Road to the Left Seat: The Boeing 737

After having sat in the right seat for nearly 9 years, it’s time for the next step in my career. I look forward to taking you along on this new adventure of mine and to share my unfiltered story with you once again. Welcome to my ‘Road to the Left Seat’!

On November 18th 2017, I took off with the Boeing 737 for the very first time. It was the realization of my childhood dream and marked the beginning of my flying adventures as a First Officer.

And after a while, the 737 wasn’t just an aircraft anymore. It became somewhat of a second home to me, a backpack I’d put on and take with me all over Europe. That’s how comfortable it felt, regardless of its questionable ergonomics.

The Boeing 737 is a real airplane. No fancy fly-by-wire, just cables and hydraulic pumps. It really is a 50 tonne Cessna. I love all its little quirks, how reliable and strong it is, like a tank with wings. But what I loved most was flying it. Just man and machine, surfing on the clouds during sunset or wrestling her down towards the runway in the middle of a storm.

I’ve logged 4,164 hours and 19 minutes on the 737. That’s nearly 174 days of sitting in the cockpit! I completed 2,482 flights, covering roughly 3 million kilometers or about 8 times to the moon and back if you like. It also took about 6,694 tonnes of fuel to safely bring 4,673 tonnes of cargo and 242,931 passengers (2.1L/pax/100km) to 95 destinations in 33 different countries.

Most of you know I enjoy gathering statistics, but if there’s one thing that can’t be put into a statistic, it’s the amount of memories I’ve made while flying this wonderful machine. What a ride this has been and what a privilege it is to call this my job.

Nearly a month ago, on August 16th 2026, I landed the Boeing 737 for the very last time. 

I had an amazing trip with great colleagues and Ellen by my side, making these final flights even more memorable. It truly felt like the end of an era, but one I’m eternally grateful for and will cherish forever.

Thank you, Boeing 737.

Since there’s so many memories I’ve made flying the old lady, I thought it would be nice to simply share some pictures I made throughout the years.

Base training in Liège on November 18th, 2017 together with two other colleagues.
Base training as seen from the cockpit. What a feeling!
All smiles after my first landing in Brussels.
Celebrating my 21st birthday while hauling cargo through the night.
Dropped off a load of onions after my last flight at ASL, hence the tears.
Line Training at KLM at the start of 2020.
Cruising along on the taxiway in Amsterdam.
Spotted while landing on the famous Polderbaan.
And landing on runway 25L in Brussels, right next to CAE where I started flight training back in 2015.
Enjoying my last flights on the 737!
Rocketing out of Dublin on my very last flight.
On final approach into Amsterdam.
Touchdown. The end of an era.
My amazing colleagues made sure it was a day to remember.
Job’s done! Next time I walk through an aircraft door, it will be on the Embraer.

And with my last flight on the 737 done and dusted, it was now time to focus on the next step in my career. But first, a whole three days off!

Thank you for reading this new post about my Road to the Left Seat! Should you have any questions whatsoever, don’t hesitate to get in touch via my Instagram: @bobthebelgian

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