Plans To Qualify To Fly A Boeing 737

Dutch King Willem-Alexander has enjoys flying airliners. But his passengers rarely knew that their monarch was in the cockpit of the airplane.

The king of the Netherlands has flown twice a month for 21 years, according to a report from the BBC, and except on rare occasions when he was announced as a "guest pilot", his passengers never knew there was a royal at the controls. Willem-Alexander ascended to the throne in 2013 after the abdication of Queen Beatrix, but he could not give up flying.

"I find flying simply fantastic," he said in an interview with De Telegraaf newspaper.

Willem-Alexander mainly flies Fokker 70 aircraft for KLM Cityhopper, often with KLM Captain Maarten Putman, according to the report. He told the paper that he never used his name when addressing passengers on the flights, and in a KLM uniform and cap, he was rarely recognized. Some passengers do recognize his voice, he said.

The King said that if he had not been born in a palace, he would have pursued a career in aviation. And now that his secret is out, he plans to work towards qualifying in a Boeing 737. 

(Official photo)

FMI: www.royal-house.nl