Talk of the Town: Come fly with me! Come fly, let’s fly away!

It’s vacation time! Who wants to fly? In this day and age, it’s a pain in the you-know-what, but it’s what we have to do to get from point A to point B quickly without a flying carpet.

I have no fear of flying. I know that my seat will magically turn into a flotation device and all will be just fine when we nosedive into the dirt.

The 1980 comedy “Airplane!” was one of the most memorable films to lovingly spoof airplane disaster movies, with script dialogue like, “You have clearance, Clarence.” “Roger, Roger. What’s our vector, Victor?” and the classic:

Ted Striker: “Surely you can’t be serious.”

Rumack: “I am serious... and don’t call me Shirley.”

The film was produced, directed, and written by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker.

“Airplane!” starred Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen, Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lorna Patterson. For release in Australia, Japan and the Philippines, “Airplane!” was known as “Flying High.”

“Airplane!” was inspired by and includes various lines of dialogue and references to the 1957 film “Zero Hour!”

“Airplane!” was a major financial success, grossing over $83 million in U.S. box office. The film’s creators received the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Comedy, and nominations for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture (Musical/Comedy) and a BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay.

Years later, “Airplane!” was voted as the 10th funniest American comedy in AFI’s “100 Years... 100 Laughs” list and was ranked sixth on Bravo’s “100 Funniest Movies.”

The plot (just like in real life):

When the flight crew of a commercial airliner fall victim to food poisoning, the only one on the plane who can save everybody from disaster is former war pilot Ted Stryker (Robert Hays), who’s a neurotic mess, in this spoof of the 1970’s “Airport” series from Universal, but which actually takes its biggest inspiration from “Zero Hour.”

There is an impressively high quotient of successful and memorable gags (I’ve always loved the “Saturday Night Fever” parody), as well as many hilarious quotes. The great cast includes some veteran “straight man” actors (Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, Peter Graves, Leslie Nielsen) who do marvelous self-parodies, as well as some gag cameos and a number of now-familiar character actors (Nicholas Pryor, Jonathan Banks, James Hong, and others). The three filmmakers themselves have bit parts, and the Zucker brothers even throw their mother into the mix (she’s the one having a hard time putting on her makeup).

To put your mind at rest when you fly, here are some answers to your airplane questions, thanks to syndicated radio man John Tesh and pilot Meryl Getline.

You see it all the time in the movies. People are on an airplane, and all of a sudden -boom! The plane hits turbulence and luggage from the overhead bins comes flying out, landing everywhere and causing chaos. So, how often does this really happen? Here’s what Getline had to say about that, as well as a few other airplane issues.

What happens in that scary turbulence?

Getline says on occasion, if it gets really rough, an overhead compartment could open, especially if it isn’t latched properly. In her 32 years of flying, she’s never seen more than one compartment open during turbulence and even that was just once or twice. It’s just not likely to happen.

Can the “autopilot” fly or land a plane without a real pilot?

Not really. Getline says an autopilot can’t do much more than fly a programmed route or maintain the last altitude entered by the pilot. It needs to be monitored at all times. The autopilot can play a role in landing. It can keep the plane lined up with the center line of the runway and even land the plane under certain conditions, but the pilot must control the airspeed, flaps and landing gear.

How dangerous is it when a plane gets struck by lightning?

Getline says in her career, her plane has been struck by lightning at least three times. It sounds something like a cannon going off, but it’s not all that dangerous. The lightning charge simply travels around the plane’s metal exterior, and then off pencil-like protrusions called “static wicks” on the tips of the wings and tail. Even if the electrical charge knocks out the plane’s power, which is rare, there are back-up generators that kick in.

What advice does Getlin have for people who are afraid to fly?

She says consider the statistics. It really is true that the drive to the airport is many, many times more dangerous than the flight. She says personally, she feels safer in a plane than in a car.

Well done, Kevin R. Kemper of Sahuarita. Kevin, an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Arizona, received the top teacher award this month—the Hugh and Jan Harelson Award for Excellence in Teaching, an honor that was student nominated. He also just passed the Bar exam. His wife Lisa says she is so proud of him.

Kemper joined the UA faculty in fall 2005 to teach law of the press, among other courses. He has worked in communications for more than 20 years, including time as a reporter, a freelance writer for various publications, and an ordained minister.

In spring 2006, Kemper completed his dissertation for a Ph.D. in journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He also has completed a juris doctorate at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law in May 2007. He attended UA James E. Rogers College of Law as a visiting student to complete the final year of his coursework.

His research has two major tracks. First, Kemper looks for new business and legal models for news organizations in a multimedia environment. Secondly, he studies the laws of government speech and how they affect minority groups.

Kemper taught reporting and media ethics at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism as a graduate instructor.

He also served as chair of the journalism department at Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilburton. He has taught speech and other communication courses as an adjunct at various other schools.

Kemper earned a bachelor of arts in speech communication with a minor in mass communication with honors and academic achievement from East Central University in Ada, Okla., and a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of Oklahoma. His master’s thesis was, “What motivates and influences media practitioners of religious organizations in Oklahoma: a qualitative study.” Kemper also studied at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

Alexander Navas is the very happy recipient of a $2,000 scholarship from the Green Valley Community Chorus. Nevas is currently a junior at the University of Arizona, majoring in music education with an emphasis on voice. He hopes to work as a high school choral director in the future.

The Green Valley Community Chorus has been awarding scholarships to local music students since 2002.

The award was presented at UA’s Holsclaw Hall by chorus president Eloise Frederickson on May 12. This scholarship award was made possible because of the many loyal patrons who attend Community Chorus concerts in Green Valley.

Do you love live classical music performances, Arizona sky-gazing and amazingly wonderful desserts? Have you ever been able to enjoy them all together, in one beautiful setting and at once? Now you can! On Sunday, June 8, a Tucson Chamber Orchestra ensemble will be performing “Players Choice - Orchestras Favorites” in the beautiful Casa de Esperanza Courtyard.

The performance begins at 7 p.m. and is preceded at 6 p.m. with a Dessert Extravaganza in the Casa Community Center. This outdoor classical concert is a benefit event with proceeds supporting Casa de Esperanza and Tucson Chamber Orchestra Tickets are $25 and can be purchased in person or by phone at Casa de Esperanza, 780 S. Park Centre; 625-2273. Seating is limited.

The Tucson Chamber Orchestra have been partners with Casa throughout it’s 20th Anniversary, providing a beautiful complement to Casa’s year of celebration. A Tucson Chamber Orchestra string quartet graced Casa’s benefit dinner event in January; the full orchestra performed in Sahuarita on behalf of Casa and TCO programming; and now, the perfect evening - a TCO ensemble playing their favorite pieces on a summer evening under the Arizona sky in Casa’s very beautiful courtyard!

rford@gvnews.com | 547-9740