My professional career started in the middle of the large economic crisis of the late 1970’s. I was fortunate to find a job at TNO, working on solid propellant rocket motors life time predictions. With a few years of experience in this field I became responsible for the technology aspects of the development programme of the ignition system of the main engine of Ariane V (a Stork-TNO cooperation). This resulted in 1995 in me being the director of a small company named APP (Aerospace Propulsion Products) responsible for the production of the propellants and later of the complete ignition systems. In due course APP became responsible for the development and production of new ignition systems for the rocket engines of the European Launchers (Ariane 5, Ariane 6, Vega). APP also expanded its activities into gas generators for fire extinguishers, explosion suppression systems and parachute deployment systems, resulting in a growth to more than 50 employees.