Special guests at the Girls’ House in Frankfurt

Lufthansa captain and co-pilot from the crew of the second Falklands flight visit the girls’ house

The first flight from Hamburg to the Falkland Islands at the end of January 2021 was the longest non-stop passenger flight in Lufthansa’s history. The change of the Polarstern crew and the pickup of the research expedition participants gave rise to another flight to the Falkland Islands a few weeks later. But before the Lufthansa crew could start the second flight, they were obliged to go into quarantine for a fortnight due to the travel measures in force at the time. During this time, the idea arose to support the help alliance and specifically the project “Creating Perspectives for Young Women” in Frankfurt. So during the quarantine, the crew members got to know some girls from the project in a virtual exchange and answered many different questions about the upcoming special flight and about their professions. In addition, the crew decided to take the plush animal seal Hope with them on their journey towards the South Pole to the Falkland Islands and to give it to the girls as a gift during a personal visit after their return. Last week the time had come and Lufthansa captain Cordula Pflaum and co-pilot Nadja Küspert visited the Mädchenhaus Frankfurt. You can read more about the exciting afternoon at the girls’ house below.

2 pm: Arrival and first exchange

19.07.2021 was an exciting day, especially for the girls at the Girls’ House Frankfurt. With the start of the long-awaited summer holidays, they got to know part of the Falkland crew in person, captain Cordula Pflaum and co-pilot Nadja Küspert. But also the two pilots and the help alliance project coordinators Maike Arnswald and Jessica Konsul were full of excitement about the afternoon together with the girls and their carers.

2:30 pm: Impressions of the trip to the Falkland Islands and the handover of Hope

After a short round of introductions, the programme already started. The two pilots guided the girls through the exciting journey to the Falkland Islands with stories and pictures. In the process, they also got a glimpse or two behind the scenes of the flight. Among other things, they found out what the crew had to prepare before take-off or how much break time they had during the flight and how many guests were on board. A very special guest was the seal Hope: she accompanied the crew on the five-day journey, from Hamburg towards the South Pole to the Falkland Islands and back to Germany with landing in Munich. After a long journey of over 13,000 km each way, the two cockpit colleagues were now proud to hand over their companion Hope to the project. Here she is at home from now on and symbolically gives the girls strength, hope and courage for their future.

3:30 pm: Talk Round

Over a small snack, the girls openly and curiously entered into a direct exchange with their cockpit colleagues. While Cordula Pflaum and Nadja Küspert were able to learn a lot about the work in the girls’ house, the girls asked interested questions about the pilot training, the daily work routine and the dress code. The girls also found out that the proportion of women in the cockpit is still very low up to today, but were encouraged not to let their own dreams and visions stop them despite the inequality. But also private topics were discussed. The girls told about their certificates and plans for the summer and the two female pilots revealed what goals they still have in their profession.

4:30 pm: Farewell

An exciting afternoon in the girls’ house in Frankfurt comes to an end. The impressions from the trip and the exchange among each other was enriching for all participants. And who knows, maybe some of the girls have been enchanted by the world of flying and will travel the world as pilots in the future.