Aviation Photography by Piet Luijken
Distinct Focus on Military Aeroplanes, present and past
About Me.
As a small boy, I was always interested in aviation. It was only a small step to enjoy the art of aviation photography. In the same year, I joined the local soaring club, to really feel all about flying. After finishing atheneum, I enlisted myself to the Royal Netherlands Naval College as a midshipman to the Operational Services. In these years I entered the course for the Private Pilot License, for which I succeeded. In two years, I accumulated about 150 flying hours in the small Cessna and Piper aeroplanes. Also, it was possible to embark on some flights with the F-27 Friendship, of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, but also the P-3C Orion and the Lynx helicopter of the Royal Netherlands Navy.
After I left the navy, I was selected for the Government Aviation School, to become an Airline Pilot. My dream came true and after two years, I had earned my wings. I was hired with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines but had to wait for some months. In that period, I continued studying to earn my instructor license. Thereafter, I did indeed instruct lots of students at my old flying school in Den Helder which I really enjoyed.
Then, my career started at the KLM, as a second officer on the big B-747 Jumbo. As a result, I learned all about flying the big jets and seeing the nice places of the world. One of the better things to do was flying in the USA. So nice to make loopings over the coastline of Los Angeles. Another landmark was the visit to the Sri Lankan Air Force Museum.
After two years, I was able to become a first officer at the very Dutch Fokker 100, which was a delight to fly. Lots of sweet memories, like performing a tail turn in a completely unknown Zlin142 at a Prague airport or executing a visual with the F100 at Nice Airport. In these years, I had a romantic affair with a stewardess, later known as the mother of my two lovely daughters and the woman I married, with much love and passion. And she still is.
With the birth of my second daughter, I also had my first captaincy at the Boeing 737. Now, ten years later, I have switched to become captain on the Airbus A330, flying long-haul routes to the Middle-East, Africa and the East Coast of the USA.
In 2003, I bought a Canon digital camera and some L-lenses and started again with aviation photography. In the previous years I have been able to visit many Armed Forces, like Lebanon (2005), Greece (2007) or Poland (2009) for the magazine Scramble. In the same time, I was asked to join Scramble as an editor. For this monthly magazine, I was the web manager of the TLP exercise webpage. Furthermore, I was able to contribute some articles to this magazine made by many volunteers.
Nowadays, I still enjoy combining my interest in aviation during my job and in my spare time.
