Scenes from Airplane! the movie, to be sure. But life imitates art, and yesterday an American Airlines flight was coming in to Miami on a normal flight path from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Pilot on deck was making his basic approach, adjusting fancy knobs and all that Pilot-type stuff, changing radio frequency from position A to position C. OOPS! Meant that to be position B, not C. Oh well, how much damage can be done by selecting a wrong radio frequency? Well, in this day and age it doesn't take much to start a "pandemic" reaction. Seems position C is something the cockpit crew is supposed to select if they are in the process of being hijacked! Next thing you know, there are dozens of emergency vehicles and every-sort-of-Federal officer on the tarmac at Miami International, with scrambled fighter jets from Homestead Air Force Base winging into the sky, to follow the plane in. It appears that none of the 140+ passengers on board knew of any irregularity, until they saw a "welcome" committee befitting a Presidential visit on the ground. Good thing they didn't see the F-16's behind them locked and loaded, or this could have been a much more public display.
Although I've mentioned it before, Disney is still running their 'FREE DINING' promotion at Disney World in Orlando, for those people traveling late Summer and into early Fall. Some of the more popular dates are starting to sell out (particularly in the lower-priced Value Resorts), but availability is better than you might think. If you enjoy visiting The Mouse, call or email me for details of how you can save 30-40% on your Disney trip, by getting meals included.
European budget airline "Easy Jet" is trying to extend a new in-flight attraction: live weddings. The airline has petitioned the British Council, asking permission for its pilots to officiate weddings in-flight at 30,000 feet. They feel it would really get honeymooners a leg "up", being fresh as a daisy when they arrived at their post-nuptial destination. Of course, that would never work in the USA. I can hear the flight attendants now:
"Please keep your seatbacks in the upright position, monitor the seat belt sign above your heads, and remember that the throwing of garters or bouquets is a Federal crime, punishable by 25 years to life."
An alleged shoplifter with a bottle of whiskey in his pants decided to take one more gamble before leaving the B&S Liquor Store in Hartford, Wisconsin: filling out a raffle ticket. The man had been under surveillance by store employees, as he walked around the store with a litre of Johnny Walker Red stuffed down his jeans. As he confidently strode towards the door, the 20-year old suspect noticed a raffle box on the counter - a chance to win a ticket to a car race, at the nearby Slinger Speedway. The offer was just too tempting, so the man completed the raffle ticket, including putting his actual address and phone number on it, then for good measure grabbed two more whiskey bottles before fleeing. Store owner Steve Jost said the clerk saw the alleged perp fill out the form and drop it in the box, before completion of the crime. What the young man didn't know was that the box had been emptied the night before, so his "entry" was the only one in the box, making it very easy for police to locate and arrest him. The booze was also found at his property, and the suspect was charged with misdemeanor retail theft, resisting an officer, and disorderly conduct. No word on whether he'd be eligible to attend the event at Slinger Speedway if his name is drawn a 2nd time....
Bigger....and badder than life?
The owners of a Croatian bakery in the city of Split say their shop was broken into every week, until they recently put a life-size poster of Hollywood tough-guy Chuck Norris in the window. Next to the poster was a sign saying, "Beware - This shop is under the protection of Chuck Norris." The owners say that since the new night watchman was displayed, they haven't had a break-in for over a month. One worker says, "To be honest we just started it as a joke, but it seems to have really worked. People just respect him (Norris). Everyone around has seen his films and he's very popular in Croatia, perhaps even among criminals, so they've decided to leave us alone." Sing it with me - "Everybody was Kung-Fu Baking!"
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