Protecting your engines.

I was a factory Technical Representive for Rockwell International
on their twin engine executive jet. We had sold 5 airplanes to
King Hussein of Jordan for the Jordadian Air Force and charter
use. The first plane they took delivery of ran off the runway in
Tehran during a storm and broke off the nose landing gear.
I went with Bill Sofield, the pilot, from Basel, Switzerland
to deliver the second airplane to Amman, Jordan. We arrived
in Amman late in the evening. Hassan Mator (sp), the Director
of Maintenance met us and took us to the Intercontinental Hotel.
He said he would pick us up in the morning and bring us to
the airport. Then he was going to have to get some goats for
the sacrifice. They didn't make the sacrifice on the first airplane
and had bad luck. They wanted to make sure on this one they
would have good luck. Bill and I went to the airplane to
prepare it for a flight with some Jordadian officials and Hassan
departed. A while later we heard a noise and looked up. There
was Hassan with 5 or 6 of his guys coming down the taxi way
dragging two goats laying them down one on each side of the
nose landing gear. Bill asked Hassan what he was going to do,
he wasn't going to kill them was he? Hassan wearing a suit with
white shirt and tie pulled out his knife. Bill said I can't watch this.
He slit both of the goats throats and the guys with him put 7
handprints of blood on each wing and each side of the fuselage
(like the Bible says). The goats laid there quite a while then they
put them on the tug and took them to the hanger. Bill asked
Hassan if they were going to eat them. Hassan said no. Bill
said it was to bad to waste them in a country where people
were starving to death. Hassan said oh no. We aren't going
to waste them we are going to give them to the poor.
To my knowledge 20 years later this airplane is still flying and has
never had an accident. So guys if you want good luck with your
engines make the sacifice and put the 7 handprints of blood on
your engine. I am a believer.