Know It All

Harrison Ford (born 1942) starred as the president of the United States in the action movie “Air Force One” (1997). In the film, Russian terrorists hijack Air Force One and hold the president and his family hostage.

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In World War II aviation slang, a “lame duck” meant a damaged plane, “going upstairs” referred to gaining altitude and a “dogfight” was combat between two planes.

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The first album by the rock group Jefferson Airplane was titled “Jefferson Airplane Takes Off,” released in 1966.

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The tail height of a 747 is 63 feet 8 inches, equivalent to a six-story building.

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After their first flight on Dec. 17, 1903, Wilbur (1867-1912) and Orville Wright (1871-1948) wanted the big news story to come from their hometown of Dayton, Ohio. However, the telephone operator in Kitty Hawk talked to a reporter at the Virginian-Pilot and that newspaper printed it first, with inaccurate information. The Dayton Daily News ran the first accurate account of the flight.

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On Dec. 17, 2003, the Wright Brothers National Memorial in North Carolina hosted a centennial celebration of the first flight in history. The 100th anniversary was remembered with an air show and a ceremony honoring aviation heroes.

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The National Aviation Hall of Fame is in Dayton, Ohio. The National Museum of the United States Air Force is also in Dayton. The International Women’s Air & Space Museum is in Cleveland, Ohio.

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A mid-air emergency renders the pilots of a passenger plane unable to fly. A stewardess must attempt to land the plane. Do you know the name of the movie? See answer at end.

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Mach speed is named in honor of Austrian physicist Ernst Mach (1838-1916), known for his advances in the field of ballistics.

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On average, an ejection will launch a normal-sized pilot to a height of more than 200 feet and produce a full parachute in three seconds. Ejection seat tests are done from zero velocity and zero altitude (sitting still on the ground).

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Diminutive French actor Hervé Villechaize (1943-1993) is best remembered for his role as Tattoo, Mr. Roarke’s sidekick on “Fantasy Island” (1978-1984). In the opening credits of each show, Tattoo rang a bell and announced the arrival of “the plane, the plane!”

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In 1929, aeronautical engineers James McDonnell (1899-1980) designed what he hoped would become the first mass-produced two-passenger airplane, called the Doodlebug. The plane was entered in a flight competition with a prize of $100,000, but did not win because of damage sustained during the flight.

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Howard Hughes’ (1905-1976) H-4 Hercules cargo airplane, completed in 1947, was nicknamed the Spruce Goose. It was actually built from birch wood, not spruce.

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Answer: There were two movies with that plot: “Airport 1975” (1974) and “Airplane!” (1980). “Airport 1975” was a drama starring Charlton Heston (1924-2008). An airplane collision hurts the pilots and the stewardess takes the controls until the Air Force can get a pilot on board. “Airplane!” is a comedy spoof of that movie, starring Leslie Nielsen. When the pilots get food poisoning, a stewardess and a passenger must land the plane.

Know It All is by Kerry McArdle. It runs in the weekend edition of the Daily Journal. Questions? Comments? Email knowitall(at)smdailyjournal.com or call 344-5200 ext. 128.