Marc Bertram Interview with a SWISS Pilot

Report: Patrick Kessler (Originally in English)
Translation: ZRHLX/ITS

SWISS VA: When did you start flying for Swissair?
Marc Betram: I am flying since January 1st 1988.

What aircrafts do you fly?
Currently, I'm flying with Airbus A319, A320 and A321.
I used to fly the

During the Swissair Epoch, Boeing MD-11 and the Boeing 747 «Jumbo» were on the airline's fleet. Were you a captain on any of these?
I did fly the MD-11. I wasn't captain but First Officer and later Senior First Officer respectively.

What is your favourite aircraft? (Airbus and Boeing)
I don't have a personal preference. I am simply fascinated by aviation. I did like flying the MD-11 but I did not specially favour Boeing.

Has it been your dream to fly this aircraft?
As a child, flying has always been what i wanted. When i applied at Swissair the first time, they asked me to study first. They accepted me at the second application.

From your perspective, how modern would you rate Airbus technology? How does Boeings technology stand?
I don't know the Boeing technology well but i think that Airbus is quite advanced with it's Fly by Wire system.

Which company is currently leading? Airbus or Boeing?
I think Airbus is the current leader, but Boeing is definitely gearing up now.
Airbus suffered from the problems associated with the A380.

Airbus is releasing the A380 and Boeing the 787 Dreamliner. If you could choose one to fly today, which one would it be?
I would pick the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The A380 is way to big for me, it's a flying city.

What positive and negative experiences have you made with Airbus technology? Have you ever had a system failure?
Airbus takes a lot of work of a pilot's hand through all that modernization. This complex technology is very challenging though. We had a generator and an engine failure.

Have you been able to restart the engine?
No, we did not restart it because we were close to the airport. These planes are built to be flown and landed with a single engine.

Thank you very much Marc!