Retiring pilot flying Airbus A380 on his final ever flight treated his last passengers with a very breathtaking maneuver

After over three decades years in the cockpit of an Airbus A380, retiring pilot Christian Pokorski was given a guard of honor before performing a breathtaking maneuver with Lufthansa passengers onboard.

The maneuver was of course fully approved, but it still must’ve felt crazy to passengers on board.

It’s actually a relatively well-known and common maneuver.

But there’s a reason why it’s only reserved for special occasions.

Retiring pilots often get a guard of honor

Many retiring pilots get warm send-offs, which is made easy by the fact that aviation is one of those industries where crazy maneuvers reserved for specific shows are common.

Sometimes, they come up with their own celebrations, and on other occasions, they get a surprise by colleagues and/or passengers.

Airbus A380 retiring pilot Christian Pokorski did both on his final flight.

On Flight LH453, traveling from LAX to Munich, the pilot was first given a guard of honor with the traditional water cannon salute.

He had earned it after 33 years of service.

But that wasn’t all.

There was something else.

He ‘waved’ off in style with a breathtaking Airbus A380 maneuver

As you can see in the video below, the Lufthansa aircraft made a sharp right bank maneuver just as it was airborne, ‘waving’ goodbye to the tarmac.

The air wave maneuver is no longer allowed by some airlines, but in this case, Lufthansa allowed it.

Many pilots have performed it before, but with passengers aboard, some extra regulations are needed.

To be clear, this never happens just because the pilot wants to show off.

If and when such things happen, it’s because it’s been communicated ahead of time and all passengers have been briefed by the cabin crew and prepared for the slight dip.

Some people went online to explain that it’s actually not that absurd.

“I’ve been on a Lufthansa flight where the pilot is retiring, before take off, the flight attendants explain what’s going to happen over PA so the passengers don’t feel uncomfortable. This is totally fine,” they said.

Aviation is even more regulated than people think, but there’s a reason

Broadly speaking, nothing happens in aviation without the say-so of the airline, the airport, and oversight from the regulator.

Aviation is one of those industries where an ‘offense’ that might only get you reprimanded or fired elsewhere can easily land you in jail.

The reason is self-evident.

To us, it may sound a bit annoying and ridiculous at times.

The liquid rules, redundant safety announcements we’ve heard a million times, and seemingly bizarre procedures can feel tedious.

A Lufthansa captain, Christian Pokorski, has his retirement flight from LAX-MUC. Wing wave on departure!
by u/Sheepzor in aviation

But it’s working.

Traveling by plane is by far the safest means of transport.

The fatality rate per 100 million flights is 99.99 percent lower than driving, 99.98 percent lower than recreational boating, and roughly 90 percent lower than taking a train.