The Aviation Virus is in the Air on SWISS Future Day

In addition to the hustle and bustle of everyday life in Operation Centre 1, there was something new to discover last Thursday as part of National Future Day: shining children's eyes. The young guests wait excitedly in front of the crew room and take possession of the flight attendants' waiting area. The air is filled with the aviation virus, which infects people from young to old with enthusiasm for the world of aviation and is widespread at SWISS. This now seems to be spreading to the children too. 

Evelyn Anliker Meran and her son Felix pose for a group photo next to Andreas Bracher in his pilot's outfit and his daughter Luana in front of a picture of a SWISS aircraft in Operation Centre 1.
Evelyn Anliker Meran and son Felix greet pilot Andreas Bracher and daughter Luana in Operation Centre 1 at Zurich Airport.
Andreas Bracher and his daughter Luana are standing in the pilots' briefing room in Operation Centre 1. Bracher points to the computer screen in front of him, which lists the current departures of SWISS aircraft.
Andreas Bracher shows his daughter Luana the current departures of SWISS aircraft in the pilots' briefing room.
Andreas Bracher and Luana stand next to each other in front of the empty tables in the pilots' briefing room and smile. Luana is wearing her father's pilot's hat, with a SWISS aeroplane model hanging above them.
Who suits the hat better? Father and daughter in the pilot briefing room.
The large grey entrance hall is filled with a crowd of children in yellow fluorescent waistcoats and adults who have brought the children to the meeting point for the subsequent guided tour.
The lobby of Operation Centre 1 is full of curious and enthusiastic children on Future Day.

One particularly interested child taking part in the Future Day at SWISS's operational headquarters is twelve-year-old Luana. She is accompanying her father Andreas Bracher in his work as a pilot. And not for the first time. "I've already been able to accompany him in the cockpit on two flights," she explains as she puts on her father's pilot's hat. The seventh grader flew with him once to New York and once to Stockholm. They can chat in the cockpit. "But during take-off and landing and when an important radio message comes in, I have to be really quiet," says Luana. Father and daughter agree when they describe the best impression of the flight: The moment when the aircraft breaks through the cloud cover and all you can see is the bright blue sky. Father and daughter agree when they describe the best impression of the flight: The moment when the aircraft breaks through the cloud cover and all you can see is the bright blue sky. "It's simply wonderful to be able to watch the sunrise from the cockpit window every time," enthuses Bracher. Apart from that, he also enjoys the close collaboration with the crew and the technical department in his job. Even before the flight, the pilot, co-pilot and crew coordinate the flight so that the service runs smoothly. When Andreas Bracher talks about his job, he has the same sparkle in his eyes as his daughter: "Flying is like a virus. It grabs you and once you're a pilot, you don't want to do anything else".
Luana shares his enthusiasm for flying and is proud of her father: "When I tell my friends that my father is a pilot, they think it's cool and ask me if they can fly with me." But she doesn't want to become a pilot: "I think it's too exhausting for me. I can see how tired dad is when he comes back from a long-haul flight". Nevertheless, she is not completely averse to a career above the clouds. She can well imagine a career as a flight attendant: "I really like contact with people and enjoyed the flights with my dad." What's more, flight attendants have nice uniforms. She can well imagine a career as a flight attendant: "I really like contact with people and enjoyed the flights with my dad." What's more, flight attendants have nice uniforms.

There is a large black drill in the apprentice workshop, which Felix uses to drill through the outer part of his yoyo housing. An apprentice in a red T-shirt stands next to him and helps him.
In the apprentice workshop, an apprentice supports Felix in making his own yoyo.
Felix and his friend Levin stand next to each other and hold their finished yoyos up to the camera with a smile. The black drill can be seen in the background.
It's done! Felix proudly presents his finished yoyo with his friend Levin.
Luana wears transparent safety goggles and stands at a white table. She is attaching the yoyo's string to the casing. Next to her is another girl who is being helped by an apprentice.
Luana masters the task of yoyo making almost all by herself.
Felix stands in front of a screen that belongs to a large gray machine and shows how a metal part is being ground into the right shape. An apprentice daughter stands in front of him and explains the process.
Felix is fascinated by the large and complex machines that can be found in the apprentice workshop.

Fire and flame for her own work
Evelyn Anliker Meran, who has flown for Crossair and then SWISS since 1995, can tell us about her career as a flight attendant. After several years as team leader, she has now been responsible for cabin crew training for more than ten years. She coordinates and plans the content and organisation of the hospitality and service training courses for prospective flight attendants and is proud of her job: "I'm passionate about SWISS. My absolute highlight is the extensive internal networking with other departments and employees. They are great people." Anliker Meran proudly announces that since the coronavirus pandemic, the job of cabin crew member has increasingly attracted people from other professional groups. These include men and women, many of whom are career changers with a degree or several years of professional experience in various positions, such as lawyers. The joy of working with people usually outweighs the extrinsic factors. The mum is also proud to introduce her son Felix to SWISS, who accompanies her through the corridors of the Operation Centre in the morning and monitors her coffee consumption at the same time. "Your next coffee won't be until half past eleven at the earliest," Felix reminds his mum, who acknowledges this with an amused smile. They eventually go their separate ways at around 1 p.m., because this is when Felix's SWISS Future Day tour starts.

