THERE’S a common pre-flight behaviour that a lot of passengers do before boarding – but pilots hate it. Many pilots are said to have a number of superstitions about flying and one of them is actually popular with passengers – taking a photo outside of the plane before jetting off. While this may seem rather odd to many, pilots are said to strongly believe that taking a photo of the plane before taking off is bad luck, reports the website The Travel .
Dave Toomey, a former World War 2 pilot, recalled a fellow pilot who took this superstition very seriously. A day before a mission, the pilot allowed a photograph to be taken and then his plane came under attack and he barely made it back to base, Toomey told Air and Space Magazine. Toomey said: "Barely made it back on one engine.
After that, if someone ever took a picture of him, he wouldn’t fly that day.” A more positive superstition involving photographs is keeping a photo of loved ones in their hats. Any sort of pilot – commercial, private or military – will spend a large amount of time away from their friends and family.
Not only is it hard on them but also the people they leave behind, so many pilots bring along items that remind them of home. A tradition that seems to have become fashionable during World War 2 is for pilots to keep photos of family and other loved ones in their hats. It was thought that their loved ones would be watching over them from above.
Another superstition dating back to World War II i.