Always check your aircraft for cats before takeoff
June 21, 2015 11:43 PM Subscribe
Oh noes!
posted by amy27 at 11:53 PM on June 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by amy27 at 11:53 PM on June 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Silly cat! Don't sleep in plane wings!
Glad it was safe. Whew.
posted by dubitable at 12:04 AM on June 22, 2015
Glad it was safe. Whew.
posted by dubitable at 12:04 AM on June 22, 2015
That moment around :37 when it becomes clear that something has gone terribly terribly wrong for the poor cat.
posted by drewbage1847 at 12:06 AM on June 22, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by drewbage1847 at 12:06 AM on June 22, 2015 [5 favorites]
Even at altitude cats have an irrepressible urge to get all up on humans who are doing things with their hands. The little guy/girl doesn't look overly stressed to me. Also don't bother reaching up and holding onto it or anything, lady.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 12:15 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by GallonOfAlan at 12:15 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
That kitty definitely has an "oh not again" air about it.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:17 AM on June 22, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:17 AM on June 22, 2015 [7 favorites]
There's ... someone on the wing! Some ... thing!
posted by figurant at 12:19 AM on June 22, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by figurant at 12:19 AM on June 22, 2015 [7 favorites]
Ahaha, the double-take the guy does at 1:00. Amazing.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 12:44 AM on June 22, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by EndsOfInvention at 12:44 AM on June 22, 2015 [8 favorites]
GoA, I think she did right to not grab it. It might have struggled or tried to leap away with potentially disastrous results for kitty or even the ultralight if it distracted the pilot.
posted by tavella at 12:48 AM on June 22, 2015 [29 favorites]
posted by tavella at 12:48 AM on June 22, 2015 [29 favorites]
The cat seems remarkably calm and appears to be regretting only its oversight in forgetting to bring goggles.
posted by rongorongo at 12:57 AM on June 22, 2015 [20 favorites]
posted by rongorongo at 12:57 AM on June 22, 2015 [20 favorites]
And food.
posted by pracowity at 1:11 AM on June 22, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by pracowity at 1:11 AM on June 22, 2015 [3 favorites]
Anyone who's seen a cat treed in high winds fully expected them to land with kitty intact.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 1:29 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 1:29 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
Given that this apparently took place at the flying club at Kourou, French Guiana, it's a good think this kitty didn't sneak into anything else that often takes off round there.
posted by Major Clanger at 1:32 AM on June 22, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by Major Clanger at 1:32 AM on June 22, 2015 [7 favorites]
We're seeing more and more examples of cats being put through extreme circumstances.
posted by oneswellfoop at 2:13 AM on June 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by oneswellfoop at 2:13 AM on June 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
Clearly they need some sort of cat scanner.
(I have no idea how these people got their cat wedged into their light aircraft, or why.)
posted by obiwanwasabi at 2:30 AM on June 22, 2015 [46 favorites]
(I have no idea how these people got their cat wedged into their light aircraft, or why.)
posted by obiwanwasabi at 2:30 AM on June 22, 2015 [46 favorites]
From the video it's very lightweight aircraft comprising a plastic skin wrapped round a frame (which of course is how aircraft started, albeit with fabric). The wings seem to have the same construction, and are open at the root. The cat evidently crawled in to find somewhere to snooze, and the pilot probably didn't look inside the wings - a mistake I take it he's unlikely to make again!
