Editing 2757: Towed Message

{{comic
| number    = 2757
| date      = March 31, 2023
| title     = Towed Message
| image     = towed_message_2x.png
| imagesize = 613x236px
| noexpand  = true
| titletext = "Hi, what you do is fly over a designated zone and detach the--" "WE'RE SORRY, THE MOBILE CUSTOMER YOU ARE TRYING TO REACH IS OUT OF SERVICE"
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, an {{w|Aerial_advertising#Banner_towing|aircraft is towing a banner}}. These aircraft do not take off or land with the banner in tow, but instead have a hook and release mechanism to [https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2022/09/02/the-surprising-way-those-beach-plane-banners-get-airborne add and drop the banner in flight]. The banner ''could'' be interpreted as a recruitment ad by an aerial advertising company looking for additional pilots. But the humorous interpretation is that the banner is a distress signal – the pilot of the aircraft doesn't know how to land, and is hoping that someone will see the banner and give assistance. This makes the banner self-referential, because the presence of the banner (which makes landing difficult) is the very reason for displaying the banner. It is paradoxical, because printing and deploying the banner requires planning,{{Citation needed}} and if the pilot had anticipated that they would need assistance to land with a banner, they could have simply chosen not to deploy a banner in the first place.

The aircraft in the illustration is similar to a {{w|Piper J-3 Cub}}, which is popular for tasks such as towed banners for its low operating cost and good performance at low {{w|airspeed}}.

The title text features a caller who dials the "{{w|555 (telephone number)|555}}" phone number from the banner (see [[#Trivia|Trivia]]) and starts to explain the correct method for landing (detach the banner over a designated empty location then land the plane regularly), but the call is disconnected halfway through. Presumably the number is that of the pilot's cellphone. The call could have disconnected because the aircraft moved out of range of the {{w|cell site}} the phone was connected to and the phone failed to automatically connect to an adjacent cell; or possibly the cell network detected the call on {{w|Cellular_network#Frequency_reuse|multiple sites}} due to the phone's {{w|Mobile_phones_on_aircraft#Technical_discussion|altitude}} and disconnected it from the network; or the plane crashed and the phone was destroyed on impact.

==Transcript==
:[A small propeller-driven high-wing airplane tows a banner from left to right. Around the plane and banner there are four small clouds, two above and two below. There are also five birds far in the background, three above and two below the banner. The text on the banner reads:]
:Do '''''you''''' know how to land a plane that's towing a banner? Call '''555-0127''' now!

==Trivia==
* Phone numbers beginning with "{{w|555 (telephone number)|555}}" are commonly used for {{w|fictitious telephone numbers}} in movies, TV shows, and other related media. The numbers 555-0100 through 555-0199 are specifically reserved for fictional use in North America, and are used to avoid inadvertently publishing someone's real phone number, which might get the owner of the number bombarded with unwanted calls from curious callers.
* Related concepts were shown in [[1897: Self Driving]] and [[1927: Tinder]].
* In a similar joke, a pilot used {{w|skywriting}} to write [https://laughingsquid.com/comedian-hires-pilot-to-skywrite-a-joke-over-los-angeles/ "How do I land?"] as a prank in 2013.
* Banner towing is generally safe for an experienced pilot, [https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2020/november/pilot/imperiled-pickup though not entirely without risk].
* The comic may have been inspired by a recent article in the Washington Post [https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2023/03/22/how-hard-is-it-land-plane/] on how a person who is not a pilot is unlikely to be able to land a plane.
* The aircraft in the illustration is similar to a {{w|Piper J-3 Cub}}, which is popular for towing banners due to its low operating cost and good performance at low {{w|airspeed}}.
* Aircraft communication is usually done using {{w|radio}}. The {{w|aircraft emergency frequency}} at 121.5 MHz is reserved for aircraft emergencies including pilots in distress and needing assistance.
* The emphasis on the word "you" in the banner is reminiscent of ads such as the well-known {{w|Uncle_Sam|US Army recruitment poster}}.
* This was the first year since 2017 that [[Randall]] missed the opportunity to release an [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comics]] on April 1st (this comic was released on March 31st and the [[2758: My Favorite Things|next comic]] was released on April 3rd).

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Airplane banner]]
[[Category:Aviation]]