Marcel van Bielder

Born in The Hague, Holland in May 1970 I became interested in military aviation at a very young age. Already at the age of 12 I saw and photographed my first military jets during a USAF deployment at Gilze-Rijen Airbase, Holland. From there on it grew into a hobby and, like many others my age, was hoping it would become more than that.

Due to the fact I needed glasses I was unable to get into a (military) pilot training program. So alternatively I took my chances trying to become an Air Traffic Controller. And now, instead of being told what to do as a pilot, I am that person telling pilots what to do and have been doing so for almost 30 years already.

Being an aviation enthusiast takes one all over the world, and although many places have already been visited, there are still many left to visit and stories to be told.