As to why, well, CAT.
posted by Major Clanger at 2:43 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
As to why, well, CAT.
posted by Major Clanger at 2:43 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
Okay it looks like I'm flyin' an airplane
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 2:48 AM on June 22, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 2:48 AM on June 22, 2015 [6 favorites]
This pilot did not pre-flight his aircraft. Big no-no, especially with a sport/microlight like that. A decent walk-around should have spotted the cat and any other more usual visible issues to worry about on the ground and not in the air.
posted by C.A.S. at 2:52 AM on June 22, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by C.A.S. at 2:52 AM on June 22, 2015 [7 favorites]
I really expected the guy to jerk the stick in surprise and flick the cat off, judging by the stupid jerk/jerk towards reactions drivers usually have.
posted by emptythought at 3:14 AM on June 22, 2015
posted by emptythought at 3:14 AM on June 22, 2015
Those two were way too nonchalant about discovering a freaking cat in their tiny airplane. Or should I say, non-chat-lant.
posted by missmary6 at 3:26 AM on June 22, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by missmary6 at 3:26 AM on June 22, 2015 [7 favorites]
A friend of mine posted this on Facebook last night, and I saw it right as I woke up this morning. I watched about half of it, but was too terrified to continue. It actually made me cry and I couldn't stop!
posted by Stewriffic at 3:46 AM on June 22, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Stewriffic at 3:46 AM on June 22, 2015 [3 favorites]
That was OK, but I was really looking forward to the subsequent video, "Dextre lets CATS out of the bag on the Space Station." Disappointment ensued.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 3:58 AM on June 22, 2015
posted by Kirth Gerson at 3:58 AM on June 22, 2015
The cat is the airfield mascot. For all we know kitty has been doing this for years and was caught for the first time. Cats have been found to use public transportation by themselves before.
posted by elgilito at 4:03 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by elgilito at 4:03 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
They certainly will go to some lengths to get close to birds.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 4:26 AM on June 22, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by GallonOfAlan at 4:26 AM on June 22, 2015 [8 favorites]
A decent walk-around should have spotted the cat and any other more usual visible issues to worry about on the ground and not in the air.
I can think of at least three separate Ask MetaFilter questions that start with "I can't find my cat!" and end with "He was in this place that we looked at six times WTF."
Or, as I've said before, "should" is a much larger word than it appears, isn't it.
posted by Etrigan at 4:50 AM on June 22, 2015 [16 favorites]
I can think of at least three separate Ask MetaFilter questions that start with "I can't find my cat!" and end with "He was in this place that we looked at six times WTF."
Or, as I've said before, "should" is a much larger word than it appears, isn't it.
posted by Etrigan at 4:50 AM on June 22, 2015 [16 favorites]
The cat seems remarkably calm and appears to be regretting only its oversight in forgetting to bring goggles.
And it had been Cory Doctorow for Halloween and everything.
posted by Hypatia at 4:53 AM on June 22, 2015 [7 favorites]
And it had been Cory Doctorow for Halloween and everything.
posted by Hypatia at 4:53 AM on June 22, 2015 [7 favorites]
They certainly will go to some lengths to get close to birds.
Wrong part of the plane to go looking, then. Starlings are very common pests at small airports - they have a habit of building nests under engine cowlings on top of the warm engine. If you're not careful about checking under the cowling as part of the preflight, you may find yourself without an engine (still on the ground if you're lucky, just after takeoff if you're not).
Which is why, as cute as the video was, I'm not inclined to brush this off as a "silly cat" thing. There's not a whole lot of stuff in an ultralight wing like that, but clawing at the wing covering or aileron control cables is really going to ruin that pilot's day.
posted by backseatpilot at 5:15 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
Wrong part of the plane to go looking, then. Starlings are very common pests at small airports - they have a habit of building nests under engine cowlings on top of the warm engine. If you're not careful about checking under the cowling as part of the preflight, you may find yourself without an engine (still on the ground if you're lucky, just after takeoff if you're not).
Which is why, as cute as the video was, I'm not inclined to brush this off as a "silly cat" thing. There's not a whole lot of stuff in an ultralight wing like that, but clawing at the wing covering or aileron control cables is really going to ruin that pilot's day.
posted by backseatpilot at 5:15 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
I really expected the guy to jerk the stick in surprise and flick the cat off, judging by the stupid jerk/jerk towards reactions drivers usually have.
