# Plane in a tree **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 3, 2007, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-in-a-tree/425116 "2007-11-03T17:25:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [November 3, 2007, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-in-a-tree/425116/1 "2007-11-03T17:25:45Z")
Here’s a Snopes page about a photo that’s been circulating of a [plane in a tree](http://www.snopes.com/photos/airplane/flightschool.asp). Take a close look at the signs in the two photographs. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2007, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-in-a-tree/425116/2 "2007-11-03T23:22:00Z")
It’s not every day you see a plane in a tree. Cabinetry, on the other hand, is not surprising at all. ---
**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:** [November 3, 2007, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-in-a-tree/425116/3 "2007-11-03T23:41:54Z")
You’ve either been waiting to spring that pun, or you felt sorry for a thread with no reply. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2007, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-in-a-tree/425116/4 "2007-11-04T04:18:51Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] You’ve either been waiting to spring that pun, or you felt sorry for a thread with no reply. 😛 [/QUOTE] Both, I guess. It came from a Sunday “Billy gives Dad a day off” strip in Family Circus. Billy drew a taxi in a tree. Probably the Isle of Lucy, too. The plane in your OP doesn’t look too bad, considering. In another few years, it may look like one of those mailbox-in-a-treetrunk pictures, if the owner wrote it off. ---
**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:** [November 4, 2007, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-in-a-tree/425116/5 "2007-11-04T04:22:35Z")
Did you catch the sign discrepancy? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2007, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-in-a-tree/425116/6 "2007-11-04T04:42:42Z")
There’s a hiking trail on Oahu that passes by a tree growing out of an old WWII-era training plane. It crashed there back about that time. Looks neat. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2007, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-in-a-tree/425116/7 "2007-11-04T04:43:38Z")
The signs do look a little off, but I’m not certain. The signs as we see them seem to be single sheets – and in the close-up especially, we ought to be able to see the second sheet behind the post. That is, it’d definitely be a whoosh if the same face of a sign was in front of the sign post in photos taken from two different directions. Is that it? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2007, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-in-a-tree/425116/8 "2007-11-04T04:45:06Z")
Is that really a discrepancy? The signs could be double-sided, the same on each side. (Though I have no reason to see why they would be.) ---
**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:** [November 4, 2007, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-in-a-tree/425116/9 "2007-11-04T04:46:18Z")
[QUOTE=Civil Guy] Is that it? [/QUOTE] Yep. Someone ‘photoshopped’ the signs. In the circulated photo they’re facing away from the aircraft. In the other angle they’re facing toward the aircraft. ---
**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:** [November 4, 2007, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-in-a-tree/425116/10 "2007-11-04T04:47:36Z")
[QUOTE=squeegee] Is that really a discrepancy? The signs could be double-sided, the same on each side. (Though I have no reason to see why they would be.) [/QUOTE] Only who would see the side facing away from the road? (i.e., the side shown in the amusing photo.) ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2007, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-in-a-tree/425116/11 "2007-11-04T04:48:32Z")
Ah, I see why the signs might be double sided – there’s a perpendicular road visible in the 2nd picture. If the signs are double-sided (same on both sides), they would be visible when traveling on the 2nd road in either direction. I tentatively pronounce the signs not-Photoshopped. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2007, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-in-a-tree/425116/12 "2007-11-04T04:48:50Z")
Sure, but on one side of the sign, there needs to be a sign post - unless there are similar signs on both sides - which could be… but I don’t see them myself. Both of those signs are mounted perfectly so we can’t see a hint of the one behind…? Just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2007, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-in-a-tree/425116/13 "2007-11-04T04:54:35Z")
Also please note that the signs appear to be in the same location in both photos. Note their alignment compared to the barbed wire fence in each frame. ---
**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:** [November 4, 2007, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-in-a-tree/425116/14 "2007-11-04T04:59:27Z")
The American Aviation sign (which I assume to be plastic) appears to have some mottling on it. The angle of the sun in the joke photo would not produce that effect. In the second photo the mottling could be produced by the trees behind it. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2007, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-in-a-tree/425116/15 "2007-11-04T04:59:32Z")
Also note that both those pictures are taken from the [web site](http://www.meadowlakeairport.com/INDEX2.html) of Meadow Lake Airport, and are both credited to the same television station, KOAA TV. Which doesn’t necessarily make them both legit, but the airport _and_ the TV crew would need to be in on the joke. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2007, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-in-a-tree/425116/16 "2007-11-04T05:04:20Z")
Also please note the rivets on the border of the American Aviation sign – this seems indicative of that sign being fastened to it’s twin sign on the opposite side of the signpost. Else why the rivets? ---
**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:** [November 4, 2007, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-in-a-tree/425116/17 "2007-11-04T05:04:54Z")
[QUOTE=squeegee] Also note that both those pictures are taken from the [web site](http://www.meadowlakeairport.com/INDEX2.html) of Meadow Lake Airport, and are both credited to the same television station, KOAA TV. Which doesn’t necessarily make them both legit, but the airport _and_ the TV crew would need to be in on the joke. [/QUOTE] Actually the TV ‘credits’ are links to the station’s website, where video apparently used to be. From your link: > [@](#): > > YES. The famous photo has been altered . The top photo was “photo shopped”, as the bottom photo shows, the sign actually faces the opposite direction. All other details are accurate. I knew that already, as it was published in the current edition of _AOPA Pilot_😉 ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2007, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-in-a-tree/425116/18 "2007-11-04T05:06:27Z")
damn. you got me. Its a pretty good fake. 🙂 ---
**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:** [November 4, 2007, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-in-a-tree/425116/19 "2007-11-04T05:10:24Z")
[QUOTE=squeegee] damn. you got me. Its a pretty good fake. 🙂 [/QUOTE] Well, I wasn’t playing ‘gotcha’. Good to see your arguments though. 🙂 Re: The rivets. Signs are commonly provided with holes for attaching them. Those have got to be just holes. I don’t see the means of attachment on the Learn To Fly sign though. (I might have to surf over to Sporty’s sometime to check the description.) ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2007, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-in-a-tree/425116/20 "2007-11-04T15:12:29Z")
Reminded me of the [plane in the power lines](http://www.ahajokes.com/cartoon/alo-pilot.jpg) picture that circulated some years back. Genuine, I think. You can find other pictures of the plane taken from different angles and at different times of day.