It was Oil Change day here at our home at Polly ranch, and Louise and I both toiled away at our respective airplanes, draining fluids, checking over FWF stuff, and generally enjoying a few hours together with tools in our hangar (eat your heart out guys….I have found mine!). Discussion was generally about planes, maintenance, and how thins are built, but Louise at one point asked a simple question:
“When does an airplane lose it’s personality?”
In essence, how much of an airplane would have to be replaced before it ceased being what it was, and simply began to be part of another? Mikey and the Valkyrie are very personal to both of us – parts of the family, like Karst the Wonder Dog…..we tend to think of our airplanes as beings of a sort. But when you think about the rebuild of “Black Magic” (which remains the same airplane, despite lots of replacement parts), it begs the question….where does the “soul” of the airplane reside?
We change engines, we can replace wings, tails, canopies….w can rebuild or replace the instrument panel….but it is still the same airplane. The dry, FAA definition would be that the Airworthiness Certificate makes it a plane….but that is an unromantic view, espoused by dry, drone-like administrators….
RV’s are special machines – almost living for those of us who have created them or made one part of our family.
So where, I ask…where does the airplane’s soul reside?
“When does an airplane lose it’s personality?”
In essence, how much of an airplane would have to be replaced before it ceased being what it was, and simply began to be part of another? Mikey and the Valkyrie are very personal to both of us – parts of the family, like Karst the Wonder Dog…..we tend to think of our airplanes as beings of a sort. But when you think about the rebuild of “Black Magic” (which remains the same airplane, despite lots of replacement parts), it begs the question….where does the “soul” of the airplane reside?
We change engines, we can replace wings, tails, canopies….w can rebuild or replace the instrument panel….but it is still the same airplane. The dry, FAA definition would be that the Airworthiness Certificate makes it a plane….but that is an unromantic view, espoused by dry, drone-like administrators….
RV’s are special machines – almost living for those of us who have created them or made one part of our family.
So where, I ask…where does the airplane’s soul reside?
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