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11 unusual facts about Airplane!


Boogie Pimps

In Autumn 2003, Boogie Pimps released their first single, a remix of Jefferson Airplane cover of The Great Society's "Somebody to Love".

Charles Kleinsmith

Despite the stifling fumes, intense heat, and imminence of explosion, he performed courageously, enabling the aircraft carrier to attain the speed necessary for launching planes to oppose a Japanese aerial torpedo attack.

Excel Saga

Mike Crandol of Anime News Network puts it in the same class as Airplane!, National Lampoon, Tex Avery, and Monty Python, adding that the "combination of character-based humor, outrageous slapstick farce, and a plot that is engaging if only for how weird it is make for a thoroughly enjoyable comedic experience".

Flight into Danger

In 1957, it was adapted into the feature film Zero Hour! and, more famously, parodied in the 1980 comedy, Airplane!.

It's JerryTime!

Jerry and Orrin Zucker (no relation to Airplane!) began by amusing friends and each other on the Internet with a series of short, animated films made in Orrin's basement, based on the weird things that befall Jerry.

Manny Mota

As one of the all-time great pinch hitters and a Los Angeles staple in the 1970s, Mota was referenced in a joke in the movie Airplane! As we hear Ted Striker's inner-dialogue echo in his mind, it resembles a stadium public address and we hear him think "Pinch hitting for Pedro Borbón... Manny Mota... Mota... Mota..."

Matt Nokes

On February 19, 2000, Matt Nokes, who had just signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians, was forced to land a plane he was piloting on Interstate 15 in northern San Diego County.

Paramount Home Media Distribution

Paramount Home Entertainment gives them different names such as Grease: The Rockin' Rydell Edition, Beavis & Butthead Do America: The Edition That Doesn't Suck and Airplane!: The "Don't Call Me Shirley" Edition.

Pedro Borbón

Borbón was referenced in a joke in the movie Airplane! As Ted Striker's inner-dialogue is heard echoing in his mind, it resembles a stadium public address announcement, and he is heard thinking "Pinch hitting for Pedro Borbón...Manny Mota...Mota...Mota" (though Mota and Borbon never actually played on the same team).

Raw Justice

Raw Justice also known as Good Cop, Bad Cop or Strip Girl is a 1994 film starring Stacy Keach, David Keith, Airplane! star Robert Hays and Pamela Anderson.

Talk down aircraft landing

The 1980 comedy film Airplane! spoofs the same plot with a passenger on a jet airliner being talked down to a safe landing after both pilots contract food poisoning.


1972 Nicaragua earthquake

Puerto Rican baseball legend Roberto Clemente and three others died on December 31, 1972, when their airplane crashed after take-off from Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, while attempting to fly to Nicaragua with help for earthquake victims.

2007 Balad aircraft crash

The 2007 Balad aircraft crash was a 9 January 2007 airplane incident involving an Antonov An-26 airliner, which crashed while attempting to land at the U.S. military base in Balad, Iraq.

A Vlaicu I

On September 28, 1910, as a part of the Fall military exercises, Vlaicu flew his airplane from Slatina to Piatra Olt carrying a message, an early instance of an airplane being used for military purposes.

Abraham Wald

Wald and his wife died in an airplane crash in the Nilgiri mountains, in southern India, while on an extensive lecture tour at the invitation of the Indian government.

Air Tanzania

On 21 November 2011, Air Tanzania began negotiations with Export Development Canada (EDC) to explore how EDC could assist the airline to acquire more aircraft from Bombardier, a Canadian airplane manufacturer.

Al White

On screen, White is perhaps best known for his role in hit comedy Airplane! as the jive-talking man whose words have to be translated (he reprised the jive-talking for a courtroom scene in the sequel).

Alaska Airlines Flight 261

In 2012, the film drama Flight, directed and co-produced by Robert Zemeckis, featured an airplane crash of a craft resembling an MD-83, though the film's version recorded just six fatalities (four passengers, two crew) of the 102 persons aboard.

Aurore MB 02 Souricette

On Sunday, 23 December 2007, the Electravia team and the association APAME first flew its Souricette electric-powered open-cockpit airplane at Aspres sur Buech airfield, Hautes Alpes, France.

BFGoodrich

1927 Charles Lindbergh's airplane, the "Spirit of St. Louis," which made the first successful non-stop flight across the Atlantic, was fitted with BFGoodrich tires.

Caspar Einem

On October 12 Einem publicly announced to become one of the board members of the chartered airplane provider Jetalliance and to withdraw from politics.

Charles K. Johnson

Originally an airplane mechanic in San Francisco, Johnson took on the running of the Society from Samuel Shenton on the latter's death in 1972, from his base on a ranch near Edwards Air Force Base.

Church of the United Brethren in Christ

Orville and Wilbur Wright, who invented the airplane, were the sons of United Brethren bishop Milton Wright.

Cini Foundation

It was established by Count Vittorio Cini in memory of his son who died in an airplane accident near Cannes in 1949.

Franciszek Gruszka

In the spring of 1975 a World War II aviation archeology group found the remnants of an airplane and its pilot in marshes between Preston Village and Stodmarsh, East Sussex.

Frederick Perry Fish

He was involved in key patent litigation during development of the telephone, the air brake, the steam turbine, the automobile, the airplane and the radio, as well as other electric appliances.

Ganapathi Thanikaimoni

Thani was on his way to the US when the airplane in which he was flying, Pan Am Flight 73, was hijacked in Karachi, Pakistan on September 5, 1986.

German submarine U-889

On the afternoon of 10 May, U-889 was spotted south of Newfoundland by a RCAF airplane, steaming at 10 knots and flying a black flag of surrender.

