Flying Superstition
I don’t know any statistics about superstition (and don’t really want to know any), but the fact is here: many airlines are affected by superstitious passengers. Typically, most of them have no row 13 in their aircraft, nor operate flight with number number including 13.
One noticeable exception is British Airways. Not only they operate BA1313 between Aberdeen and Heathrow, and their aircraft have a row 13. I flew once to London City in a BA Jumbolino, on a Friday 13th of February, and I was seated in this famous row 13 !
Another famous example is Brussels Airlines. The company logo is made of red dots forming together a stylized “b”. 13 dots to be exact. As customers complained about the number, the company decided to add a 14th one. Click here to read more about this change. I don’t know either if the Irish airline Aer Lingus is luckier than other, with its shamrock logo, and radio call-sign “Shamrock”…
As pilot, there are certain things I try to avoid when flying, but this is more related to human factors (i.e. food poisoning), and to avoid creating extra distractions. A short inspection of my logbook shown that I flew on 14 different 13th of the month… 3 of them being Friday ! The day I landed on a frozen lake was Friday 13th of January 2006 !
I never flew with black-cats on board, mostly because I never had the opportunity to do it. I always pre-flight the aircraft in a clockwise direction (seen from above), simply because I learned to do so. Flying at FL130 or landing on runway 13 is not a problem for me, and even if I think that 130 knots is relatively slow, this is not that bad.
Are you a superstitious person ? Do you use lucky charms to make your flights better or safer, be it as passenger or pilot ? Would you fly on the Lufthansa 13 from Hamburg to Frankfurt, or Lufthansa 3666 (number of the beast) from Frankfurt to Geneva ? Let me know in comments…
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6 Comments, Comment or Ping
Bob
Sounds silly but I usually wear one of two shirts I reserve for flying. They were a gift when I got my ticket and since they already have engine oil stains on them I figure use them instead of ruining another shirt. But I do look on them as my “lucky” flight shirts!
May 15th, 2008
Don
As a certified minister of the gospel I am not particularly influenced by superstitions. Not that I don’t hold some things as sacred, but there is a difference. Even before I was ordained I did not pay attention to superstitions. However, walking under a ladder is asking to get something dropped on your head. If a cat (or dog) of any color winds itself around your feet you are likely to take a header. (Had a cocker spaniel once who loved to trap my foot in his paws. I walked carefully around him.) So, there is a necessity to separate superstition from folk experience. As pilots we must also be scientists in our regard to facts.
Don
May 16th, 2008
PlasticPilot
@Bob: how do you manage flying trips
?
@Don: thank you for this enlighted opinion. If I may ask your opinion on this topic (despite not being myself a man of faith, I’ve interest for it), can Saint-Christopher be seen as protector of the pilots ? I know it’s considered as protector of the car drivers, and I wonder if he’s protector of all human operated vehicles (sorry if don’t use the proper terms, this is far from my standard use of english).
May 16th, 2008
Don
Petitioning saints for protection is a medieval anachronism roundly rejected by the Reformation, but retained by the Roman Catholic Church. For me it falls in the category of superstition albeit with a Christian touch. Properly understood it is the veneration of the saints which is permitted in the Roman Church. But the petition habit is a hard one to break.
In all things aviation I think our regulatory agencies would prefer that we depend on training, preparation, and skillful execution.
May 17th, 2008
PlasticPilot
Don, I’m 100% aligned with your view on training,preparation and skillful execution. My idea was not to rely on any form of superstition to replace them, but see what kind of things pilots do believe in. Hope I don’t made you upset.
May 17th, 2008
Don
No problem PP. It was an interesting discussion that helped me frame my sermon for Trinity Sunday.
Pax vobiscum
May 20th, 2008
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