Felix and his friend Levin are standing in the spacious hangar, dressed in yellow reflective vests. In the background you can see an Edelweiss airplane, which is standing further back in the hangar.
Next stop: airplane hangar.
A group of children are standing around a technician who is explaining how the engine of the Boeing-777 they are standing under works. Luana has raised her hand to ask a question.
In the hangar, Luana and Felix inspect the engine of a SWISS Boeing-777.
Luana and Felix stand to the left and right of the huge engine and point upwards with their arms, where the engine towers above their heads.
In their yellow reflective vests, the two children almost look like technical staff.
A group of children stand around the technician, who gives them information about the cargo hold. They find themselves in a metallic, spacious empty room in the belly of the plane.
Luana and Felix explore the empty cargo hold of the plane.

Making yo-yos in the apprentice workshop
"I'm Felix," the blonde boy with the bright red cap introduces himself confidently and shakes Luana's hand. The two children take part in the afternoon tour together, during which the participating children are divided into four groups: Africa, America, Asia and Europe. Armed with yellow fluorescent waistcoats and visitor passes, they travel by car to the aircraft hangar. Before the young guests get to know the large aircraft, they make a stopover at the SWISS Technik apprentice workshop, where 24 apprentices start their professional careers every year. Among other things, they repair aircraft parts there, which can then be attached directly to the aircraft door, for example. In the workshop, the children make their own aluminium yo-yos and are familiarised with the numerous machines by the apprentices themselves. "Making the yo-yo was cool. But the machines are really huge and also look a bit dangerous," says Luana. Felix doesn't share these concerns. He scrutinises every machine he walks past. "I like tinkering. I could use machines like this at home," the ten-year-old says enthusiastically. At the end, each child marches out of the workshop with their own yo-yo and into the hangar.

A pilot explains to Luana and two other children sitting in the pilot's and co-pilot's seats in the cockpit which buttons are responsible for what.
The cockpit is not unfamiliar territory for the pilot's daughter Luana.
Luana sits in the co-pilot's seat and smiles at the camera. The large dashboard of the cockpit can be seen in front of her, with lots of switches and buttons.
Luana feels comfortable in the co-pilot's seat too and is ready to take off.
Felix tries his hand at a challenge in the hangar, in which he tries to move a tire along a shaped airplane made of wire with as few touches as possible. The time is measured to see how fast he is.
During the snack break, there are all sorts of playful challenges to master.
A pile of blue bags with the words "Will you learn to fly with me?" pile up and are filled with presents ready for collection.
Small presents are ready for the children as soon as they return from the tour of the hangar.

Very small meets very big
The Future Day helpers wait five minutes with their programme to give the children time to marvel at the magnificent aircraft soaring into the air in front of them. The Future Day helpers wait five minutes with their programme to give the children time to marvel at the magnificent aircraft soaring into the air in front of them. Then there is a tour around the Boeing-777 on display, the largest aircraft in the SWISS fleet. A fun fact that Luana and Felix take with them: The aircraft's fuel is stored in the wings. They also inspect the engines and wheels as well as the cargo hold in the belly of the aircraft. "I've never been in the cargo hold. It's huge. There must really be room for a lot of suitcases here," remarks Luana.

One floor up in the cabin, real SWISS pilots welcome the children. The young visitors now have plenty of time to flatten themselves into the First Class seats. Felix's verdict: "Very comfortable". However, when a pilot mentions the price for a First Class seat and the associated service in First Class costs over 10,000 swiss francs on long-haul flights, Luana and Felix agree: they would rather book one of the 62 Business Class seats. The highlight, however, is the cockpit, which Felix inspects closely. Luana points to the vast number of buttons and switches. "Many of the buttons here in the cockpit have already been explained to me. But I've forgotten them all," she admits with a grin. After a visit to the crew members' sleeping areas, which are accessible via a small staircase at the front and rear of the aircraft, the children are finally overcome by tiredness. The car takes them back to Operation Centre 1, where Andreas Bracher and Evelyn Anliker Meran are already waiting for their children. Together with a gift and a certificate that SWISS gives to the hard-working observers. Then it's time to say goodbye. "It was really cool," says Felix. "Yes, an exciting day," agrees Luana. And it seems as if the sparkle in the eyes of dozens of children has also spread to the Operation Centre, as it looks as if it is glistening in the evening sun.