linguistic issues conitued - 'she' referring to aircraft

[saigaboom]

hi, my appologies if there a separate aviation english thread here, i couldn't find one. another questions for native-speakers.

how common is it to use 'she' when referring to aircarft? i know sailors may say 'she' when talking about the ship. but i've never heard that in aviation.

is using 'it' a grammar mistake?

thanks

[KayPam]

I don't think it is a grammar mistake, it should even be the contrary, for a native speaker.

However, as a non-native speaker I really don't like it and will tend to use "it" or "he" when referring to my aircraft.

[jolihokistix]

The simple answer is that if you use 'it' exclusively, you will never be 'wrong'.

The 'mother ship' could be an ocean ship or a spaceship. Like a beautiful yacht, a plane could become 'she' under the right conditions. A car might also be 'she', with a nickname even. When such an inanimate object engenders feelings of love or affection, then people sometimes feel more comfortable giving it a female personality.