"I never really use the word 'work' in connection with a flight."

Norbert Wiederer, MBA combines two worlds. He not only works as First Officer of the A320 fleet at Lufthansa but is also responsible for a demanding communications job within the company as Operations Support and Flight Crew Communication Officer. During his master’s thesis for his MBA degree, he dealt with the topic of firefighting aircraft and opened up another field for development.

When did you first know that you wanted to be a pilot?

I knew quite spontaneously. After graduating from high school, we organized a private school trip to Lloret de Mar. We flew from Nuremberg to Barcelona, and it was on that flight that I decided: I will be a pilot. It was a ten-second decision. In Barcelona, I immediately went to an Internet café and looked at the Lufthansa website, including the application form.

Do you remember what type of aircraft it was?

It was probably an Airbus, but I didn't know exactly then. From my perspective at the time, it was just an airplane. Then, of course, I did all the proper preparation for the application process and the selection tests. But the initial trigger was really that graduation trip. That was when I knew I wanted to become a pilot. It was love at first sight, so to speak.

Luckily, everything worked out fine after that. After six months, I had a place for the recruitment tests. In the meantime, I had started to study chemistry. That was my plan B, so to speak, in case the pilot training didn't work out. The recruitment tests took a while, but once I had passed them, I was able to start at the flight school straight away and eventually get my pilot's license. I was then immediately hired by Lufthansa - without losing any time. That was really ideal.

Where did your first flight take you?

My first flight was an everyday routine flight: Frankfurt, Brussels - Brussels, Frankfurt. My training captain flew on the outward flight, and I flew Brussels - Frankfurt. After that, I went straight to more distant destinations. My next flight, for example, was to Kazan (Russia).

I was then based in Frankfurt and was soon traveling all over Europe. That was great, of course! And it's still great today. But in the early days - I finished my pilot training at the age of 22 - it was the greatest thing ever.

What fascinated you most about being a pilot in the beginning?

The combination of everything, I would say. I was able to put my interest in technology to good use, simply because the airplane is a technical device. But I was also very much interested in the interpersonal aspects. You get to know a lot of people, not just the crew, but also the people on the ground.

In my early twenties, I visited places that I had to look up in an atlas. It was a great opportunity to discover new cultures and at the same time I was able to use the languages I had learned at school. It was incredibly inspiring and really suited me. And it still does. For me, it's more than just a job. To this day, I don't say I'm going to work. I say, "I'm going to fly". I never really use the word "work" in connection with a flight.

In what context do you use it?

I'll have to think about that. Maybe in the context of "working through emails". I actually enjoy everything I do. The activities I'm currently doing also fulfill me. There's always a certain amount of passion involved.

Do you also have management responsibilities today?

In part. After seven years of flying, I felt that I could not only fly, but also work in another area of this company. My employer is a large corporation and offers many great opportunities. At that time, a position had just become available in the communications department of flight operations. They were looking for pilots who knew the "outside" environment, for internal communication with the pilots. Again, this was just right for me. Deep down I was ready for such a change after seven years of flying.

That's how I got into communications. That's also when the issue of studying became relevant for the first time, because a university degree was a formal criterion for promotion to a management position above a certain level.  Some of my colleagues and even my boss had studied in Krems, so the connection to the University for Continuing Education Krems was quickly established.

I soon realized that I wanted to study. At the time, I said to myself: "All right, I now understand the world of aviation, I understand the principles of our internal organization. Now it's time to develop myself further".

Many decisions in my career have been made in a similar way. Somehow, I always quickly realized what the next step would be and so the next step was a logical one.

What is it like working as a pilot in operational communication?

It's a completely different world! I gained new, very enriching insights into the company and a new perspective. You get to know completely different people and build up a broad network. I really liked the combination. As I am a pilot myself, I know how to talk to my colleagues, and I also had the feeling that I was appreciated by the pilots in my role as an intermediary to management because I am one of them.  After all, I'm still 50% in flying duty myself and incorporated the "best of both worlds", so to speak. I still do the communicator job today and look after the internal crew forums for the pilots. That's still going very well.

What surprised you most about this new job?

The biggest surprise for me was two things: first, the time aspect.

In flying, we always have clear and structured decision-making processes: in certain situations, we have to react in a certain way.  For example, if bad weather occurs on a flight, we have to make a decision immediately. You can't say: I'll think about that again, or let's leave the text alone and consult with colleagues, or we'll gather more facts.

It was also new that tasks accompany me over a longer period of time and even after the end of my service. On a flight, the task is completed when you have reached your destination. The plane is safely parked, and you are satisfied that you have transported 200 people safely from A to B. At the end of a working day, you are finished with your work.

