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It's the best joke from a film almost springloaded with them, but what is the origin of Airplane!'s famous "Don't call me Shirley" gag? Airplane! was written and directed by Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and David Zucker, with the comedy being heavily inspired by the 1957 b-movie Zero Hour!, which featured Sterling Hayden (The Godfather). The plot of Zero Hour! featured a World War 2 pilot forced to land an airplane after the pilots become ill with food poisoning.Zero Hour!'s combination of unintentionally hilarious dialogue and taking the silly events of the plot deathly serious made an impression on Zucker,...

“Around 11:37 a.m., a Mexican airline reported the beginning of a disturbance due to passenger discontent on an Aeroméxico flight AM672,” according to the report. “The flight had been due to lift off at 8:45 a.m. Thursday, but because of a maintenance alert on the plane, the captain had to return to the gate for the required maintenance.” “The passengers were unhappy and one of them opened the emergency door and stepped out on the wing,” the report said. The airport said the man had been turned over to police. But dozens of fellow passengers signed a written copy of...

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after a small plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean in Northern California and a woman's body was found in the sea near the wreckage. An FAA spokesperson told USA TODAY a single-engine Cozy Mark IV crashed into water on Sunday near Half Moon Bay, about 30 miles south of San Francisco. Aviation officials said the crash took place about 7:30 p.m. and two people were on board the plane. The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office reported the aircraft took off from the East Bay and shortly after, authorities responded to reports of "a small...

The Navy announced they ‘safely’ recovered the Military plane that overshot the runway and has been stuck in Kaneohe Bay for almost two weeks. Kaneohe Bay (HawaiiNewsNow) -- The Navy announced they ‘safely’ recovered the Military plane that overshot the runway and has been stuck in Kaneohe Bay for almost two weeks. Navy officials say it took meticulous planning and assembling specialized equipment from off island, a multidisciplinary team of military and civilian experts to carefully raise the P-8A Poseidon from the bay. Officials say the operation lasted 13 hours, beginning at 6:30 a.m., Dec. 2. The aircraft was floated...

Gladiators fought in rounds, and there were referees to enforce rules. Only rarely were gladiators killed. KEY TAKEAWAYS: Gladiators rarely died in fights, as gladiatorial combat was more about demonstrating physical and mental endurance, martial skill, and athleticism. There were between 20 and 30 different styles of gladiatorial combat. Gladiators would adopt a style based on their body type and the choice of their trainers. Gladiatorial fights had rules, including fighting in rounds. Referees were present to enforce rules, caution fouls, and handle appeals. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One of the most iconic moments in movie history is when Russell Crowe, dressed in...

Share 3D-printed “superalloy” could make power plants more efficient...Credit: kinwun / Adobe Stock Anew high-performance metal alloy, called a superalloy, could help boost the efficiency of the turbines used in power plants and the aerospace and automotive industries. Created using a 3D printer, the superalloy is composed of a blend of six elements that altogether form a material that’s both lighter and stronger than the standard materials used in conventional turbine machinery. The strong superalloy could help industries cut both costs and carbon emissions — if the approach can be successfully scaled up. The challenge: In the world of materials...

Saindy Pyles thought she was going to die with her baby son, Liam, clutched to her chest as she flew home to Wichita from Miami after photographing a wedding. Midway through the flight Pyles said smoke filled the cabin after she saw sparks and fire burst from a bag in the seat directly behind her. "Honestly, I thought we were going to die," she said. "I looked and all I saw was flashes, just like flashes. I'm like, 'Oh my God, like, what is that?' And [the owner of the bag] is like, 'I don't know. I don't know.'" "Then...

At 17 years old, most people are still struggling to parallel park. Yes, it takes a bit of practice. And once the car is parked, the day is packed with school activities and homework and just hanging out with friends. But at 17, Maggie Taraska had an outrageous goal in mind: Fly solo across the United States. Both of Maggie’s parents are Air Force veterans, so the urge to be airborne is in Maggie’s genes. So she went to flight school, put in the hours with an instructor and started on her solo hours. But on her first solo takeoff,...

This unsolved mystery is about to take off. On Feb. 15, Netflix released the trailer for its upcoming documentary about missing Malaysian Airlines flight 370, which vanished in 2014 — along with 239 people onboard — while traveling from Malaysia to China. "MH370: The Plane That Disappeared" will explore the evidence that remains and the conspiracy theories spurred by the mystery over the last nine years — including a deep dive into hijacking theories, allegedly suspicious cargo, the pilot's home flight simulator and allegations of "planted" debris after possible remnants were found on an island in the Indian Ocean in...

The Boeing 737 and 777 came within 1,000 feet of a collision on the groundThe FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating an incident at John F. Kennedy International Airport that happened Friday night when a Boeing 777 taxied in front of a departing Boeing 737-900.The 737 was operated by Delta Air Lines, the 777 by American Airlines.According to the FAA, air traffic controllers “noticed another aircraft crossing the runway in front of the departing jetliner” and canceled the aircraft’s takeoff clearance.The statement continues, “Delta Air Lines Flight 1943 stopped its takeoff roll approximately 1,000 feet before reaching...

