121
But the matter did not rest there. As was the norm, I informed the
International Scientific Committee (CCI) of the progress of events and I told
them about the sculpture. Quite unexpectedly, when they examined
Manrique’s design there was uproar and general protest, fanned by our
Scandinavian colleagues. They interpreted the sculpture as a phallus with Nazi
connotations and were incensed. Under no circumstances, they declared,
could the sculpture be given a place at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory.
It turned out that certain members of the CCI had lived through the German
occupation of their countries and were reviled by such symbolism. A solution
was found that would avoid causing further offence. The CCI agreed to present to the authorities the notion that this sculpture gave rise to a serious scientific problem. Here is an excerpt from the agreement: ‘The shape, size, and
material of the proposed sculpture could produce serious perturbations in
laminar air flow, provoking turbulence in the Observatory that would harm
the excellent astronomical quality of its atmosphere’. In the light of such scientific considerations, the President of the Canarian Government bowed to
the need to seek another site. The sculpture was finally relocated lower down
the mountain near the road leading to the summit, and there it stands today,
its sharp tip jutting upwards at the sky, a landmark for the cameras of tourists.
A question of deeper concern was security. The logistics of transporting so
many heads of state to the Observatories almost simultaneously gave us many
headaches. For a start, for reasons of security and to ensure smooth transport
manoeuvres to avoid long delays we had to build not one but various heliports, both in Puerto de la Cruz (Tenerife) and at the two Observatories. And
sufficient time had to be allocated for everything to be rehearsed beforehand.
After what had happened to the helicopter carrying the military officers who
wanted to install radars at Roque de los Muchachos, we were uneasy about
landing helicopters in these terrains, so a trial flight was made, using the same
type of helicopter that would be used at the inaugurations. The passenger list
comprised the Head of Protocol of the Moncloa, the Head of Security of the
Zarzuela, the Civil Governor of Tenerife, the Director of the IAC, and the
General Chief of Staff of the Air Force in the Canary Islands, this last choosing to sit in the cockpit with the pilots. It was a military aircraft and we all
wore interconnected headphones. We took off from Tenerife without incident, but when we were over the sea en route to La Palma, we overheard the
commander of the helicopter say nervously, ‘Don’t touch that, General, we’re
descending’. To a man, we immediately lunged towards the cockpit and pulled
the meddling general out. Just a few years earlier, such a daring act would have
been unthinkable: military officers, especially high-ranking ones, were never
wrong, and no civilian would ever have dreamed of contradicting them.
13 Royalty and Heads of State Above the Clouds (1985)
But the matter did not rest there. As was the norm, I informed the
International Scientific Committee (CCI) of the progress of events and I told
them about the sculpture. Quite unexpectedly, when they examined
Manrique’s design there was uproar and general protest, fanned by our
Scandinavian colleagues. They interpreted the sculpture as a phallus with Nazi
connotations and were incensed. Under no circumstances, they declared,
could the sculpture be given a place at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory.
It turned out that certain members of the CCI had lived through the German
occupation of their countries and were reviled by such symbolism. A solution
was found that would avoid causing further offence. The CCI agreed to present to the authorities the notion that this sculpture gave rise to a serious scientific problem. Here is an excerpt from the agreement: ‘The shape, size, and
material of the proposed sculpture could produce serious perturbations in
laminar air flow, provoking turbulence in the Observatory that would harm
the excellent astronomical quality of its atmosphere’. In the light of such scientific considerations, the President of the Canarian Government bowed to
the need to seek another site. The sculpture was finally relocated lower down
the mountain near the road leading to the summit, and there it stands today,
its sharp tip jutting upwards at the sky, a landmark for the cameras of tourists.
A question of deeper concern was security. The logistics of transporting so
many heads of state to the Observatories almost simultaneously gave us many
headaches. For a start, for reasons of security and to ensure smooth transport
manoeuvres to avoid long delays we had to build not one but various heliports, both in Puerto de la Cruz (Tenerife) and at the two Observatories. And
sufficient time had to be allocated for everything to be rehearsed beforehand.
After what had happened to the helicopter carrying the military officers who
wanted to install radars at Roque de los Muchachos, we were uneasy about
landing helicopters in these terrains, so a trial flight was made, using the same
type of helicopter that would be used at the inaugurations. The passenger list
comprised the Head of Protocol of the Moncloa, the Head of Security of the
Zarzuela, the Civil Governor of Tenerife, the Director of the IAC, and the
General Chief of Staff of the Air Force in the Canary Islands, this last choosing to sit in the cockpit with the pilots. It was a military aircraft and we all
wore interconnected headphones. We took off from Tenerife without incident, but when we were over the sea en route to La Palma, we overheard the
commander of the helicopter say nervously, ‘Don’t touch that, General, we’re
descending’. To a man, we immediately lunged towards the cockpit and pulled
the meddling general out. Just a few years earlier, such a daring act would have
been unthinkable: military officers, especially high-ranking ones, were never
wrong, and no civilian would ever have dreamed of contradicting them.
13 Royalty and Heads of State Above the Clouds (1985)