That's not the case in communication and that was new for me.  At the end of the working day, I still have open emails and I keep going. You might complete a topic, but when you're involved in projects that last several years - for example, we've introduced new software tools and improved our communication landscape - you take it with you as a continuous work package. You no longer have that feeling of "Now it's the end of the day and I'm done." Work and private life become more blurred. In the role of a communicator, it may happen that a call comes in after work because something has happened and we have to communicate.

The second aspect that was new to me in communication was work organization. As a pilot, the work processes are defined very precisely. In a communications job, you have to be much more structured and organized yourself. You have to learn how to deal with the never-ending workload, how to set priorities and ultimately how to organize your life.

It was also during this time that you decided to do an MBA.

Exactly. It was clear to me that I wanted to get ahead and that a degree was a prerequisite for a senior management role. My boss, who himself studied at the University for Continuing Education in Krems, also encouraged me to take this step. There were three colleagues around me who were either currently studying there or had already finished. These colleagues were like role models for me. They had vision, strong interpersonal skills, and had taken another significant step forward through their studies. So, it was absolutely clear to me that I wanted to study in Krems. I finally started the MBA in Aviation Management in 2020.

How did you do during your studies?

I studied from home due to the coronavirus pandemic. I was one of the few people who worked full-time during the pandemic because I was able to work very flexibly. I was still on flying duty and flew the few flights that were still possible. At the same time, we were processing a lot of information and regulations in the communications department. At the time, I was responsible for the Covid entry regulations for our crews.

So, I was working and studying from home. It wasn't easy at first, because students and professors were new to studying and teaching online. But after a certain period of adjustment, the online lectures became very professional, and the teaching was also very good. And then it was very practical for me: I was actually able to work and study from home.

Due to the many lockdowns, there was no alternative to what I could do on many days. I was able to fill my days perfectly with writing homework or reading literature. The time of the pandemic was perfect for progressing in my studies, i.e., for pure professional progress. At the same time, of course, I missed the personal interaction with my fellow students, getting to know them on campus or having lunch together at the university. That's what studying is all about.

Which subjects or topics interested you most during your studies?

I think I was particularly interested in the variety of subjects. It started with aviation law, then we had international business, airport management and marketing. I'm usually happy with just one job, but I have different interests. That's why the course was always interesting for me. All the subjects were aviation-related, but the content was very different. Under the umbrella of aviation management, we studied an incredibly diverse range of subjects.

Each module was taught by a different professor, each dealt with a different topic, but all modules were interlinked. It was like shining a flashlight in a different place every time and discovering something new.

You have completed your MBA degree. What is your next step?

I finished my studies at the end of the coronavirus pandemic. The last phase of my studies was very demanding because I wrote my master’s thesis, flew a lot again - more than usual - and of course there was also more going on in the office. My days were really full, and I was happy and proud when I finished my studies in October 2023.

Is the master’s thesis a challenge?

Yes, definitely. While working on your master’s thesis, you work intensively on your topic, but at the same time, your personality also develops during this time. The master’s thesis grows, and you grow with it.

What did you write about?

About the use of firefighting aircraft in Europe.

This raises the question of what will happen to me once I have completed my studies and have fulfilled the formal criteria for a career move within the company, which will certainly open up sooner or later.

At the same time, the topic of my master’s thesis is an interesting development, because no one has dealt with this topic in detail before. The topic is - in the truest sense of the word - hot. You will no doubt remember the serious forest fires on Rhodes in the summer, Spain is constantly burning - the topic of fire-fighting aircraft is attracting increasing interest.

Which companies build firefighting aircraft?

The largest manufacturer is Conair from Canada. Conair was the linchpin for the interviews in my master's thesis. This regularly results in interesting meetings and calls with airport operators who are interested in stationing firefighting aircraft. At the same time, high-ranking politicians are interested in the topic because it is also included in the coalition agreement in Germany. But the manufacturers of firefighting aircraft are also using my master's thesis to shed light on the cost-benefit aspect, for example. This opens up new possibilities.

Incidentally, the idea for my master’s thesis topic was an output of the pandemic. At the time, we were thinking internally about what we could do with the parked passenger planes. That's when we came up with the idea of converting some of them into cargo planes. Air freight was a very good business during the pandemic. When converting them into cargo aircraft, we realized that converting larger aircraft into firefighting aircraft was not that different. That's when I had the idea for my master’s thesis topic. The topic was - once again - just there, it immediately interested me, and I decided to do it straight away.

I get the impression that you are open to new topics and pursue what interests you with great commitment, but also with a certain relaxed attitude. This opens up new opportunities, perhaps even more than if you were chasing a single career goal.

A career is of course important and enriching. But I believe that life is more than that. It's about finding a good balance. That was also an output from my studies. You can't just write a master's thesis and optimize yourself, so to speak, because then you'll eventually get a topic in another area of life. Nurture every little plant and find the right balance for yourself! I like it when life is multi-faceted. I'm happy when I take a flight, I'm happy when I go to the office. I'm happy when nice things happen in my life.