Question about Superstition...

MrCrispy

MrCrispy

Filing Flight Plan
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Oct 8, 2007
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Jacksonville, FL
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Mr. Crispy
Let me start by saying, I know how stupid this questions sounds. I wouldn't call myself overly superstitious, but with my chosen hobby (sitting in a hunk of metal thousands of feet above a hard surface) I figure avoiding any bad karma or juju can't hurt.

My question concerns the N Number on a plane. I know if you want to change the name of a boat, its a rather complicated ritual ( Check out here for the run down).


Are there any similar precautions that should be taken if you want to change the N Number of a plane? I know the easiest thing to do would be to leave it be but say the plane I buy just happens to have birth date and initials of my vile ex-wife (and by "birth date" I mean "the day she was spawned from the depths of....nevermind").
 
No precautions needed. That old mariners superstition does not apply to aircraft.
 
i didnt know there was a procedure for changing a boats name. i just figured that doing so would bring doom and gloom with some famine thrown in.
 
For one thing it's not name, it's a number and letters, although in some cases like mine, the combo can mean something.

For another thing, we don't christen our planes. I guess they did on WW II bombers and such.

If Poseidon is the god of the sea, which is the god of the air? Zeus?

BTW, if you want bad omens, my N number is in the FAA database as being on a crashed Beech a long time ago. :hairraise:
 
tonycondon said:
i didnt know there was a procedure for changing a boats name. i just figured that doing so would bring doom and gloom with some famine thrown in.
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As I think about the boat ritual, I think it came from a mariner's tendency to find any reason to drink.

As pilots don't usually drink around their plane.....maybe the pilot's ritual would be to argue over the name for a couple hours then set a Far/Aim on fire? lol
 
LOL! This brought to mind a King Air that was based at an airport I used to work at. Part of the tail number was 666. It was changed to 686. I am not superstitious at all (?) but I liked the number change. I just thought I would throw that into the mix.
 
lol now that sounds like a great tradition to start!
 
MrCrispy said:
but say the plane I buy just happens to have birth date and initials of my vile ex-wife (and by "birth date" I mean "the day she was spawned from the depths of....nevermind").
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I don't know, maybe this would be a good reminder for you to never make that mistake again! :D
 
Speaking of Christening, when I finish building a plane, should I smash a bottle of wine over some part of it?
 
SkyHog said:
Speaking of Christening, when I finish building a plane, should I smash a bottle of wine over some part of it?
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I'd recommend hitting the windshield with it. That way you get the added bonus of seeing how well it will handle a bird strike.
 
Last year, there was a twin that lost pressurization over the Midwest and while the aircrew were unconscious, the aircraft descended rapidly and apparently well beyond Vne. The airframe was badly damaged and was considered a miracle it was even controllable after that.

The aircrew recovered in time, arrested the descent and proceeded to CGI where they landed safely. If I recall, part of the tail number was 777.

Yep, and I found the report it... N777AJ. What a story!

http://www.aopa.org/asf/ntsb/narrative.cfm?ackey=1&evid=20070208X00156
 
yea i remembered that too kenny. that was one wacky incident.
 
tonycondon said:
yea i remembered that too kenny. that was one wacky incident.
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When I thought more about it, it seems like that the aircraft was previously owned by a Christian missionary operation or something along those lines. The orginal N number was retained and just the letters were changed to the current "AJ." That added to the mystery of the story in the news at the time.
 
Google* the N #. If there is something on it, you can find it. Most NTSB reports also show up.

*I say google but any good internet search works. When did a noun become a verb? What's happening to the Engrish language?
 
I was looking for info on a n# from a plane that wrecked or was otherwise taken out of service in the 60's and hoped Mike had found some sort of historical FAA database. The N# has been assigned to another plane for quite a few years now, predating the Internet. I'm sure the FAA has that information, too bad it isn't available on the web.
 
tonycondon said:
i didnt know there was a procedure for changing a boats name. i just figured that doing so would bring doom and gloom with some famine thrown in.
Click to expand...

There are a great variety of rituals surrounding the renaming of a vessel (including changing out the coins on the mast step) that I have been party to. The common thread was large amounts of intoxicants all around and given to the sea. The most unique one was painting the old name on a sacraficial hull, setting it on fire & adrift allowing it to burn away and sink therefore fooling the gods into believing that the ship of that name had sunk, and that this vessel with a new name, was a new vessel. Needless to say, there was mass consumption involved for several days preceeding this event.
 
I like your avatar Mr Crispy! I'm a really big anime dork!!!:yes:
 
MrCrispy said:
As I think about the boat ritual, I think it came from a mariner's tendency to find any reason to drink.

As pilots don't usually drink around their plane.....maybe the pilot's ritual would be to argue over the name for a couple hours then set a Far/Aim on fire? lol
Click to expand...

We must be hanging around in completely different hangars....
 
Superstition....no not me.......

I just have a mascot that flies with me......
 
Henning said:
We must be hanging around in completely different hangars....
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Nah, here in jax they drink in their truck before they go to their plane.

pookies said:
I like your avatar Mr Crispy! I'm a really big anime dork!!!:yes:
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I like it too but I'm not a huge follower. I just like Vegeta because he's eerily similar to much of my personality.
 
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