When the pressure drops in an airplane cabin and all the oxygen masks fall, pilots refer to all that equipment hanging down as a rubber jungle. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Rubber Jungle Pressure Bundles” The other day I was...
A third-grader in San Diego, California, wants to know why the first episode of a television series is often titled Pilot. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Why are First Episodes of Television Shows Called Pilots?” Hello, you have...
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. Transcript of “Australian...
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 consequences” Aircargo Asia-Pacific Apr. 13, 2009...
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 Airlines flight...
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: Women pilots beat odds” by...