My guess is pilots who'd have a tendency to do that would kind of self-select themselves right out of the gene pool.
posted by FishBike at 5:20 AM on June 22, 2015 [3 favorites]
My guess is pilots who'd have a tendency to do that would kind of self-select themselves right out of the gene pool.
posted by FishBike at 5:20 AM on June 22, 2015 [3 favorites]
The center section of the wing is covered with see-through plastic to improve visibility. The rest most definitely is not, to improve visibility to others. This probably explains why the cat wasn't spotted during the preflight - s/he was curled up in the outer part of the wing, lured by the suffocating heat pleasant warmth.
posted by hat_eater at 5:28 AM on June 22, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by hat_eater at 5:28 AM on June 22, 2015 [5 favorites]
On the ground in about 1 minute after discovery.
posted by achrise at 5:48 AM on June 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by achrise at 5:48 AM on June 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
I have never skipclicked through a youtube video so fast in my entire life.
posted by JanetLand at 5:52 AM on June 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by JanetLand at 5:52 AM on June 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
As my Dad used to say, "Nothin' too good for a cat."
The look on the man's face was priceless.
Kitty is a doppelganger for Chuck, King of the Feral Toms, who was the father of my dear departed Nellie. This seems like just the sort of thing he'd do, and with just as much equanimity. We always had to check the car to make sure he wasn't somewhere in or on it before we started it up.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 5:56 AM on June 22, 2015 [3 favorites]
The look on the man's face was priceless.
Kitty is a doppelganger for Chuck, King of the Feral Toms, who was the father of my dear departed Nellie. This seems like just the sort of thing he'd do, and with just as much equanimity. We always had to check the car to make sure he wasn't somewhere in or on it before we started it up.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 5:56 AM on June 22, 2015 [3 favorites]
Aaaaaaaah! I was so stressed, worrying that the poor kitty would jump. I'm glad that both the humans were calm, and the cat seemed rather chill, but so scary!
posted by xingcat at 6:15 AM on June 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by xingcat at 6:15 AM on June 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
Oh Jesus, that was briefly horrifying.
Obviously we're waiting for a cat to appear, and I was expecting it to pop up in whatever that yellow area behind the seats was. Then there was this jolt of terror when I realized oh, my fucking god, it's on the wing! Was convinced cat was going to die and wondering why the fuck you would post that, when I finally figured out enough about the aircraft to realize it was a plastic skinned wing and the cat was inside it, not on top of it.
But damn, that was a bit of cardiac theater to start the morning with.
posted by Naberius at 6:18 AM on June 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
Obviously we're waiting for a cat to appear, and I was expecting it to pop up in whatever that yellow area behind the seats was. Then there was this jolt of terror when I realized oh, my fucking god, it's on the wing! Was convinced cat was going to die and wondering why the fuck you would post that, when I finally figured out enough about the aircraft to realize it was a plastic skinned wing and the cat was inside it, not on top of it.
But damn, that was a bit of cardiac theater to start the morning with.
posted by Naberius at 6:18 AM on June 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
That's just the cattitude indicator sounding an alarm that the wings aren't level.
posted by orme at 6:20 AM on June 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by orme at 6:20 AM on June 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
GOD the expression on the cat's face when it first emerges. I know that face. I make that face constantly: daily upon waking up, and every time my doorbell rings when I am not expecting anyone. It's a WHY HAS THIS ORDEAL BEFALLEN ME YET AGAIN face.
posted by poffin boffin at 6:24 AM on June 22, 2015 [35 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 6:24 AM on June 22, 2015 [35 favorites]
and the cat was inside it, not on top of it.
