Two days ago, a Lufthansa flight departed Los Angeles performing a wing wave.
The Airbus 380-800 departed LAX under the rain, full of passengers and fuel.
The 9 year-aircraft was piloted by a retiring Captain. It earlier received a water cannon salute while taxiing out of the gate to the runway.
Lufthansa flight #LH453 is usually 10 hours and 30 minutes to Munich, Germany.
The airline recently activated several A380s after storage due to the pandemic.
So it was the last flight if this Lufthansa captain after a 33 year career.
While a wing wave is a regular event when a military pilot leave an airbase after a drill, it’s also done by commercial pilots for their last flight to say goodbye.
Still, a video shared on TikTok has caused some debates and comments.
@airplane.spotterlax Pilot Christian Pokorski last flight for out LAX, Big maneuvering you wont belive it #a380 #lufthansa #retirement #fyp #takingoffa380 #losangeles #california #foryoupage
People reacted to the video asking if it was legal to perform such a maneuver with a heavy aircraft full of passengers and fuel on takeoff.
But someone commented “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.”
Another joked “as long as the captain doesn’t decide to make it a last flight for everyone else.”
