vigilant about this. For example, we always actively give each other feedback after a flight. But if you go fast, you run a risk. In that sense, it can be compared to motorcycling or cycling,” explains Rein.
The glider pilots in Woensdrecht wear a parachute as a precaution. Senna is also wearing a parachute when he is pulled up by the winch in his glider. “At first I thought it was exciting without an instructor, but now I’m used to it.”
“I’ve already mapped out my life.”
He has to be patient for his license because he has to be 16 for that. But the ambitions of the HAVO student from ‘t Rijks in Bergen op Zoom reach further. Because in addition to gliding, Senna has now also started flying lessons on a single-engine aircraft at Breda International Airport.
“I’ve planned my life very precisely and eventually I want to become a fighter pilot in the Air Force,” says the fourteen-year-old. After just under ten minutes, he lands his plane, as if he hadn’t done anything else for years.