SWISS 777 touch and goes @ Palma de Mallorca

[SVX]

Hi All,

I was at a meeting by Palma de Mallorca airport yesterday and saw a SWISS 777 perform about a dozen touch and goes; I was wondering what the operational purpose would likely to be for so many?

There is some youtube footage here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E33bGxedZxA

[Jamesgt]

I'll take a guess. Pilot training.

[anonymous-user]

Jamesgt said:

I'll take a guess. Pilot training.

Seems odd though. If an aircraft has been around for a while this kind of training is usually done in the simulator. Touch and goes are only really required for new types of aircraft when they first enter service.

Even then, you wouldn't usually go to a busy airport like Palma.

ETA - looks like the B773 ER is a new type for Swiss.

Edited by el stovey on Tuesday 2nd February 11:02

[Rubymurray]

Touch and gos in an aircraft will only normally be required for less experienced pilots, guys with more total flight time or experience on heavy aircraft can do them in the simulator.
Did hear a rumour of some of Swiss' RJ pilots transferring to the 777 so might have been them bashing the circuit?

[peter tdci]

el stovey said:

ETA - looks like the B773 ER is a new type for Swiss.

Yep, it looks like that is their first and it arrived in Zurich last Friday.

[Ali Chappussy]

Two flights scheduled into Heathrow, one on the 13th and and one on the 20th February. There may be others but as I can only make Saturdays, these are the ones I remembered!

[jamiebae]

peter tdci said:

el stovey said:

ETA - looks like the B773 ER is a new type for Swiss.

Yep, it looks like that is their first and it arrived in Zurich last Friday.

This.

There was a big fanfare when it arrived at ZRH last week, the first of a few which have been ordered to replace the old A-340s

[anonymous-user]

Rubymurray said:

Touch and gos in an aircraft will only normally be required for less experienced pilots, guys with more total flight time or experience on heavy aircraft can do them in the simulator.

Not when it's a new type for the airline. Then all the trainers and pilots have to do circuits until the airline gets approval for zero flight time simulator from the regulator.

[MitchT]

Flightradar24 posted about this on Facebook earlier ...

"Prior to its entry into revenue service, Swiss International Air Lines’ pilots have been training with the new 777-300ER."

http://www.flightradar24.com/data/airplanes/hb-jna...

[El Guapo]

Why would they choose to do it at Palma?

[jamiebae]

El Guapo said:

Why would they choose to do it at Palma?

Weather I guess, and at this time of year there will be spare capacity there too. Zürich is pretty busy, and can have snow and fog at this time of the year. I assume it's cheaper to use Palma than the more local places too.

[anonymous-user]

jamiebae said:

El Guapo said:

Why would they choose to do it at Palma?

Weather I guess, and at this time of year there will be spare capacity there too. Zürich is pretty busy, and can have snow and fog at this time of the year. I assume it's cheaper to use Palma than the more local places too.

Often they have a list of suitable airports, nice long runway, quiet, good bar nearby etc. They just check out the weather in the morning and see which one looks best, give them a ring and then file a flight plan, jump onboard and launch off.

I expect the Swissers were looking at places like Chateauroux in France, possibly Seville and Palma. In the UK airlines use places like Manston, Prestwick, Doncaster, Newquay

[SVX]

Thanks for the replies - I'm guessing that there would've been several pilot/co-pilot teams onboard then. Anyhow, was great to see, made for quite the distraction.

[stain]

I was a ground engineer for BA departing a 737 touch and go training flight to Manston. The caterers delivered a box of hot crew meals for the day and the young lady pilot remarked that they were in fact cold. I had to inform her that they had to go in the oven first. I did chuckle. We always gave the landing gear a good check over upon return from these trips. Going with the aircraft sounded like fun but was a bit vomit inducing at times.

[wolves_wanderer]

stain said:

I was a ground engineer for BA departing a 737 touch and go training flight to Manston.

I was working around Manston a few years back whilst a 747 was doing circuits. I imagine that was impressively expensive.

[jamiebae]

Now with a new livery and loading up at a very soggy ZRH

[uber]

Everyone was freaking out in Mallorca when they were doing this as nobody had put out any warnings. Police got tons of calls as the aircraft were flying so low.

[jamiebae]

Wow, they're really very excited about this...



Is it just me who thinks it's a dull flying bus? I certainly wouldn't be spending several thousand francs on a watch with it engraved on the back

[SVX]

Swiss have always had heavily "branded" and slightly outre duty free.

I wonder if this represents a return to profitability - it was quite a few years since I was commuting weekly on Swiss, but didn't remember ever really seeing many long haul aircraft parked off at ZRH. Does anyone know which aircraft these are replacing?

[jamiebae]

They're replacing the A340s. There are also a load of Bombardier C series in order to allow the old Avro fleet to be pensioned off. Even Helvetic have some Embraer 190s now instead of a full fleet of decrepit and unreliable Fokkers so there's a lot of new metal around at ZRH.

Annoyingly though, I was on Iberia this week and they were biblically st. I can't discerne any difference between them and Ryanair in terms of service and rip-off extras, only the planes are older and the crew are grumpier.