Nic & Gee both started their aeronautical experiences by falling through the skies of respectively Hilversum (NL) and Spa. The couple met each other in 1991 at the airfield (where else?) of Spa when Gee had just obtained a flying license that allowed him to use the undercarriage of a plane rather than just his own feet for landing. At that time Nic had stopped using her motor-gliding license obtained in Hilversum and was still falling out of planes.
In order to go on flying holidays and be able to share the flying, Nic also obtained her PPL. As Gee had a weak spot for classic aircraft, they soon started using the flying club's cub (L-18C) for the flying trips in Belgium and abroad. Next logical step was the purchase of their own taildragger.
When Gee said that he would love to have a Chipmunk, Nic did not know what type of aircraft he was talking about but said that she was under the charm of a cute taildragger she had seen in Hilversum. Guess what? That “cute taildragger“ was a Chipmunk.
They certainly got their priorities right as they first bought the Chippie, then a house and finally got married in 2007. As Gee loves sharing his passion, he became a flight instructor in 2001 after having obtained his CPL.
He is now also a flight examiner and definitely loves teaching tailwheel flying. Since the purchase of the Chippie, Nic & Gee attend every year as many fly-ins and other gatherings as their agenda allows and from one thing came another. Since a couple of years the Chippie and its owners have been adopted by the Piperclub de France and the International Auster Club. They are members of 369 Sqn and as of this year became the third organisers of the Chipmeet. The many trips enlarged their circle of flying friends to such an extend that they had the pleasure to be escorted by 40 aircraft in their aerial wedding procession in September 2007 at the airfield of Theux.
Real pilots fly taildraggers !