TagAirplane

Spit the Dummy

Ever been on an airplane when an infant spits the dummy? This Australian slang expression, meaning to throw a fit, comes from the Aussies use of the word dummy to mean pacifier or binky. This is part of a complete episode.

pickle

pickle  v.— «Job security is high for mechanics who “pickle” airplanes—aviation jargon for disassembling parts and draining fluids from aircraft so they can be stored.» —“Downturn has some odd...

happy sack

happy sack  n.—Gloss: an air-sickness bag of the kind typically used on airplanes. «Silberberg has been collecting the bags—also known as motion-sickness bags, or happy sacks—since he was in college. He got his first bag on a United...

tail-dragger

tail-dragger  n.— «They began amassing more planes, paying special attention to the more versatile models that have a third wheel in back as opposed to the front—”tail-draggers,” as they call them.» —“Flying while female:...