Pilot Pulls Off Incredibly Rare Maneuver With Passengers Onboard During Retirement Flight

During his retirement flight that capped a 33-year career, airline pilot Christian Pokorski pulled off a very rare maneuver with passengers onboard.

The Lufthansa captain was flying an Airbus A380 when he took off from LAX airport for a 10-hour flight to Munich. As the plane was departing, the plane could be seen swaying side-to-side before stabilizing and continuing its journey.

Passengers reportedly only became aware of what happened after the video began to circulate on social media. “I was a passenger, we didn’t know anything, was an amazing surprise,” said one person in a comment section.

One airplane enthusiast uploaded the video to X and asked users to reply with their thoughts on the maneuver and the pilot’s decision. “It’s called a wing wave,” one social media user replied, adding that the pilot was given a water cannon salute while moving up on the LAX runway.

“Its called the fini flight or final flight a tradition for pilot retiring or leaving the airline and during landing the ground staff cheer the pilot with water right after they steps out of the aircraft , it is an aviation tradition,” said another. “Passengers are informed.”

Others disagreed with the pilot’s decision. “No, and no again. Celebrate your retirement in the pub. No stunts on an aircraft with paying passengers on board,” said one user.

https://twitter.com/jojo1401qa/status/1763138553255501872

It’s called a wing wave.
The context here is that this was at LAX and the Lufty Captain was retiring after 33 years. LAX also gave him a water cannon salute. 26 February 2024

— Michael K. Woods (@michael_k_woods) February 29, 2024

https://twitter.com/RonnyWashington/status/1763056422135243006

The “wing wave” aviation tradition is something that evolved from military rituals. Such maneuvers are routinely performed on military bases after a pilot completes a drill.

The tradition, along with the water cannon salute, has been carried over to commercial flights as a sign of respect for a pilot’s final flight.