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Chris's answers are in, so I have the pleasure of sharing them to you. As always, thank you to everyone that participated and submitted questions, and a special thank you to Chris for participating in this AMA.
How can you be a cool German?
Haha well I’m not quite German. But I am a cool Swiss / British I guess :)
What’s it like at IFC meet-ups, and who’s the cooler Wing Bro?
IFC meet-ups are great! You get to meet new people who all share the same passion. It’s also great to see people again who you rarely get to see since most people always live quite far away. A great example would be the LHR meet-up in 2019. I met many new people and now I’m really good friends with a lot of them. I really hope once we can travel again, that meet-ups can happen again!
It depends what defines cool. I would say Nick is cool since he has done some really cool things. At the same time I think I’ve done some very cool things as well. So I guess we both are. :)
How do you manage to pull off such good looks?
I guess it’s natural 😜Just kidding… If you are wondering about my picture, that was taken very spontaneously at Corfu airport in July 2020. We were waiting to enter the airport after landing, so I asked Nick if he could take a quick snap.
How did you manage to get to grade 5?
Many landings! Normally when I have a bit of free time, I spawn in on casual server and do about 20 - 40 patterns or so. When I have a bit more time, I’ll sometimes even do 100 landings in about 60 minutes. Being a IFATC trainer helps, since I often fly patterns and can gain landings and flying time from that.
How did you discover IF?
So the first time I saw Infinite Flight was in 2016. I downloaded it and just flew on solo. I stopped using it after a few weeks, since I wasn’t really into it. This was before global and there wasn’t as many features as we have today. In late 2016, Nick (my brother) started using Infinite Flight. At this point Global had been announced and the C130 had been added. I became interested, but only used his account. In early 2017 I decided to purchase a subscription and since then I have bought one every year.
What is your favorite airline?
Now the obvious answer would either be British Airways or SWISS, but I wouldn’t say I have an absolute favorite. One of the best experiences I’ve ever had was with Belair. I flew with them from Zürich to Tenerife with a stop in Fuerteventura. The service was great and the crew were really friendly. But if I had to pick a favorite it would have to be British Airways and SWISS.
What is your favorite plane?
Now this is an easy answer. Hands down the A220 is my favorite aircraft. I’ve been very lucky and have had the chance to fly on the jump seat on the A220. Another aircraft which is just a classic is Concorde. Unfortunately I never flew on one, since they were retired a year after I was born, but I do have a connection with the aircraft. Both my grandparents on my father’s side worked on Concorde. They worked for a sub contractor company which specialized in cockpit instruments.
Why/how are you so good at livery designing?
Well I think I’m ok. I just do it for fun and was very hesitant to even have a go at it since I had never done anything like it before. When the topic opened on the IFC, I thought I would have a go and I realized that it was quite fun. I’m not perfect at everything, but I do like to try to improve. Working in web design probably also helps :)
How did you get those cool shades?
I got them at the opticians I go to. They are my flying sunglasses. They are corrected for my eyes so when it’s sunny I can see where I’m flying and yes they are Ray Ban :)
What’s your favorite movie or TV show?
Pretty much anything aviation related. Although I also like watching documentaries. One of my favorite movies is Mission Impossible.
Do you have a favorite flight instrument you use when (a) flying the GA aircraft during your lessons and (b) flying a commercial aircraft in IF? And/or favorite specific leg/portion of flight (e.g., landing prep)? Why? When flying GA (flying lessons) I would say my favorite flight instrument is the altimeter, since that way I know I won’t crash into a mountain. Although my flight instructor tell me I should focus more on looking outside instead of always looking at the instruments. In Infinite Flight I would say the auto pilot is probably the most useful. It makes long hauls much easier.
I would say my favorite specific leg/portion of a flight is landing or takeoff. When flying you have so much going on that it keeps you busy and alert. As a passenger I love feeling the mass amounts of power on take off and I love descending over the clouds when on approach into an airport.
Name a person, famous or not, that inspires you and tell us how/why?
My grandad is a big inspiration to me. He always asks me about how my flying lessons are going and loves hearing me telling him how they went. He worked on aircraft and that were I think I got the urge to fly and have a love for aviation
What do you enjoy most about IFATC?
The community for sure. We have a load of people who love controlling and keeping airports running during those busy events. It’s great to hear how people are wanting to be real world controllers and how IFATC inspired them. One thing that’s also great is being able to train people for IFATC. I’m very fortunate to be an IFATC trainer. I love being able to interact with people and help them understand how ATC works.
What are your goals in terms of becoming a real world pilot?
My goal is to become a pilot for an airline. My first choice would be SWISS since I currently live in Switzerland, although I am pretty open to become a pilot in a completely different country. I am also interested in becoming a pilot either for an Air ambulance or cargo airline. I think being able to experience different areas of the industry would be interesting. Unfortunately with COIVD things might have to wait for the big airlines. I’m currently doing my PPL since I real want to be able to fly. Hopefully if everything goes well I should have it by the end of this year.
Does your last name contribute to your love for aviation?
I would say yes. Everyone always tells me that the fact I have an interest in aviation and that my last name is Wing is amazing. Most people don’t believe me at first until I have to explain to them that that is my actual last name.
As both the CEO of one of the biggest VAs and an IFATC Trainer, how do you balance everything?
Being able to plan things helps. I work on my computer all day so I always have Discord and the IFC open. This means if something is urgent I can quickly answer things. I would also say that having a great team at BAVA helps a lot. Without them things wouldn’t run. With IFATC training I try and train people in the evenings. Normally I’m always free then and have plenty of time to make sure the trainee has time to get things right. I of course make sure I distribute my time evenly.
What’s a selling point that I can use to convince my family to take a trip to Switzerland?
Switzerland is a very unique place. You can go from a city to up a mountain very easy with public transport. Traveling here is very easy and simple. We also have the best chocolate and with many chocolate factories open for tours, so it’s a great place to visit. The scenery here is very beautiful. If you come during the winter you can go to the alps which are then covered in meters of snow. If you come during the summer the mountains have green grass and is perfect for hiking. If you want to swim in the lakes you can and if you’re like me you can go swimming in some of the rivers. In Basel during the summer many people will go and swim in the river Rhein. You can swim right through the middle of the city.
Thank you very much for all of the questions. If anyone has any more questions they would like to ask feel free to PM me anytime and I’ll be more than happy to answer them!
Thanks for tuning in! Thank you to all participants; we'll see you next time.