Well, this gives new meaning to the words "comin' in on a wing and a prayer."
World War II history buffs will no doubt recognize the name of the 1943 musical number that tells the stirring tale of battered bomber struggling to get to base after a night of blasting the bejesus out of the enemy.
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The song was recorded by the Song Spinners for Decca Records, reaching number one on the Billboard pop chart on July 2, 1943.
"Look below, there's our field over there," the song goes. "With our one motor gone, we can still carry on."
SWISS cabin crew in serious trouble for taking selfies on a 777 wing in Buenos Aires. pic.twitter.com/NrwevZ8ys8
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) August 25, 2023
Strike the pose
And speaking of carrying on – how's that for a segue? – a Swiss International Airline cabin crew is taking a lot of flak for stunt they pulled while in the Paris of South America, Buenos Aires.
Reports say the crew publicly posing for pictures and selfies earlier this month on top of the wing of one of the airline's parked Boeing 777 aircraft.
And while Buenos Aires can be translated as "fair winds," this incident could end up being a mighty ill wind that will blow no good for some crew members.
At the time of the incident, the aircraft was awaiting its return leg to Brazil and onward to Zurich International Airport, Simple Flying reported.
Videos taken by passengers at the terminal gates show that three crew members opened the over-wing exit on the right side of the aircraft and stepped out onto the wing.
The clip features one female flight attendant apparently dancing on the wing before she is joined by a male colleague. A second man, believed to be a senior cabin chief, comes out and pulls bodybuilding poses.
“According to the airline, there were no passengers on board at the time,” Breaking Aviation News & Video tweeted. “Instead, they were able to watch the dangerous action of the crew from the terminal.”
"Oh, very professional," one person tweeted. "Will take a pass on Swiss going forward."
Incident 'extremely dangerous'
"Young happy people enjoying not putting anyone in danger…but today’s world wants everything by the book," another one said.
"SWISS will, eventually, love this - getting their brand in front of eyeballs," read another tweet.
They're not loving it right now, that's for sure.
Airline management labelled the incident as “unprofessional” and “extremely dangerous,” adding that the crew members are allowed to climb onto the wing only in case of “emergency evacuation.”
"What looks like fun in the video is life-threatening,” Michael Pelzer, a Swiss Airline spokesperson, told The Sun. "The wings of the Boeing 777 are about five meters (16.4 feet) high. A fall from that height onto the hard surface can be devastating."
Head of Cabin Crew and Vice President of Swiss International Air Lines Martin Knuchel released a video criticizing the crew's behavior.
"Hey guys, I'll be honest," he said. "I'm angry and disappointed. What if the passengers no longer trust us when they see this video? This has to stop, there must be no more videos likes this."
Knuchel said the case will be dealt internally as a disciplinary matter, adding that "to counteract the first rumors, we won't just fire someone."
And it could've been worse.
A JetBlue (JBLU) -) flight attendant made headlines in 2010 when he grabbed and guzzled two beers and exited a plane by deploying the evacuation slide and slipping right down to the tarmac.
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