Photo by Arjan Broek
Friday, January 26th marked an important moment for 49 graduated
EPST students: they received their Wing during the traditional Wing ceremony.
The festive conclusion to their intensive training took place in the Carlton
President Hotel in Utrecht.
After the students and friends and family had trickled into
the ceremony hall, EPST director Eric Duijkers took the floor. In his short
welcoming speech, he took the visitors on the journey that the EPST pilots took
during their studies: a journey with ups and downs, takeoffs and landings, milestones
and obstacles.
Then, one by one, the students were called to the stage for
a new milestone. They received their Wing with a smile and a handshake, with various
pictures of their training period in the background.
Also in this year, we were able to enjoy several speeches by
students themselves. Their beautiful stories were well received by the entire
audience. In their stories, we could clearly see that the bond between many
students was close: lifelong friendships had been forged in this class.
Unique images
During the entire ceremony, the audience was spoiled and
surprised with unique images. Several students have made videos during their
training, and of their adventures during their time off – something you should
definitely do when you spend a few months in Greece, Norway, or Switzerland.
Eric Duijkers traditionally enriched the slide presentation with – as he calls
it – ‘incriminating material’. Those hilarious moments definitely contributed
to the relaxed atmosphere during this afternoon.
When everyone had received their Wing, the bar opened. The
rest of this afternoon everyone could catch up, relive adventures and enjoy
this beautiful milestone. A professional photographer created lasting memories
of this special moment.
