Air Travel and Airlines
Think of her as your mother
American Airlines ran this ad in magazines in 1968.
The ad became notorious enough to eventually attract the attention of academics. The following analysis comes from “‘Think of her as your mother’: Airline advertising and the stewardess in America, 1930-1980,” by Peter Lyth in The Journal of Transport History (Oct 2012):
It also inspired some copycats, such as this 1971 ad from Southwestern Bell:
However, not all American Airlines stewardesses appreciated the ad:
The Nashville Tennessean - Jun 29, 1968
Posted By: Alex - Thu Oct 03, 2019 -
Comments (4)
Category: Advertising, Parents, Air Travel and Airlines, 1960s
Douglas Bader, the Legless Ace
The Wikipedia page.
Bader joined the RAF in 1928, and was commissioned in 1930. In December 1931, while attempting some aerobatics, he crashed and lost both his legs. Having been on the brink of death, he recovered, retook flight training, passed his check flights and then requested reactivation as a pilot. Although there were no regulations applicable to his situation, he was retired against his will on medical grounds.[3]
After the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, however, Douglas Bader returned to the RAF and was accepted as a pilot. He scored his first victories over Dunkirk during the Battle of France in 1940. He then took part in the Battle of Britain and became a friend and supporter of Air Vice Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory and his "Big Wing" experiments.
In August 1941, Bader baled out over German-occupied France and was captured. Soon afterward, he met and was befriended by Adolf Galland, a prominent German fighter ace.[4] Despite his disability, Bader made a number of escape attempts and was eventually sent to the prisoner of war camp at Colditz Castle. He remained there until April 1945 when the camp was liberated by the First United States Army.
He even featured in a comic. (Use link for readable copy of image below.)
Posted By: Paul - Mon Sep 16, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Accidents, War, Air Travel and Airlines, 1940s, Differently Abled, Handicapped, Challenged, and Otherwise Atypical
Warhol Flies Braniff
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jul 21, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Art, Avant Garde, Business, Advertising, Air Travel and Airlines, 1960s
The Whirlybirds
Once upon a time, helicopters were miraculous and sexy enough to fuel a TV show. What technology could do so today? THE SEGWAY SQUAD? ADVENTURES OF THE JUMP BIKE PATROL? CAPTAIN BIRD SCOOTER?The Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jun 23, 2019 -
Comments (2)
Category: Technology, Television, Air Travel and Airlines, 1950s
Shortest Commercial Flight
Odd Trivia: The shortest scheduled commercial flight in the world takes a mere 90 seconds. It's the Loganair flight between the Scottish islands of Westray and Papa Westray. From cntraveler.com:
Posted By: Alex - Sat May 11, 2019 -
Comments (2)
Category: World Records, Air Travel and Airlines
The Rotating-Disc Ornithopter
Major article here.
Second piece here.
Inventor's Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Apr 28, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Eccentrics, Technology, Air Travel and Airlines, 1930s
Cabin Pressure
Cabin Pressure from Matthew Lee on Vimeo.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Apr 20, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Antisocial Activities, Bad Habits, Neuroses and Psychoses, Death, Elderly and Seniors, Experts and Authority Figures, Regulations, Stop-motion Animation, Air Travel and Airlines, Alcohol, Goofs and Screw-ups
Common courtesy to light a match
Springfield News-Leader - Dec 6, 2006
Posted By: Alex - Sun Mar 17, 2019 -
Comments (3)
Category: Flatulence, Air Travel and Airlines, 2000s
Golf Ball Hits Airplane
Back in in 1969, a golfer accidentally managed to hit a plane with his ball. The ball went through the plexiglass windshield and into the cockpit.Which raises the question: Do golf balls pose a potential hazard to planes? This is discussed in a thread over at aviation.stackexchange.com, and the consensus seems to be, not really. Even if a golf ball were, somehow, to get into a plane's engine, it's probably small enough that it wouldn't cause damage.
Oakland Tribune - Jan 16, 1969
I was curious about how often golfers hit planes. Apparently, not often. But some googling yielded this video, which purports to show a golfer hitting a 757 with a ball. Though no one in the YouTube comments seems to believe he actually hit the plane.
Posted By: Alex - Wed Mar 06, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Sports, Golf, Air Travel and Airlines
Follies of the Madmen #403
"We really move our tail for you." Not acceptable today as a slogan?
However, the "Coach Pub" is always in style.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Dec 31, 2018 -
Comments (3)
Category: Innuendo, Double Entendres, Symbolism, Nudge-Nudge-Wink-Wink and Subliminal Messages, Advertising, Air Travel and Airlines, 1970s
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |