I got into the world of air traffic management and airport operations almost by coincidence through an interesting graduation project at the Faculty for Aeronautical Engineering of the Delft University of Technology. Having enjoyed the project, I joined the airports department of a large aerospace research institute, but after 5 years there, I felt it was time to move on.

I first encountered Helios at a conference where a presentation was given by one of the Directors. I was very impressed with the level of knowledge, but also with the calm and friendly way in which he made his presentation and handled any comments. This immediately created a positive image of the company for me. Another reason why Helios appealed to me was that although I had always enjoyed the research work I had been doing, it did tend to be quite theoretical. Working with Helios now in consultancy the outcome of the work feels much more relevant to the ‘operational reality’ of the aviation industry, which in turn gives me much more motivation. A third reason is that I have moved from a company with 500+ personnel to a company with 40+ people. Being in a smaller company makes me feel much more involved, my work is appreciated, the people feel like a real team and the atmosphere is good. I am definitely happy with the choice I made.

Since joining Helios, my initial impression of the work has been confirmed, and the range of projects I have worked on is diverse: I have worked with customers for whom the results of the work is directly relevant, such as a cost benefit analysis on new air traffic controller support tools and the operational validation of a new ground movement control concept, but I am also involved in large international projects that will influence the future of ATM in Europe.