Some thoughts about my last change of operator...
Now, you surely think I am crazy. Maybe I am, maybe it's only uncertainty, fear of the future, maybe seeing ghosts, maybe sensing things to come.
I have given up my endless thinking about where I would be more happy and sure in the future, being torn between the small but beautiful little holiday charter airline with their four magnificently painted aircraft, its highly trained and motivated team, but its future as a small niche carrier amidst the unfriendly charter skies in central Europe, and the steadily growing Swiss national carrier, backed up by the huge and safe Lufthansa, flying its large short- and longhaul fleet to worldwide destinations. It's been a battle between my heart and my brain, and my brain finally won the battle, arguing that Swiss International Air Lines will be the more secure and safe future, and the probability would be higher that this company will survive the next ten, twenty years.
So I - together with my two Swiss mates who jumped from Austrian Airlines to Edelweiss Air at the same time this spring - took the hard decision to leave the company by the end of October, and to join SWISS by november 5, 2007, as a FIrst Officer on Airbus A319/20/21.
I know that I will leave behind me a wonderful company with great destinations, the aircraft with the probably most beautiful paint scheme, a small but very professional team which always goes the "extra mile" for the workmates as well as the customers, and the best chocolates I ever had on an airplane. I had superbe flights with superbe crews, and really deeply enjoyed working there, and will continue to do so until my final workday. But after all that I have seen during the past four years of flying, my brain calls for economical stability, a safe haven, and although noone ever will be able to tell which airline will survive better and longer, my feeling tells me that our national carrier flies to a steadier and more certain future.
Well... off to new shores again... or is it finally getting there where I was supposed to be, when I signed a "pilot school and work contract" with Swissair, back in year 2000 when it existed and flew its proud tails all over the world...?
mro/05.07.2007
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01.12.2007: Today the new logojet of SWISS, promoting the EURO'08 soccer competition, was shown to the public and christened at Zurich airport. By coincidence I was the first copilot to take her to the skies! What a great opportunity. HB-IJM will remain in the "soccer fan outfit" until the games are over. See the pictures here.
26.11.2007: Wow, that was a quick intro! I have already flown my first four-day rotation from 22.-25.11., flying tu Brussels and back and going into a Vienna nightstop, then shuttling Zurich-Vienna-Zurich before sleeping at home, only to check in hours the next day for a Frankfurt and back, followed by an Athens nightstop and a return trip to Nice. Twelve legs in four days, that's the new pace now! So you'd better keep up with that pace... But life seems to be fine at SWISS, I loved the first days, and I am happily looking forward to the next 30 years to come :-)
05.11.2007: Only eight hours after my last landing, I already sat in the "Change of Operator Course" at SWISS International Air Lines today. Within only 10 days they will bring me up to their level, and put me into an A320 flightdeck again. Cool! But first I have to stand three days full of theory, three training sessions and the final check in the simulator. So let's face the challenge!
04.11.2007: Tonight I went into the blocks for the last time as a first officer for Edelweiss Air. On our way out to Sharm-el-Sheikh I was joking with the captain about my last flights usually being delayed to the last minute (like the Hapag-Lloyd A300-605 flight to Fuerteventura, that went AOG in Fuerte due to a broken oil pressure indicator - so my second last flight turned out to be the last one, and I went into the blocks only minutes before midnight on my last day of employment). We laughed out loud, and went on talking about other things, until, upon arrival at Sharm-el-Sheikh, we were informed that due to lack of serviceable fuel trucks, we would face a delay of about six hours to get our needed fuel. As we had to leave Sharm latest within 3 hours in order to land in Zurich before the night ban, we were in deep trouble. With some nasty tricks and some gambler's luck we were able to load our homebound passengers and taxy to another parking stand where pit fuelling (from a ground pipeline) was available, witout the tower knowing anything "officially" (the Follow-me driver operated the radio in arabic language in order not to upset the many other aircraft waiting for fuel as well, and leaded us around the apron to our fuel parking...). Finally we got in the air, and landed in Zurich at 2340h local time - once again within the last possible minutes of my work contract. It was a great time, and I would like to thank all my workmates at Edelweiss Air for the fantastic time! Keep the flower in the air for years to come!
31.10.2007: I agreed to stay four days longer than originally planned, in order to help covering the staff needs at Edelweiss Air during this time of the year. The lack of cockpit staff during this fall season was reasonable, and so they were happy to keep me for some additional days.
