Dutch king - a secret First Officer on KLM

Ahh, socalism, isn't it cute
 
weilke said:
Tells you how relevant the dutch monarchy is.
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Well, it's not very relevant to Americans, that's true, but the Dutch keep tabs on his public appearances. They see his image and hear his voice quite often.

So it's surprising that he can walk through his country's airports and address the passengers on his plane over the PA system, without being noticed for 21 years.
 
NoHeat said:
Well, it's not very relevant to Americans, that's true, but the Dutch keep tabs on his public appearances. They see his image and hear his voice quite often.

So it's surprising that he can walk through his country's airports and address the passengers on his plane over the PA system, without being noticed for 21 years.
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Hmmm. Maybe it tells you how few of the Dutch fly on commercial airplanes... :)
 
Half Fast said:
That's sorta like calling a rattlesnake "cute"....
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If I ever flew on KLM and he was the FO, I wouldn't know it either.

As a matter of fact I DID fly on a Fokker 90 from Schiphol to Aberdeen Scotland. They served cucumber sandwiches.
 
weilke said:
It tells you how few of them still pay attention to their monarchy.
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I think they understand it's not a REALLY BIG deal like the British do. They may pay attention but don't go Gaga over the "Royals". Never did understand the GB fascination with the doings of "those people".

Cheers
 
I've never understood why so many Americans are into the British and other monarchs. Monarchs are what we sought our freedom from once upon a time.
 
X3 Skier said:
I think they understand it's not a REALLY BIG deal like the British do. They may pay attention but don't go Gaga over the "Royals". Never did understand the GB fascination with the doings of "those people".

Cheers
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Most of the european monarchies are that way. The swedish king used to go hiking without entourage.
 
Why does anyplace still have a monarchy, anyway? LOL. Tell them "Job's over, layoff time..." and send them packing looking for something useful to do.
 
Fokker 90 doesn't exist. Fokker 70 and 100 do however. It seems he was flying the F70 and will be trained on the 737 as it's being retired. Nice airplanes to fly on.
 
denverpilot said:
Why does anyplace still have a monarchy, anyway? LOL. Tell them "Job's over, layoff time..." and send them packing looking for something useful to do.
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Definitely.

Nevertheless, even in countries where nobility has been officially eliminated, people often still cling to the idea, and track who would hold the title. I saw that often in the tabloid press, when I lived in Germany, where nobility was eliminated by law way back in 1919. For example, there's a rich businessman there who was usually described in the press as the Prince of Thurn and Taxis, instead of just labeling him as the director of whatever company he runs.
 
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denverpilot said:
Why does anyplace still have a monarchy, anyway? LOL. Tell them "Job's over, layoff time..." and send them packing looking for something useful to do.
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It's just part of the culture in those countries. I remember reading that something like 75% of British people support the monarchy.
 
The king of Jordan went to high school in the US, enjoyed the experience. He likes to extend his official state visits by a few days. Has a container of motorcycles shipped to an obscure location, then shows up with his bodyguards to ride around for a few days. Everybody is suited up, bunch of swarthy guys, nobody pays them any mind.
 
t3chiman said:
The king of Jordan went to high school in the US, enjoyed the experience. He likes to extend his official state visits by a few days. Has a container of motorcycles shipped to an obscure location, then shows up with his bodyguards to ride around for a few days. Everybody is suited up, bunch of swarthy guys, nobody pays them any mind.
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King Abdullah II is one of the world leaders I most respect. I first saw him interviewed on the Jon Stewart show and gained a better understanding from that one interview of the challenges in middle east peace than I had from, well, everything else I'd ever learned about it. He manages the difficult task of being friends both with the west and with the west-hating nations in his area, and has done a lot to promote peace in the middle east as well as between Islamic nations and the rest of the world. If only there were more leaders like him, who would be moderate and measured in their actions and not just flap their jaws with the populist crap of the hour to fan flames, we would all be better off.
 
NoHeat said:
Definitely.
Nevertheless, even in countries where nobility has been officially eliminated, people often still cling to the idea, and track who would hold the title. I saw that often in the tabloid press, when I lived in Germany, where nobility was eliminated by law way back in 1919. For example, there's a rich businessman there who was usually described in the press as the Prince of Thurn and Taxis, instead of just labeling him as the director of whatever company he runs.
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Nobility as a rank in society was eliminated, the titles just became part of peoples names. While they lost their formal grasp on power, they did retain ownership of their often considerable family fortunes. When I studied and worked in Munich in the 90s, I met a couple of them. Most are entirely normal, some are colossal idiots. One morning I walked into the ICU and found the nursing staff in a tizzy on how to address 'the prince' who had been admitted overnight. I just asked him and he got a good chuckle out of the question.
 
SkyDog58 said:
I've never understood why so many Americans are into the British and other monarchs. Monarchs are what we sought our freedom from once upon a time.
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Because that is a life style I will never achieve.

And there is 78 bathrooms in Buckingham Palace. Wouldn't it be nice to NOT have to wait for your turn in the bathroom?

I mean, Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. I have followed some people that did the reverse Michelangelo and removed the paint off the ceiling in the bathroom.....phew....
 
I think the King flying as a FO for KLM is a cool story. Good for him. If I were him, I would have wanted a little normalcy and anonymity too.
 
t3chiman said:
The king of Jordan went to high school in the US, enjoyed the experience. He likes to extend his official state visits by a few days. Has a container of motorcycles shipped to an obscure location, then shows up with his bodyguards to ride around for a few days. Everybody is suited up, bunch of swarthy guys, nobody pays them any mind.
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And played a tranporter officer on ST:TNG.
 
Pretty neat story! You never know who you run into in the flight deck. I've flown with and have jumpseater on flights where the crew member has been notable and do some pretty cool things. This is just one of the cooler stories

I'd love that conversation with friends "so how's your FO this trip"

"Pretty cool guy, he's actually the prince"
 
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