Dear pilot and plane owners,
Last winter was a very wet one and the winter ended with several stormy weekends in a row. Not very suitable for flying. No one would have thought that the global Corona plague would in no time affect the lives of all of us. And yet, when we investigate the history of mankind, this kind of event happened every couple of centuries. There was the Antonine Plague of 165 to 180 AD, an ancient pandemic brought to the Roman Empire by troops returning from campaigns in the Near East and killing so many people in the fierce Roman Empire. No one of us is old enough to remember the 1918 flu pandemic, the so called Spanish flu. This plague lasting from January 1918 to December 1920 and it is said that 25% of the global population was infected, also with a heavy mortality rate. After the lethal second wave struck, new cases dropped abruptly – almost to nothing after the peak in the second wave. Meaning , it is not the end of the world, there will be light at the end of this dark period.
So now we have a new plague, the Corona or Covid-19 crisis as it is called. Although our world in general and Luxembourg in particular is way more connected than at previous plagues which facilitates the spread, the upside is that technology is way more advanced. Bold measures which are taken now on a global level should help to limit the damage for mankind. Regarding global economic effects, many businesses and service industries suffer losses in revenue.
Also plane owners and pilots are heavily affected by this crisis. Passenger aviation has come to an almost standstill and private flights are now prohibited. This causes that licenses, rating of all kind are not renewed in due time, causing new and costly issues for our club members. EASA has shown flexibility to address some flexibility to airliners, it was our role to step up and raise towards authorities that the General Aviation as such is also heavily affected. We pointed out the specific topics which concern all of use. Similar and coordinated initiatives were developed in other countries by AOPA organizations. Also on IAOPA level, there are direct contacts and exchanges with EASA. Together we stand strong so that you will be able to fly again shortly.
We discussed with the management of DAC in Luxembourg and addressed them also a formal letter, outlining our worries with AOPA Luxembourg and focusing on very specific points with we asked them to consider
There’s always sunshine after the rainfall and I’m confident that sooner or later, we’ll all fly again. That’s for sure !
Our association is doing good work to defend the interests of pilots and plane owners, your membership drives us. If you haven’t done , please enroll and renew your membership today.
Stay healthy !
Peter Sodermans
President
AOPA Luxembourg