CX 777 Flyby CP sacked

[Pollution IV]

I am truly amazed. When I saw this video I thought it must be doctored. If what has been said so far is at all true, then there should definitely be some heads rolling over this stunt.

Unbriefed low flying with little or no work-up in a heavy transport cat acft with pax onboard, all self-authorised….did I get that right? Pilots who have any experience with display flying will tell you that this is a disastrous combination. Truly unbelievable by someone who is supposed to be a custodian of flying standards at CX. Furthermore, this ‘beat-up’ had nothing to do with confidence in acft handling, but rather was an exercise in pointless risk taking, recklessness and incredibly poor airmanship, serving to pander to this individual’s ego. Anyone endorsing this activity should have a good hard look at themselves and their understanding of professionalism. The only way airline pilots should do low flying is to go to an aeroclub, get properly endorsed, certified and trained and do it in acft that are more suited to this type of op.

For the uninitiated/unaware etc the following are just 2 examples of what can happen to highly skilled, highly trained pilots who fly lower than their auth or do stupid things in large acft (which are extremely unforgiving in cases of misjudgment):

B52 Capt with over 20 yrs on type, but with similar hazardous attitudes as seen in the 777 video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7aLEKBlhNk

A320 flown by an Airbus test pilot who did little more than break his auth hgt by 100’:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzD4tIvPHwE

see any similarities? Does the 777 CP consider himself a better trained, more capable pilot than these guys?

Even if this ‘salute’ was properly prepared and authorised with some semblance of a risk management process, how on earth can this be considered as a positive promotion for CX as a responsible airline? I like a good airshow as much as anyone, but for god’s sake do it professionally. What’s next…. unbriefed formation enroute to TPE?

Quotable quote: “You can only equal the record for low flying!”