Le Labo du Pilote, and the man behind it
My name is Fabian Voncken. I have been an airline pilot for about twenty years, currently Captain on Falcon 2000LX in business aviation. Before the jet, there was gliding at the start, paramotoring, the school's Robin DR400, then years chaining type ratings and transatlantic long-hauls. I also taught: flight instructor for PPL, and theoretical ground instructor for ATPL.
A detour through the other profession
Before aviation, I was a nurse. Several years at the CHUV in Lausanne: cardiology, intermediate care, emergencies, and the hyperbaric chamber. That class 1 and class 2 medical examination that every candidate dreads, I took it about twenty times as a patient, and I performed, on the other side, most of the tests it contains.
How you get from one to the other
I am often asked, so I might as well tell it. I am from the Liège region, I did my nursing studies there, graduated in 1999, and I went to work in Switzerland right after. I was earning a good living there, and I decided to try for my PPL, because being a pilot has always been my biggest dream.
I liked flying enough to dare the ATPL theory. It was a gamble: I wasn't a big brain at school during my teenage years. But it was a calculated gamble, and it is the only piece of methodological advice I draw from my journey: if I failed the ATPL theory, I would only have lost that, not flight hours costing thousands of euros. Start with what costs the least and filters the most.
I managed the theory in parallel with a full-time nursing job. In concrete terms: zero days off for a year, classes, work, and studying in the evening. I got it in 2006. I then took the practical in Belgium, primarily for the cost, and also because after seven years abroad I wanted to come home.
It's long, especially while employed. It's tiring, and there are many moments of doubt. I regret nothing. If you are hesitating, the only thing I can tell you is that trying costs less than wondering your whole life what would have happened.
Why this site
Two subjects poorly served in French: the pilot's health and their gear. Le Labo du Pilote consolidates both, from the perspective of an active pilot who was also a healthcare professional.
My editorial line
- check100% independent no hidden sponsored content; tested gear is bought with our own funds or returned to the manufacturer after evaluation.
- checkEuropean foundation designed for EASA realities and pilots in Belgium, France, Switzerland, and Luxembourg.
- checkVerified data, never invented pilot and former healthcare professional, not a doctor: this site informs, it makes no diagnosis and judges no fitness.
I also edit ErgoWorkLab, Le Labo du Dos, dedicated to seated workstation ergonomics. Nothing to do with aviation, except the method: the same way of separating what is verified from what is not, and writing "I don't know" rather than filling the void. Both sites are written by the same person, and you can verify this.