The "Outnumbered" panelists took aim at CBS News Tuesday after the media outlet credited climate change for severe turbulence on a recent flight bound for Hawaii. Dr. Nicole Saphier, a Fox News medical contributor, warned the issue shouldn’t be "chalked up" to climate change without solid evidence. CBS raised eyebrows with a quote from Taylor Garland, spokesperson for the Association of Flight Attendants, after 36 passengers were injured and 11 hospitalized due to turbulence. "Severe weather increases chances of turbulence, and due to climate change, these kinds of incidents will only continue to grow," Garland said. Saphier, however, pushed back...

At least 36 people have been injured - with some knocked unconscious - in a 'mass emergency' onboard a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Arizona after it encountered severe turbulence. Passengers were nearing the end of their seven hour flight from Phoenix to Honolulu on Sunday morning when anyone who wasn't wearing their seatbelt was thrown out of their seats. It's believed 11 people were seriously hurt, including several children and a 14-month-old baby. Those hurt onboard include both passengers and flight attendants working on Flight 35. They sustained a variety of injuries, including serious head injuries, cuts and bruises when...

How's this for a detour? Over on TikTok people are losing their minds as to why the world's longest flight travels in an over-exaggerated curve and not in a straight line from New York City to Singapore. Travelling at a whopping distance of 9,537 miles, people have had their brains twisted over its questionable logic. TikTok user Travel With DJ documented the curved details of the world's longest non-stop commercial flight. The Singapore Airlines flight takes off from John F. Kennedy (JFK) airport and lands in Singapore Chani Airport. Travelling from Singapore back to New York is thought to take...

A passenger on an El Al flight to Bangkok, Thailand, lit a cigarette in the plane's bathroom during the flight, and threw it into the bathroom garbage when he had finished, Israel Hayom reported. Other passengers, who smelled the cigarette, alerted a stewardess, who entered the bathroom and found the cigarette in the trash. The staff used the fire extinguisher, even though a fire had not sparked in the bathroom. The incident took place 1.5 hours before the flight landed in Bangkok. Flight crew confiscated the cigarettes and cigarette lighter, and El Al has promised to take action against him,...

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a petition seeking a ban on Sikh passengers carrying kirpan on domestic flights operating from domestic terminals. A Bench led by Justice Abdul Nazeer, however, granted liberty to petitioner Hindu Sena to approach the high court concerned. The petitioner challenged the Aviation Security order dated March 4, 2022, and corrigendum dated March 12, 2022, issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) alleging that the exemption given to Sikhs created a loophole in the safety and security of airports and the aircraft and also safety and security of the passengers. The...

Our dear friend and phenomenal world leading freedom fighter doctor Carrie Madej was involved in a plane crash, which almost killed her. Dr. Carrie Madej and her partner Billy – a private plane pilot with 20 years of experience – returned from Florida, where they enjoyed a meeting with likeminded people. In mid air the engine of the plane suddenly stalled, for no apparent reason. In a few seconds the rpm dropped to zero, and they dropped like a rock. No one can figure out why this happened. Airplane engines are meticulously maintained and thoroughly checked, and there was no...

' A cabin crew members has listed things travellers should be careful of during their flightA flight attendant has issued a warning to people who fall asleep on a plane. While many people like to relax during their travel and take a nap throughout their flight, a flight attendant warned those sitting by the window to be careful as some parts of the plane are dirtier than others. Tommy Cimato said: "Do not fall asleep or lean your head on the window. He warned that you never knew how many people had done the same and whether the window had...

<p>HONOLULU (KHON2) — An F-16 fighter jet’s landing gear did not deploy upon landing on the 4R runway at the Daniel K. International Airport in Honolulu, according to the Hawaii Department of Transportation.</p><p>As of 8:45 p.m. the runway was still closed from the incident which happened around 2:45 p.m. Monday, June 6.</p>

Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors liked to splash the charity’s funds around, with her brother and child’s father both benefiting from handsome cash payments in return for various services. The tax documents reveal BLM paid a company owned by Damon Turner, the father of Cullors’ child, nearly $970,000 to help “produce live events” and provide other “creative services.” The co-founder’s brother, Paul Cullors, saw more than $840,000 of donated funds pass into his hands for providing security services to the foundation. All told the foundation is still worth tens of millions of dollars, after spending more than $37 million...

Just after noon on Tuesday, a passenger flying in a single-engine plane about 20 miles east of Boca Raton, Fla., radioed air-traffic control.“I’ve got a serious situation here. My pilot has gone incoherent,” the man said, adding from about 9,000 feet up that he had “no idea how to fly the airplane.”The passenger, who did not identify himself in the exchange archived on LiveATC.net, told the control tower that he was not sure where he was — only that he could “see the coast of Florida in front of me.”From a tower in Fort Pierce, about 75 miles north of...