Pisa to Zurich with Edelweiss - The airline and the flower

[P_7878]

[Note: I had big difficulty with my flight today, with the a/c (cockpit) avionics going blank/dark as I neared Zurich airport (multiple attempts to complete the flight did not succeed). BTW, this is not uncommon for me with Xbox a/c, but typically, quitting (and restarting) MSFS or/and moving the a/c to another ORIG airport, has always resolved my issue in the past, but today nothing worked... (very frustrating indeed). So, you do not see below any touchdown shots of my A340 landing in Zurich (I attempted both ILS 16 and ILS 34 Rwy approaches into LSZH) ...Oh well...My MSFS2024 (at least the Standard Edition) is now ready to go with Xbox Game Pass subscription been thoughtfully extended by my teen recently...🙂...I'm frankly already getting a little tired of seeing the two (MSFS) icons (side-by-side) on my TV Desktop, with the 2024 one constantly teasing me with that high-flying DHC CL-415 on it...🙂...an a/c already featured here earlier by a member...🙂...Anyway, "one" of my two MSFS icons will have to be dispensed with promptly on Nov 19th...come what may...🙂...We'll see...]

This post is about an airline that I've known well since the earliest days of my interest in the hobby, and one I've been meaning to fly in MSFS for quite some time. And I particularly like flowers on airframes, as being part of airline liveries. Though not as common as "birds" on airframes, "flowers" do appear on many airline liveries. I had earlier posted about Finnair 787 with its unique and beautiful "poppy" flower petals strewn across the fuselage. "Edelweiss" is another such flower that has long fascinated me. The reasons of my fancy with Edelweiss (flower), is partly, of course, because it appears on the a/c of the Swiss leisure and charter airline of the same name, but more so, because I am fascinated by (and have high regards for) flowers and plants that grow (i.e., can grow) in the harshest environments e.g., in the extreme heat and dryness of deserts or in regions with the coldest of climates. 

When I'd visited Arizona for the first time, I was struck e.g., by the giant (up-standing) Cactus plants native to the desert regions of the state, also often seen on touristy pictures of Arizona. The Cacti are some of the most resilient plants on planet Earth. Though I'd never come across a Cactus in Chicagoland in decades, when I lived in Texas for a few years, I would be puzzled to see cactus (smaller and flat surfaced types - they are called "Prickly Pear Cactus") growing plenty on the park trails in the suburban areas. After all, Texas is a hot and dry state...🙂...not too far from the deserts of New Mexico and Mexico. Aloe is another such miracle plant...possibly nature's most resilient plant with a unique mechanism that allows it to retain moisture in its leaves helping it survive the world's harshest conditions, the same (hydrating/astringent) characteristic of the plant, found use as a skin emollient for humans too. In the same spirit, the "Edelweiss" flower is a fighter and survivor. In fact, this mountain plant prefers rocky and hard limestone places of high altitudes, reaching up to 12,000 ft. The flower is the national symbol of many countries, including that of Switzerland (see the prominent marking "Switzerland" on my images below of Edelweiss Air), but it blooms for a very short-lived period of only a few weeks in summer. 

As I was researching the flower a bit, I came across an interesting analogy from a Behavioral Health Clinic in Wisconsin, the (rare) U.S. state where reportedly Edelweiss is also grown, though WI is not an alpine country, that I know of...🙂....The clinic's founder says, "I have been asked many times how I came up with our name "Edelweiss Health Services"...Edelweiss flowers survive on mountains, rock terrains at high altitudes, but remain strong and resilient despite these conditions that for other flowers would not allow for survival...Edelweiss flowers have developed extraordinary adaptation mechanisms...I've recognized the similarities between these strong and beautiful flowers...and people suffering from disorders...so that many (people) are surviving, recovering, and thriving in spite of the harsh conditions of life..." Indeed, a worthy testament to the tiny flower...that this airline (of my post here) also has chosen to name itself after... 

So, here we go, as I fly north, across and over two mountain ranges, but a short distance of less than 300 miles, from Pisa (LIRP)/Italy to Zurich (LSZH)/Switzerland, two city destinations noted in the route network of Edelweiss Air. As I take off Pisa (the city being totally on the coastal flatlands - LIRP Elevation 6'), I immediately come face-to-face with the rising Apennine Mountains of Italy (see images). Then the Apennines descend into the large (central) plains of Po Valley (I had once done a post about Po River), but I'm not done here with mountains yet. The majestic Swiss Alps appear quickly ahead, looming directly in front of my flight path (see images) in the final stretch of my journey towards Zurich. 

Hope you enjoy this collection of images of the Edelweiss Air A340, along with its namesake (beautiful but tough) flower adorning its airframe...symbolizing maybe a timeless message of hope and optimism for all of us... 

Thanks for viewing. Happy flying...!

Edited October 19 by P_7878

[John F]

Beautiful shots...taking full advantage of that low sun.

[pmplayer]

Beautys, thanks for showing this A340 in the nice Edelweiss livery..

cheers 😉

[HighTowers]

Great shots all around. 

[Alaska738]

Very nice shots and livery! This livery introduced Switzerland well!! 😉 

[P_7878]

John, pm, HighT, Will:

Thank you all for the nice and kind comments...🙂...!

[bernd1151]

Cool livery, nice plane and great shots, P_7878 !! 

[CBass]

Very nice set of shots!  Cheers,

Calum

[andiflyit]

A really good looking Edelweiss A340 P_7878! 

[P_7878]

Bernd, Calum, Andreas:

Many thanks...! Glad you liked this A340 in the (beautiful) Edelweiss flower livery...🙂...