15.10.2007: After 300 hours within Edelweiss Air operations, I have been recently released for flights to the more demanding airport of Skiathos (LGSK), Mykonos (LGMK) and Santorini (LGSR). It is indeed too sad that all my "first flights" to these islands will most probably also be my last ones. God, it's torturing me if I think about how - already now - I envy you EDW colleagues for these flights, these approaches and these passengers... but decisions are decisions.
28.06.2007: The company is wonderful, our workmates highly trained and motivated, our cabin crew beautiful and always happy, the destinations are superbe (with lots of non-precision and visual approaches.. mjamm..), and the wet-lease work for other airlines is demanding and grants for some difference. But if I sincerely compare the future of Edelweiss Air and the future of SWISS International Air Lines, which has offered us a job on the Airbus fleet, I had to finally let loose. It has broken my heart to do so, but me and my two AUA mates informed our company today that we will leave Edelweiss at the end of October 2007, and will take our final leap to what will hopefully become our last employer in our carreer: Swiss International Air Lines. It's so sad, and my heart aches to leave such a lovely airline, with the probably most beautiful aircraft paint scheme ever seen.
20.05.2007: I am assigned to my first Edelweiss Air flight. So my "Change of Operator Course" ends with 10 legs under supervision, before I am sent in to regular line ops again. Even if it was only three weeks off the sidestick, it feels like christmas to fly again. I really seem to have captured the "aviator virus" in me...
01.05.2007: I started my Change of Operator course at Edelweiss Air and am very happy at my new workplace. Soon I will be off in the air again..!
05.02.2007: Finally, finally... It's a good day today! I just now signed a contract with Swiss holiday charter carrier Edelweiss Air. They will employ me as First Officer on their Airbuses as from April 30th, 2007. Yipeeh!
I had a wonderful time at Austrian Airlines, and am sad to throw in the towel already. But the uncertainty about my future at AUA due to the current economical situation (see below), combined with the wonderful chance of working ex Zurich, the place where my family and friends live, was the chance of my lifetime. So then, again off to new horizons...!26.12.2006:Tough times again. AUA has been goin' through troubled air. During my holidays in November, I was nearly fired due to downsizing of the fleet. But right now my job seems to be stable (they retired older captains instead of young copilots). Let's see... I wish all of you a merry christmas and a happy new year... and do try to get into calm air in 2007 if you are not there yet ;-)
21.2.2006: Yep - it's done! Skill test passed, landing training in Maribor (SL) done (9 landings on the A319 OE-LDD), and eight legs as observer on the jumpseat flown. And now, it's a GO for the first flight with passengers again, after a timeout of nearly five months. *yeeeeaaah* :-)
09.2.2006: The A320 fullflight sim sessions in Berlin are over, now it's a "go" for the exam on the Zurich A321 Sim on Monday. On Feb 17 I am scheduled for real A/C training, probably in Bratislava. And on Feb 24, the sky gets dangerous again for passengers - first duty flights OS411/412 to Paris CDG and back! :-)
27.10.2005: MCC Course (once again...), and "back to the roots": Me and my colleagues are sweating daily in the MD-80 Full Flight Sim at Zurich, flying the "Mad Dog" fully raw data and by hand (no autopilot). That's hard work, after two years of EFIS and autopilot... :-).
03.10.2005: A successful start at my new homebase Vienna with my new employer Austrian Airlines, only three days after my last landing for Hapag-Lloyd.
30.09.2005: Returning from an eventful last flight (A300, AOG at Fuerteventura). Thanks for all the good times, Hapagfly! I will remember these days.
26.06.2005: HLF will lease an Airbus A300-600 (308 pax seats, 170t MTOW) from Lufthansa. We will be flying the beast out of FRA from 21.7.2005.
01.05.2005: I am back at homebase Frankfurt.
15.04.2005: A green HLF A310? Yes, it's already sold to SIBIR airlines, but we still fly it for two weeks. See the pictures from my flight with D-AHLZ.
10.03.2005: I have successfully passed the Final Line Check on the A310.
01.11.2004: After only 9 months of B737 flying, I will be upgraded to become a First Officer on the Airbus A310! 271 passengers, longrange capability... Funny: We will be able to take along more fuel (54 tons) than the 737 weighs empty (43 tons) ... :-)
08.04.2004: Check the new sightseeing flight homepage!
25.03.2004: On special request, I have opened a Guestbook for your feedback and comments. Enjoy!
Last Update: 03.12.07
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