Mooney Superstitions or Habit (I'm not sure anymore)

[211º]

After each flight and just before I leave the hangar, I have to pat my plane on the silver spinner and say "Thank you Queenie" with the implied - "thanks for flight and for playing your part in getting me back on the ground."
Any other post-flight habits from anyone?

[Oscar Avalle]

Funny, after each flight I make also a point of padding my Mooney on the cowling and thanking her…btw, why are we considering them female?


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[PilotX]

26 minutes ago, Oscar Avalle said:

btw, why are we considering them female?
 

That is a great question. Did an insurance checkout/delivery with a couple of gentleman who lived in FL but were originally from Venezuela. They said their planes, cars, etc were masculine where we traditionally label our planes and car as feminine. Mine is Miss Daisy.

[Oscar Avalle]

I Central America and the southern cone planes are considered female

Oscar


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[philiplane]

1 hour ago, Oscar Avalle said:

Funny, after each flight I make also a point of padding my Mooney on the cowling and thanking her…btw, why are we considering them female?


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Because they're fun, but also mysterious, sometimes unpredictable, and they require lots of attention, or they will give you trouble.

Edited September 28, 2021 by philiplane

[Hank]

2 hours ago, Oscar Avalle said:

Funny, after each flight I make also a point of padding my Mooney on the cowling and thanking her…btw, why are we considering them female?

The same reason we measure in nautical miles and knots--it's carryover from ships. Weren't early planes called "air ships"?

[Skates97]

2 hours ago, philiplane said:

Because they're fun, but also mysterious, sometimes unpredictable, and they require lots of attention, or they will give you trouble.

You left out expensive...

[McMooney]

4 hours ago, Oscar Avalle said:

Funny, after each flight I make also a point of padding my Mooney on the cowling and thanking her…btw, why are we considering them female?


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Do the exact same, rub her cowling and pat the spinner.  thank her for a wonderful flight

[GeeBee]

2 hours ago, Hank said:

The same reason we measure in nautical miles and knots--it's carryover from ships. Weren't early planes called "air ships"?

No ships and airplanes use knots and nautical miles for a very solid reason. 1 minute of latitude equals 1 nm. Know your speed and your true course you can quickly calculate your position.

Statute miles came about from the Roman quarter masters who had to calculate the caloric requirements of a marching legion. A statute mile is 1000 paces of a legion.

 

[StevenL757]

6 hours ago, 211º said:

After each flight and just before I leave the hangar, I have to pat my plane on the silver spinner and say "Thank you Queenie" with the implied - "thanks for flight and for playing your part in getting me back on the ground."
Any other post-flight habits from anyone?

Yes...exactly this.

You thank your aircraft for a great ride, for keeping you safe, and getting you wherever you are in one piece with your butt intact.  The Blue Angels pat the patch on the left side of their jets after every flight when climbing down off the ladder...essentially thanking their aircraft in a similar fashion.

[Mooney Dog]

6 hours ago, 211º said:

I have to pat my plane on the silver spinner

I do this before and after almost every flight in any plane. Sometimes on the data plate or cowling since some planes i fly dont have props. 

[Hank]

2 hours ago, GeeBee said:

No ships and airplanes use knots and nautical miles for a very solid reason. 1 minute of latitude equals 1 nm. Know your speed and your true course you can quickly calculate your position.

Statute miles came about from the Roman quarter masters who had to calculate the caloric requirements of a marching legion. A statute mile is 1000 paces of a legion.

But aerial pursuits didn't standardize on nautical miles until late in the 20th century. My 1970 Owners Manual is all in statute miles. Ships used nm for latitude, made figuring times and distances easier. But we in aviation share much common terminology with our watery brethren. 

But we can say something that no sailor can say:  we haven't left one up there yet!

P.S.--Roman miles were ~5000 feet, or 1000 standardized paces (measured from where one foot left the ground until it touched again), but an early post-Norman English king messed it up with his standard definition of an acre.

[211º]

1 hour ago, Hank said:

But we can say something that no sailor can say:  we haven't left one up there yet!

 

Ahhhh, the glass is indeed half-full.

[Hank]

3 minutes ago, 211º said:

Ahhhh, the glass is indeed half-full.

I'm an engineer. Glasses are neither half empty nor half full. But I have noticed many people could use a smaller, less expensive glass . . . .

[1964-M20E]

9 hours ago, Hank said:

The same reason we measure in nautical miles and knots--it's carryover from ships. Weren't early planes called "air ships"?

We still refer to helicopters as ships.

[Stan]

A pat on the cowl and a "thanks!"

And a variation on Hanks comment from an old USMC Warrant Officer, "With all due respect sir, get the right size glass, sit down, and lets work this out!"

 

[Hank]

23 minutes ago, Stan said:

A pat on the cowl and a "thanks!"

And a variation on Hanks comment from an old USMC Warrant Officer, "With all due respect sir, get the right size glass, sit down, and lets work this out!"

Thank you, Stan. Dad was a lifer, retired when I was in high school. Semper Fi!

[GeeBee]

4 hours ago, Hank said:

But aerial pursuits didn't standardize on nautical miles until late in the 20th century. My 1970 Owners Manual is all in statute miles. Ships used nm for latitude, made figuring times and distances easier. But we in aviation share much common terminology with our watery brethren. 

But we can say something that no sailor can say:  we haven't left one up there yet!

P.S.--Roman miles were ~5000 feet, or 1000 standardized paces (measured from where one foot left the ground until it touched again), but an early post-Norman English king messed it up with his standard definition of an acre.

No, a lot of aerial pursuits were knots from the very beginning and ATC instructions have always been knots. Only marketing people wanted MPH. While many aircraft had MPH, the navigators stations always had knots.  No one ever said, "slow to 288 mph." 

[EricJ]

24 minutes ago, GeeBee said:

Only marketing people wanted MPH. 

Naturally, because it's a bigger number.   Calling the J model a 175 just doesn't have the same panache or draw, especially since the Cessna of the same model wasn't very inspiring.    

[Marauder]

With all of this patting and touching being talked about, do you think it’s strange that I stroke my plane’s pitot tube after a flight?

I think we all have some sort of after flight ritual (or OCD behavior). Do you think our planes have one as well? Like thanking Al Mooney for building a robust plane that can put up with some of our ham fisted, bounced landing flying?


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[ZuluZulu]

On 9/28/2021 at 6:09 PM, EricJ said:

Naturally, because it's a bigger number.   Calling the J model a 175 just doesn't have the same panache or draw, especially since the Cessna of the same model wasn't very inspiring.    

I would happily settle for 175 knot cruise.......