Ghazi of Iraq

When he was sixteen, Ghazi was taken for his first airplane flight by the American adventurer Richard Halliburton and pilot Moye Stephens.

Hector International Airport

The airplane crashed shortly after takeoff from Clear Lake, Iowa, killing the 3 musicians and the pilot.

Herbert Dargue

On December 16, 1914, he flew a Burgess Model I seaplane with 1st Lt. Joseph O. Mauborgne of the Signal Corps as his radio operator, making the first two-way communication by radio telegraphy between a ground station and an airplane in flight.

Hollick-Kenyon Peninsula

The peninsula is named for Herbert Hollick-Kenyon, the pilot of Ellsworth's flight, whose demonstration of the practicability of landing and taking off an airplane in isolated areas constitutes a distinct contribution to the technique of Antarctic exploration.

House of Air

Built in 1921 the building originally served as a Crissy Field airplane hangar, which helped launch De Havilland DH-48 biplanes as part of the US Army 91st Observation Squadron.

How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life

On June 20, 2011, both of Viswanathan's parents were killed when their Cirrus SR22 airplane crashed and burned outside Columbus, Ohio.

Hurricane Carrie

An airplane belonging to Panair do Brasil passed within the vicinity of the vorticity and as a result reported the formation of a tropical storm.

Hydra Technologies Gavilán

Like the S4, this system is the result of a joint effort between the Mexican Federal Government, Nafinsa and academic or scientific institutions such as CONACYT, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara and ITESO.

Kawasaki C-1

NAMC decided that Kawasaki Heavy Industries was to be the prime contractor, and the airplane thus bears that company's name.

Liberty Aerospace

The company produces one model, the Liberty XL2, an advanced two-seat touring aircraft based on the British-designed Europa homebuilt airplane.

Lingshui Li Autonomous County

Lingshui is also home to the military base where a U.S airplane crew were held during the Hainan Island incident in 2001.

Little Airplane Productions

Founded by Josh Selig in 1999, Little Airplane Productions created and produced Wonder Pets and Oobi! for Nick Jr. (TV channel), Go, Baby! & Emma's Theatre for Playhouse Disney, and 3rd & Bird for BBC's CBeebies and Disney Junior.

Nakajima J1N

The airplane was moved to the Air Materiel Depot at Middletown, Pennsylvania, on 23 January 1946.

Naval Air Station Alameda

From 1949 to 1953, the Navy based the Lockheed R6V Constitution—the largest airplane ever listed on the Navy inventory—at NAS Alameda.

Oschersleben

In the years previous to World War II Oschersleben expanded due to the airplane manufactory (AGO Flugzeugwerke) that was founded there and needed numerous workers.

Pavol Demitra

The airplane caught fire and crashed shortly after take-off, a mere 4 kilometers from the Tunoshna airport.

Per Wimmer

After six days of trekking, Per & Ralph flew in a Pilatus Porter airplane to an altitude of 29,500 feet (ca. 9 km), just above the peak of Mount Everest and jumped out in -50°C and free fell for one minute before opening the parachute and landed at the Drop Zone at 12,350 feet (ca. 4 km).

Point Barrow

It is close to Rogers-Post Site, the scene of the airplane crash on August 15, 1935 that killed aviator Wiley Post and his passenger, the entertainer Will Rogers.

Saint-Victor, Quebec

A Royal Canadian Air Force pilot in World War II, he attacked a cargo ship along the Normandy coast, shot a Nazi airplane, and was credited for sinking a Nazi ship in the North Sea.

Signe Toly Anderson

She sang on the first Jefferson Airplane album, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, most notably on the song "Chauffeur Blues".

Stearman C1

The Stearman C1 (or Stearman Sport Commercial Model 1) was the first type of airplane manufactured by the Stearman Aircraft Corporation.

Thomas D. Milling

Milling reported to the 15th Cavalry at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in September 1909 but his tour of duty was cut short when War Department Special Order 95, dated April 21, 1911, assigned Milling and 2d Lt. Henry H. Arnold to "aeronautical duty with the Signal Corps," and instructed them to "proceed to Dayton, Ohio, for the purpose of undergoing a course of instruction in operating the Wright airplane."

Tomato juice

Among airplane passengers, tomato juice has an increased popularity, e.g. Lufthansa sold more than 1.7 million litres of tomato juice in 2008 - more than beer (at 1.65 million litre).

UC-61

Fairchild 24, an airplane with a United States military designation of "UC-61"

UC-92

Funk B, an airplane with a United States military designation of "UC-92"

Vern Clevenger

On April 13, 1977, Clevenger was arrested looting the crashed wreckage of a drug-smuggling airplane in Yosemite National Park.

Vincent Fayks Airport

It was named after the Polish pilot Vincent Fajks who crashed with co-pilot Ronald Kappel with their Aero Commander AC 520 (PZ-TAG) airplane at the site in October 1959, while trying to deliver building materials for the airport.

Virgin Oceanic

This time, the plan is for a sub that "flies" more akin to an airplane which should allow its solo pilot, Chris Welsh, to not only reach the deepest point on Earth, but to then "fly" along the bottom of the Trench for up to an additional 10 kilometers (6 mi).

Waterman Whatsit

The Whatsit was a swept-wing, tail-less airplane designed by Waldo Waterman between 1911 (when he first got the idea) and 1932 (when the prototype was finally in testing phase).

William R. Royal

He moved to Manatee County, Florida during the Great Depression and operated a passenger airplane service in the Bahamas and Cuba in the late 1930s.