By Paul Maenhaut, member of the board of the OFC and member of BeCA

Do not hesitate to join!

To all experienced, senior and retired pilots and flight engineers

Are you aware that you can join associations, which consist of flying personnel with different skills and background? They regularly organise gatherings and happenings, offering a platform for exchanging mutual flying experiences while taking a bite and enjoying a drink.

You will find hereafter some information about two of these: the Vieilles Tiges of Belgian Aviation (VTB) and the Old Flyers Club (OFC).

The Vieilles Tiges of Belgian Aviation (VTB)

What?

Is the largest Belgian flyers association with more than 630 members plus 12 aviation related associations.
Its goals are:

• To organise gatherings of civil and military flyers in order to create a “band of brothers” with similar backgrounds and interests;
  To perpetuate the memory of our predecessors, including the pioneers of Belgian aviation;
  To promote the “aviation spirit” and keep it alive while serving as an information platform to those who show interest in aviation;
  To offer assistance, within reasonable limits, to members and their family.

Magazine

The VTB participates to multiple aeronautical events and publishes a colourful three-monthly magazine containing the agenda of activities, testimonies, anecdotes, memories and much more.

Activities

Each second Wednesday of the month, the VTB organises a get together with optional lunch in “Het Huis der Vleugels / La Maison des Ailes”, Rue Montoyerstraat 1, 1000 Brussels.
In July and August, this activity takes place, respectively in the Air Museum in Brussels and on a random airfield in Belgium during an “extra muros” meeting. Moreover VTB organises a gastronomic banquet in Springtime, during which a medal or diploma celebrating 50, 60 or 70 years of flying licence is awarded to members having reached these milestones.

Membership

All aviators who obtained their licence since more than 30 years – or 20 years if still flying – are eligible. Membership fee: € 30/year. Widows of deceased members pay 50% to maintain membership.

Information

Additional information, including an affiliation form is available on the VTB website www.vieillestiges.be or contact the secretary (Didier Waelkens), vtb.secretary@gmail.com, Tel: 02 251 3310.

OFC (Old Flyers Club): Who are we?

We are an association of old servants from the aviation.

The association was created in the seventies by some members of the former cockpit association ABPNL, now replaced by BeCA.

At the creation only the members of the ABPNL were allowed.

In the meantime those conditions are adjusted and strongly widened.

Nowadays the association is also accessible to all Cockpit Crew Members (CCM).

Since a few years there is even a new category created under the heading “Sympathizers”.

That members list is open to all persons who had something to do with aviation but never had the statue of CCM: military pilots, cabin crew, dispatcher, secretary of flying personnel, etc…

For the moment we have about 270 members and 15 sympathizers.

The 1st Thursday of the month we meet together in the Castle Club, Avenue de la Bisasse / Houtsniplaan 16, 1970 Wezembeek-Oppem.

The board holds its monthly meeting between 10:30 and 12:00. The members are expected from 12:00 on for the aperitif and around 13:00, for those who want to participate, there is a lunch. The average price is 35€, drinks and tip included.

Normally we are around 40 members for the aperitif and 30 to 35 for the lunch. The gathering lasts till about 15:30, although sometimes it can run out a little longer…

In the month of July and August,the meeting and lunch normally takes place somewhere outside.

The last Saturday of October we have our yearly banquet (at noon).

11 times a year you receive a Newsletter.

Further on we have an Internet and Telephone Pyramid to inform the members of important events (e.g. decease of a member).

Conditions of admission

To become a member of our association you only have to pay a yearly membership fee of 20€.

If you are interested do not hesitate to visit us on our next meeting.

Information

The office is at the same location as the BeCA: Herlevingslaan / Avenue du Renouveau 25/43, 1140 Evere or contact louis.jeangout@scarlet.be, former Sabena and Sobelair captain.