King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands Co-Pilots Plane on Work Trip to the U.S. with Queen Maxima

The King of the Netherlands flexed his aerial skills upon arrival in Atlanta

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands is taking his latest international travel into his own hands!

The King of the Netherlands, 57, was photographed on June 9 in the cockpit of a Dutch government plane as it arrived in Atlanta for his working visit to the U.S. with Queen Maxima. King Willem-Alexander appeared to co-pilot at least part of the transatlantic trip, keeping his flying skills up to speed.

Though he served with the Royal Netherlands Navy on his road to the throne, King Willem-Alexander is "extremely interested in flying" and worked to earn several pilot licenses through the years, advancing to achieve a Military Pilot’s Licence and Airline Transport Pilot Licence. To stay up to date, he moonlights as a guest pilot for KLM Cityhopper, a subsidiary of the national carrier of the Netherlands, his royal bio outlines.

King Willem-Alexander once told Dutch outlet De Telegraaf, via The Guardian, "You have an aircraft, passengers and crew. You have responsibility for them. You can’t take your problems from the ground into the skies. You can completely disengage and concentrate on something else. That, for me, is the most relaxing part of flying."

And while he's surprised people peering into the cockpit, the King rarely gets recognized during the announcements.

"Most people don’t listen anyway,” he said.

Related: King Willem-Alexander Recalls Meet-Cute with Wife Queen Maxima in Seville During Spain State Banquet

King Willem-Alexander is hardly the only modern royal to pursue an interest in the high skies. King Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry are all trained pilots.

The Dutch monarch looked comfortable in the cockpit on June 9 before disembarking with his wife, Queen Maxima. The royal couple are in the U.S. for a working visit from June 10 to June 14, kicking off with visits to Atlanta and Savannah in Georgia before traveling north to Albany and New York City.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, 53, made the trip to emphasize the ties between the Netherlands and the U.S., highlighting their country's economic relationships with Georgia and New York.

Related: Dutch Princess Speaks About Finding 'Freedom' in Spain After Threats Forced Her to Secretly Move Abroad

"The United States is the most important non-European partner for the Netherlands in terms of economic ties and security. Close transatlantic relations are essential for maintaining Dutch prosperity," the Royal House of the Netherlands said in a statement.

The court also noted how Atlanta is a particularly important logistics hub for its operations with the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The busy itinerary began on June 10 when the royals were welcomed to the Georgia State Capitol by Gov. Brian Kemp and his wife, First Lady of Georgia Marty Kemp. Engagements on the first day included a discussion with the governor and executives from Dutch companies, a visit to the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, where the royals laid a wreath at his grave, a tour of the BeltLine network of parks with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and a stop at the iconic Patchwerk Recording Studios.

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The recording space is renowned for its significance in the hip-hop scene and has welcomed Beyoncé, Madonna, Tupac Shakur, OutKast and more through the years, and the Dutch royals tried their DJ skills while playing with the mixing panels.

The couple's time in Georgia continued on June 11 with stops in Savannah, and they're due to step out in Albany on June 12 before visiting New York City — where Maxima once worked as a banker! — the next day.

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