This post is for those of you who want to know more about me but do not dare to ask. No naked picture, I promise, but more about who am I and what I do apart from blogging.

1: My name ? Vincent. The rest of my indentity is reserved to some happy few.

2: How old ? 30 for the time. I’m a product of the year 1978.

3: My flight experience ? I’m holding a JAR PPL(A) with instrument rating. 362 hours total flight time, 224 as pilot in command, 91 in IFR.

4: Am I a professional pilot ? No (reffer to point 3). I’ve a good job (refer to point 5) and for me flying is purely a hobby.

5: What for a job ? I’m a radar tracking specialist, working for ATC. Radar tracking ? Several radar stations send their pictures to computers which build a single, smoothed picture for the air-traffic controllers. My job is to evaluate, tune and develop such pieces of software.

6: Familial status ? Married to a delicious woman who gave me a lovely daughter – product of year 2006.

7: Wher am I from ? I was born and raised in Geneva (Switzerland) but moved to Frankfurt (Germany) in 2008 for professional reasons.

8: Do I speak German ? Well… I do my best but I still have a serious progression margin. Geneva is in the French speaking part of Switzerland. My mother tongue is french.

9: How much do I fly ? Since the move to Frankfurt was decided, not that much. For time and budget reasons my flying is limited to what is required to keep my ratings valid. I however hope to resume more flying soon.

10: Why this blog ? It all started when I trained for the G1000 glass cockpit. I had spare time between lessons, and started a blogspot blog. I realised how much I liked to write about aviation and how much can be said.

11: Is it a substitute for flying ? Partly, yes. I have more time available and writing about flying and aviation is also a good way to keep in touch with this world.

12: Do I have flight experience in the USA ? Not yet. I flew in Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy and United Kingdom. I overflew Licthenstein once, but this does not really count.

13: There are ads on the blog. Do I earn a gazillion dollars each year from that ? No, not a gazillion. After paying for the hosting, I can invite my delicious wife for dinner a few of times per year. If you want to place buy some ad space, contact me.

15: Am I doing this blog alone ? Basically, yes. I like to collaborate with other bloggers for series like the “US vs. Europe” and the “Different Perspective”. If you’re interested, let me know. Guest posts are also welcome.

16: My political and religious views ? In US context you could call me “conservative”. In European context, this would match “liberal”. I was grown in a vaguely Christian context but my family was not affiliated to any church and I do not take part in any religious activities.

17: My favorite food ? There are many of them but my favorite recipes definitely involve meat or sugar.

18: Am I leaving in a part of Germany where there is no speed limitations ? Yes, some motorways around have no speed limitations. My personal best is 190 km/h (118 mph) but some others are driving much faster.

19: What is the meaning of life ? People are not wearing enough hats. Or 42.

Read other Advent Calendar Posts – but no cheating !

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