# An unexpected passenger (airplane) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 22, 2015, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121 "2015-06-22T03:49:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121/21 "2015-06-23T12:34:27Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Sure. Like anyone is going to purposely scare the shit out of a cat and risk the cat plummeting a thousand feet to its death for a Youtube video. So how many cats did they have to go through to get it right? ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121/22 "2015-06-23T12:45:29Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > Exactly! The shadow of the cat was clearly visible through the wing fabric. I have no idea how you miss that with even a cursory look. Where? There’s what looks like a black number on the white wing fabric. No cat shadow is visible until the cat comes into view. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121/23 "2015-06-23T14:40:08Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > Look at the camera aim point. The camera (probably a GoPro) has a wide-angle lens, and the passenger is in the middle of the screen. If the purpose of recording a flight is so that the passenger has something to show her friends, it’s natural for her to be the center of attention. With the wide lens, you get to see some of the outside. (Else, why not just stay on the ground and pretend to fly?) Capturing the wing root is natural. > [@Cinnamon\_Imp](#): > > Where? > > There’s what looks like a black number on the white wing fabric. No cat shadow is visible until the cat comes into view. You can see the cat’s shadow, and the pilot _should_ have seen it during the preflight. But if the cat was not moving, and if he’s just looking at the leading edge, wing tips, and control surfaces, it would be easy to overlook. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121/24 "2015-06-23T15:10:53Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > But if the cat was not moving, and if he’s just looking at the leading edge, wing tips, and control surfaces, it would be easy to overlook. Curses, airfoiled again! ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121/25 "2015-06-23T15:14:39Z")
Life ain’t easy being a ship’s cat in the 21st century. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121/26 "2015-06-23T16:46:33Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > The camera (probably a GoPro) has a wide-angle lens, and the passenger is in the middle of the screen. If the purpose of recording a flight is so that the passenger has something to show her friends, it’s natural for her to be the center of attention. With the wide lens, you get to see some of the outside. (Else, why not just stay on the ground and pretend to fly?) Capturing the wing root is natural. > > You can see the cat’s shadow, and the pilot _should_ have seen it during the preflight. But if the cat was not moving, and if he’s just looking at the leading edge, wing tips, and control surfaces, it would be easy to overlook. I think this is just the attitude that the NTSB should take from now on. Also the FAA, ‘nothing happened so we won’t do anything about your piloting in the future’ should be their attitude. Way cool… Watching the expressions in the clip, I do not agree with it being an actual unplanned event . 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121/27 "2015-06-23T16:53:48Z")
Of course the FAA and NTSB don’t have a lot of power in French Guiana. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121/28 "2015-06-23T19:00:01Z")
Come on guys, it’s right there in the pilot notes. “Remove before flight: [ul] [li]Pitot and venturi covers;[/li][li]Control locks;[/li][li]Engine intake covers;[/li][li]Cats;[/li][li]Wheel chocks.”[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121/29 "2015-06-23T19:11:42Z")
> [@Bookkeeper](#): > > Come on guys, it’s right there in the pilot notes. > > “Remove before flight: > [ul] > [li]Pitot and venturi covers;[/li][li]Control locks;[/li][li]Engine intake covers;[/li][li]Cats;[/li][li]Wheel chocks.”[/li][/ul] It should say _All_ Cats, or it’s not a complete checklist. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121/30 "2015-06-23T19:19:47Z")
> [@Bookkeeper](#): > > Come on guys, it’s right there in the pilot notes. > > “Remove before flight: > [ul] > [li]Pitot and venturi covers;[/li][li]Control locks;[/li][li]Engine intake covers;[/li][li]Cats;[/li][li]Wheel chocks.”[/li][/ul] Well, there’s the problem- the cat didn’t have a big red ribbon around its neck. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121/31 "2015-06-23T19:31:29Z")
Perhaps the list of animals should be expanded. All cats and any other animals, rats, dogs, geese, and random vermin. absolutely no spiders. or snakes. Definitely NO SNAKES. I was afraid the woman was going to reach up and try and grab it mid-flight. Nothing like wrestling with a terrified cat, all claws extended, next to the pilot. What could go wrong? ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121/32 "2015-06-23T19:35:27Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Of course the FAA and NTSB don’t have a lot of power in French Guiana. 😉 Stupid pilots will die anyplace, along with their passengers. Since no one else thought the location was important, why should I? And yes, the pilot looked very French to me. Little airplanes, great big airplanes, I sometimes question their judgement but what do I know, I lived through all my bad judgement. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121/33 "2015-06-23T20:28:46Z")
It looks like the pilot has spent the last few hours in the comments on Youtube trying to explain things to people who are posting “Clearly green screen” etc. Poor sod. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121/34 "2015-06-23T20:34:38Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > It looks like the pilot has spent the last few hours in the comments on Youtube trying to explain things to people who are posting “Clearly green screen” etc. Poor sod. He says what I suggested in post #23. 😃 > [@romain jantot](#): > > well the passenger is at the center…i would have put the angle lower personally but this is good angle. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121/35 "2015-06-23T22:48:53Z")
Is it just me or does the cat look like it’s having a great time after the first minute or so? Stretched out, forepaws draped over the strut, looking forward with the wind in its hair (and ears), thinking **This is still better than JetBlue**. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121/36 "2015-06-23T22:54:40Z")
> [@blue\_infinity](#): > > That’s a lucky feline. It could have ended in a catastrophe. > > (sorry) You ain’t kitten. (sorrier) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121/37 "2015-06-23T22:59:46Z")
> [@G0sp3l](#): > > You ain’t kitten. > > (sorrier) Wipe that smile off your puss! (Not sorry at all) ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121/38 "2015-06-23T23:04:44Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Is it just me or does the cat look like it’s having a great time after the first minute or so? Stretched out, forepaws draped over the strut, looking forward with the wind in its hair (and ears), thinking **This is still better than JetBlue**. They could maybe try a series of “Animals in the Wing Space!” videos. Any small dog with floppy ears and a long nose would have loved that trip, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121/39 "2015-06-23T23:22:15Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Is it just me or does the cat look like it’s having a great time after the first minute or so? Stretched out, forepaws draped over the strut, looking forward with the wind in its hair (and ears), thinking **This is still better than JetBlue**. Yeah, she doesn’t seem to be distressed at all. Just sort of, ‘OK, I’m flying now.’ ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121/40 "2015-06-23T23:43:00Z")
And it could have been such a catsasstrophe! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-unexpected-passenger-airplane/723121.md?page=3)