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Ben’s father worked for the national rail company NS and was offered a job in The Hague. The family moved to the court-capital in 1952. After completing his compulsory military service with the Royal Netherlands Air Force, Ben joined KLM as an electrical engineering maintenance mechanic in the Flight Simulators department. ‘After three years, I applied for a job with CAE, a Canadian flight simulator manufacturer. I had it all planned out: first, undergo training in Stolberg (Germany) and then go to Montreal for six months of additional studies. I was hired and immediately went to Stolberg to find a place to live. Back in the Netherlands, I made an appointment at the Canadian embassy to arrange a visa and work permit. The following Monday I arrived at work, where I was called into the office. ‘You will be stationed at Twente air base,’ I was told. That certainly wasn’t part of my plan. I quit and walked out.’ Within a couple of weeks, Ben found a job at the Technical College in Delft as an electronic technical in the laboratory. He married Truus during this time. ‘My mother taught her how to bake Limburg-style flans, and she still makes them.’
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