Chris you can always have a look at my blog..trustthepilot.blog.com
its free but the format means it's a*se about face.
As it happens the last finished post contains a reference to the destruction of my BEA hat and a great days work....this bit isn't included.
In Swissair we had the cabin crew and gays take over the uniform design with the result that the pilots only had to wear a hat which was modeled on a soviet military cap with a peak that would have suited a steam locomotive driver in winter. The worst part was a canary yellow trench coat...with sleeves that would have fitted a thalidomide victim and a cut that enabled one to smuggle another person through security. I NEVER wore mine and gave it to my mother for gardening in a south of france winter with the mistral blowing. She never wore it either...on todays dosh it would have cost around 1500 quid.
The italians nicknamed us "the tennis balls".
As to my colleague...ex BA and SR - I could guess but there wasn't a fuel saving mentality except with regard to doing a slick approach and if that meant closing the throttles at TOD and not touching them until 500ft so be it.
Certainly VNE down to 4000ft wasn't exactly fuel efficient
(nor VNE by 3000ft)
SR had done glide approaches and landings on the DC9 until we joined.
Re the military...different types to those in what became BA. First of all all of the Swiss males were in it (and some women). It was more of a democratic service than ours. Virtually all of the Swiss either flew choppers or jets in the mountains - and we are talking big mountains and bad weather.
28% of us were foreigners and most of those were ex military fighters as well.
Yes we had the dreaded secrecy stuff and one day I might post some more of what happened but our handling and maintenance was second to none.
What was good was that every flight data recorder was checked...I was called up a couple of times ...once over a complaint received through diplomatic channels...and only after they had thoroughly investigated it...but as I flew by the book.. which was openly written...never had any problems.
I'll PM u.
alan