Owens Z
quaerimus scientiam
- Joined
- 6 October 2023
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This is odd. Author Salvador Mafé Huertas chose to conclude his history "Mirage and Dagger in the Falklands" (Wings of Fame Volume 6, p27) with the following comment from Spain's Major Jesús Romero Briasco, who four months after the end of the 1982 Falklands War did an exchange tour in Argentina with surviving Argentine Air Force pilots of Dagger fighter planes, which had been Israeli Air Force Neshers (Dassault Mirage III clones):
"...I looked closely at the Dagger, which had a white kill marking of a Royal Navy warship over its left intake. In some parts the paint was peeling off, revealing the lighter shades of its previous Israeli scheme. Suddenly, as if someone had shouted in my ear, I realised that this was a true war veteran of South Atlantic and Middle East conflicts. This aircraft had probably avoided MiGs, SAMs, AA fire and Sea Harriers, perhaps even downed one or more Soviet-made interceptors, and its bombs had pierced the thin alloy hull of a Royal Navy warship. But it had survived, and was ready for another round if the humans needed its services. I touched the Dagger's cold aluminum skin, and I felt something very strange, as if the Dagger was a living being and wanted to tell me about its adventures under two flags and half a world apart. This makes me sure that some aircraft have a soul within them."
I myself have not had such an experience. I'm neither a Shinto practitioner nor superstitious, but like most people outside present Western Europe, I reject materialism, and therefore don't dismiss the possibility a priori. It's of course difficult to see how such an idea could be falsifiable, even in principle (discounting practical experiments), but nonetheless I find this interesting. If I met (presumably since retired) Major Romero Briasco, I would ask why he said some aircraft rather than all. Regarding the difference (apparently by battle, or at least intense stress), how exactly could an ensoulment come about, and from where?
Has anybody here read similar witness (or perhaps had the experience yourself) about a palpable spirit within manufactures, especially airplanes or ships? I ask for actual testimony from the heart, like the above (not fictional lines from novels or comics or films). If yes then feel free to weigh in, and if applicable please provide the source so that I and other interested members may follow up.
Critical comments are welcome. For scoffers: you may well be right, but simply to avoid cluttering this thread, I ask those who would contribute only ridicule to beat it.
"...I looked closely at the Dagger, which had a white kill marking of a Royal Navy warship over its left intake. In some parts the paint was peeling off, revealing the lighter shades of its previous Israeli scheme. Suddenly, as if someone had shouted in my ear, I realised that this was a true war veteran of South Atlantic and Middle East conflicts. This aircraft had probably avoided MiGs, SAMs, AA fire and Sea Harriers, perhaps even downed one or more Soviet-made interceptors, and its bombs had pierced the thin alloy hull of a Royal Navy warship. But it had survived, and was ready for another round if the humans needed its services. I touched the Dagger's cold aluminum skin, and I felt something very strange, as if the Dagger was a living being and wanted to tell me about its adventures under two flags and half a world apart. This makes me sure that some aircraft have a soul within them."
I myself have not had such an experience. I'm neither a Shinto practitioner nor superstitious, but like most people outside present Western Europe, I reject materialism, and therefore don't dismiss the possibility a priori. It's of course difficult to see how such an idea could be falsifiable, even in principle (discounting practical experiments), but nonetheless I find this interesting. If I met (presumably since retired) Major Romero Briasco, I would ask why he said some aircraft rather than all. Regarding the difference (apparently by battle, or at least intense stress), how exactly could an ensoulment come about, and from where?
Has anybody here read similar witness (or perhaps had the experience yourself) about a palpable spirit within manufactures, especially airplanes or ships? I ask for actual testimony from the heart, like the above (not fictional lines from novels or comics or films). If yes then feel free to weigh in, and if applicable please provide the source so that I and other interested members may follow up.
Critical comments are welcome. For scoffers: you may well be right, but simply to avoid cluttering this thread, I ask those who would contribute only ridicule to beat it.
