| Latest revision |
Your text |
| Line 10: |
Line 10: |
| | | | |
| | ==Explanation== | | ==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. | + | {{incomplete|Created by an UNLANDABLE PLANE - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} |
| | + | In this comic, an {{w|Aerial_advertising#Banner_towing|aircraft is towing a banner}}. The banner's message is self referential, signaling distress that the pilot of the aircraft does not have the knowledge of how to land an aircraft with a banner in tow. Notably, 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]. This 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 aircraft in the illustration is similar to a {{w|Piper J-3 Cub}}, which is popular for such tasks for its low operating cost and performance at low airspeeds. |
| | | | |
| − | 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 phone number beginning with "{{w|555 (telephone number)|555}}" is commonly seen in movies. |
| | | | |
| − | 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.
| + | Such banners are created prior to takeoff. This may mean that the pilot anticipated that they would have difficulty landing and dedicated the banner to crowdsourcing a solution in flight, rather than learning how to land with a banner beforehand or even simply forgoing the banner. However, the banner could have [[Beret Guy|somehow]] been created in flight when the pilot realized that they didn't know how to land the plane. |
| | + | |
| | + | The title text features a caller who tries to explain the correct method (detaching the banner over a designated empty location, then landing the plane regularly), but the cellphone service provider's system informs the caller that the call has been disconnected, probably due to the aircraft moving out of range of the {{w|cell site}} the phone was connected to and failing to automatically connect to an adjacent cell, or possibly the cell network detecting the call on {{w|Cellular_network#Frequency_reuse|multiple sites}} due to its {{w|Mobile_phones_on_aircraft#Technical_discussion|altitude}} and disconnecting it from the network. |
| | | | |
| | ==Transcript== | | ==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:] | + | {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} |
| − | :Do '''''you''''' know how to land a plane that's towing a banner? Call '''555-0127''' now!
| + | |
| | + | :[An airplane tows a banner. In the background, there are four small clouds and five birds] |
| | | | |
| − | ==Trivia==
| + | :[Text on the banner:] Do '''''you''''' know how to land a plane that's towing a banner? Call '''555-0127''' now! |
| − | * 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). It seems that [[2765: Escape Speed]] released almost three weeks later, is the interactive comic that was intended to be revealed as the start-of-April special.
| |
| | | | |
| | {{comic discussion}} | | {{comic discussion}} |
