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From the cockpit to the driver's cab: the pilot Dennis Seidel is retraining to become a train driver
Photo: Sjoerd van der Wal, mbbirdy / Getty Images
SPIEGEL:
Mr. Seidel, you were a pilot for ten years.
Now you want to be a train driver.
What happened?
Seidel:
I was a pilot for ten years at LGW, a German company that operated feeder flights primarily for Eurowings.
Most recently I was a training captain on our Q400 fleet.
Actually, everything was geared towards growth.
But Corona ended our company history after 40 years.
We all became unemployed.
Many of us fell into a state of paralysis and hope.
But it turned out that there are no longer any prospects for us in aviation in the medium term.
SPIEGEL:
How did you get on the train?
Seidel:
I've been fascinated by the railways since I was a child.
I even still have a model train!
And there is a common theme: I love being responsible for very large machines, mastering thousands of horsepower.
SPIEGEL:
Except that you stay on the ground now.
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Dennis Seidel in the driver's cab
Photo:
Private
Seidel:
That's right.
I am currently training as a provision locomotive driver for the long-distance transport of Deutsche Bahn.
We take on all tasks that arise before or after a train journey - everything that happens behind the scenes until the train is ready to leave on the platform.
It is a varied and responsible job.
Another big plus for me is that you always sleep at home.
My daughter is now two and a half years old, and it's great to be able to balance work and family so well.
SPIEGEL:
Do you miss flying?
Seidel:
I would be lying if I denied that. Flying was my childhood dream. I've had ten great years in aviation. It was a privilege. But now a new section begins, and I'm looking forward to it too. I want to start flying again privately, that's enough for the longing. I don't want to categorically rule out the possibility of going back to aviation for work - but first of all, I want to stay with Deutsche Bahn for the indefinite period. Because of the family, the work there is much better for me now. And my little daughter is very excited when I say: Dad will be driving trains soon. She doesn't find airplanes so exciting, for her they are just small dots in the sky. She loves trains.
SPIEGEL:
You probably earn less as a train driver than you did as a pilot.
Seidel:
It's no secret that that is the case.
But the salary is okay, and most of all, the overall package fits me.
SPIEGEL:
You always have a co-pilot on a plane.
You are alone in the driver's cab.
Seidel:
That's right, that's different.
Not everyone is made for that.
But my focus is on having responsibility here and there.
However, many pilots find the change difficult because they are no longer at the center of decisions outside the cockpit.
SPIEGEL:
Well, maneuvering around Stuttgart may not be as cool as floating above the clouds ...
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Dennis Seidel in the cockpit
Photo:
Private
Seidel:
Without a doubt there were magical moments in the cockpit: sunrises over the Alps with freshly brewed coffee - there's not much about it.
But there are also guaranteed to be magical moments in the driver's cab.
As a stand-by train driver in Stuttgart, we also drive to other train stations.
After Singen, for example, this is a beautiful route on which there are also great sunrises in the morning mist.
Everything has its special moments.
SPIEGEL:
Have you never objected?
Seidel:
When you lose your job as a pilot, you go through four phases like a breakup.
At first you don't want to admit it, then you get angry, then sad, and the last phase is that of acceptance.
In the last phase you look ahead.
I am there now.
I take this step consciously and want to motivate other colleagues to do the same.
It's good to leave things behind, especially since it was a good time that is fondly remembered.
SPIEGEL:
What did your ex-colleagues say about your decision?
Seidel:
I get a tremendous amount of positive feedback - and also a lot of specific questions from colleagues who are also interested in rail, including from other aviation companies.
I seem to hit a nerve there.
SPIEGEL:
And
what
about the new colleagues?
Seidel:
We are a colorful group of lateral entrants in the shortened training.
Everyone has an interesting career.
The youngest in my group is 20, the oldest over 50 years old, and everyone has a similar story to me because everyone is a switch: a beer brewer, a cook, engineers, logisticians, a tram operator, a bricklayer.
This variety of people and stories fascinates me.
SPIEGEL:
You are now 34 years old and completed your pilot training right after graduating from high school.
What advice would you give your younger self today?
Seidel:
They actually say: As a pilot, you always need a plan B - because something always happens in terms of health and then suddenly you can no longer fly. To be honest, I never had a plan B. I would advise my younger self: Listen to your stomach and do exactly what is right for you. Then I would end up exactly where I am now, and that's exactly where I want to be.