You know them; plane spotters! Completely ‘over the moon’ of airplanes and they go to great lengths for that one great photo. We also employ such an enthusiast. Marcel gets a BIG smile when he talks about his love for airplanes. And one for technology. Preferably combined too.
‘Ready for Take-Off. This Is Your Captain Speaking’
Marcel van der Wee lives in ‘s Gravenmoer. His fascination for airplanes started in his youth, when he regularly watched airplanes at the airbase near Gilze-Rijen. Almost as a matter of course, he started his career in the aviation industry. He eventually rolled into IT, where he has been a happy employee of Nekst IT since 2021. There he is part of the Smart Industry Test Squad. The consultants in this Squad test a combination of hardware and software with our customers. As a Smart Industry Tester at Nekst IT, he can combine many of his preferences.
In his current assignment at the Ministry of Defense, he is also involved in testing hardware and software in a lab and in the field. In a team of five people, he is responsible, among other things, for executing integration tests on an application (like Google Maps) in combination with radios. The combination of military software/hardware makes this a special assignment. But that one assignment as a tester at Schiphol is still high on his bucket list and completes the circle for him!
‘A Background as an Aircraft Manufacturer Seems Special for a Test Specialist, But It Helps Me Bridge the Gap Between Technology and the Software Developer. You Have to Be Able to Think Along With Both Disciplines in a Practical Way.’
Marcel enjoys testing hardware in complex technical environments. Consider, for example, a transponder in an airplane. With a background in the aviation industry, Marcel already has a considerable head start. The KLM Fokker 100 (see photo 1) is his life story in the aviation sector, a Fokker, from KLM, at Schiphol. He has many more beautiful photos, but he still has to take the best ones, he says. This is because he is still trying to get better at photography every day. Actually, exactly the same applies to testing; getting better every day! And that is also our motto at Nekst IT.
As a plane spotter, like a software tester, you must have observational skills to be able to spot details that others may not see. Such as the color of the cockpit windows, the shape of the wings or the sound of the engines. You also have to be aware of small differences between different aircraft of the same manufacturer or model. Marcel also is precise, creative and patient. He likes to do his job well and has a helicopter view when it comes to overseeing complex technical environments.
‘Orange pride: There Was Something Magical About Photographing This Plane in the Morning Fog During Golden Hour. Not at That Moment Itself, Because Then You Don’t See It Very Well, But When I Opened It on My Computer Later That Day, I Saw Its Beauty.‘
In addition to working in IT, Marcel also regularly has his Canon EOS 70D photo camera around his neck. Not to take beautiful macro photos, like colleague Mark, but to regularly travel to Amsterdam to take a whole day to enjoy all the planes passing by. He keeps an eye on the special aircraft via Flightradar24. He also regularly shares the special photos on his Instagram account.
In the past, Marcel always wanted to become a (commercial) pilot. He let that dream fly and exchanged it for the Software Testing profession. He still wants to get his PPL (Private Pilot License), but has only gained experience in the past as a student pilot in gliders. He occasionally travels with a good friend, who flies with Transavia as a pilot. Recently to Naples! And that puts a big smile on his face!
All photos in this article are courtesy of Marcel van der Wee.
