Retiring pilot flying Airbus A380 on his last ever flight performed breathtaking maneuver with passengers onboard

After 33 years in the cockpit of an Airbus A380, retiring pilot Christian Pokorski was given a guard of honor before performing a breathtaking maneuver with passengers onboard.

Having enjoyed a career escorting hundreds of thousands of passengers out of Germany and around the globe, this pilot wanted to go out in style.

But, how do you do that with a few hundred passengers onboard?

Well, with help from friends and a whole lot of personal skill, this man literally waved goodbye to his piloting career in remarkable fashion.

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Retiring pilot gets a guard of honor from LAX airport

Many retiring pilots get warm send-offs, having made many holiday dreams possible and kept the world of business afloat.

Sometimes, they make their own celebrations, and in other occasions, they are treated to a surprise by colleagues and passengers.

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

On Flight LH453, traveling from LAX to Munich, the 33-year specialist was first given a guard of honor from two water cannon controllers who saluted the plane as it entered the runway.

With a total capacity of 509, the flight then set off from Los Angeles back to Munich, where the pilot then decided to use the wings to wave to his colleagues, and to his three decades of service.

Then, he ‘waved’ off in style with a breathtaking Airbus A380 maneuver

As seen in the video at the top of this page, the Lufthansa aircraft made a sharp right bank just as it was airborne, ‘waving’ goodbye to the tarmac.

The air wave maneuver is banned by a few airlines, but in this case, Lufthansa allowed it.

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

On this flight, all passengers were briefed by the cabin crew and prepared for the slight dip.

Commenting on TikTok, one person revealed that this is quite normal and the right bank isn’t as severe as you may imagine.

“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.

Still, it’s an impressive display nonetheless, and the pilot’s final flight was remembered for all the right reasons.

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