Oh! Thank you.
posted by Ashenmote at 6:26 AM on June 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
Oh! Thank you.
posted by Ashenmote at 6:26 AM on June 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
If there is anything, eventually there will be cat in it.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:34 AM on June 22, 2015 [14 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:34 AM on June 22, 2015 [14 favorites]
i was idly wondering last night why no space programs have ever said "hey let's send a cat along next time" and aside from the obvious reasons (furious yowling, nervous pooping, vigorous clawing of delicate instruments, vengeance barfing, hiding, shedding in your experiments, sits on top of the thing you are using) i think that face might just be too much.
also lbr how would a litter tray work in low gravity, not very well i imagine.
posted by poffin boffin at 6:39 AM on June 22, 2015 [10 favorites]
also lbr how would a litter tray work in low gravity, not very well i imagine.
posted by poffin boffin at 6:39 AM on June 22, 2015 [10 favorites]
I suppose it's because they wanted to get both people and the ground in the shot, but this ends up being perfectly framed between cat and humans.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 6:47 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 6:47 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
Missed the dachshund on the preflight.
posted by Reverend John at 6:54 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Reverend John at 6:54 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
Well, at least this ended better than the rabbit video.
posted by tapesonthefloor at 6:54 AM on June 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by tapesonthefloor at 6:54 AM on June 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
This video is the intersection of two of my favorite things, cats and airplanes. Thanks.
posted by Rob Rockets at 6:56 AM on June 22, 2015
posted by Rob Rockets at 6:56 AM on June 22, 2015
Apparently he did the pre-flight check, but still missed the cat in the wing
posted by adept256 at 7:07 AM on June 22, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by adept256 at 7:07 AM on June 22, 2015 [3 favorites]
I finally figured out enough about the aircraft to realize it was a plastic skinned wing and the cat was inside it, not on top of it.
It took me quite a while to notice this also and I was so confused until I did.
Wouldn't the cat have a significant effect on the balance of the plane? I have no idea how much those things weigh. Planes, not cats.
posted by jeather at 7:16 AM on June 22, 2015
It took me quite a while to notice this also and I was so confused until I did.
Wouldn't the cat have a significant effect on the balance of the plane? I have no idea how much those things weigh. Planes, not cats.
posted by jeather at 7:16 AM on June 22, 2015
Hang In There, Baby.
posted by The Bellman at 7:30 AM on June 22, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by The Bellman at 7:30 AM on June 22, 2015 [8 favorites]
Growing up we had a cat that climbed into the engine of our car on a chilly day. It did not end so nicely when my mom started the car to take us to the store.
posted by blue_beetle at 7:41 AM on June 22, 2015
posted by blue_beetle at 7:41 AM on June 22, 2015
They're French. Of course there is a cat on the wing.
posted by srboisvert at 7:47 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by srboisvert at 7:47 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
As soon as I read that a soothing recorded female voice said in my head LE CHAT EST SUR LA AILE.
posted by poffin boffin at 8:19 AM on June 22, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 8:19 AM on June 22, 2015 [5 favorites]
I wasn't worried it would jump or fall; cats always land on their feet.
posted by Rumple at 8:23 AM on June 22, 2015
posted by Rumple at 8:23 AM on June 22, 2015
i was idly wondering last night why no space programs have ever said "hey let's send a cat along next time" and aside from the obvious reasons (furious yowling, nervous pooping, vigorous clawing of delicate instruments, vengeance barfing, hiding, shedding in your experiments, sits on top of the thing you are using) i think that face might just be too much.
Idly wonder no more. The French have sent cats into space because of course they have.
posted by Rumple at 8:28 AM on June 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
Idly wonder no more. The French have sent cats into space because of course they have.
posted by Rumple at 8:28 AM on June 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
Aeromeowtics
posted by a lungful of dragon at 8:32 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by a lungful of dragon at 8:32 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
*looks in flight bag at current checklists and notes.*
*adds 'check for cats' to checklist right after 'seatbelts' and before 'master on'*
The double-take was priceless. I'm not surprised he missed the cat on the checklist, especially if 'check inside wing' is not an item on his checklist.
I have a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't the cat's first airborne adventure.
posted by Thistledown at 8:36 AM on June 22, 2015
*adds 'check for cats' to checklist right after 'seatbelts' and before 'master on'*
The double-take was priceless. I'm not surprised he missed the cat on the checklist, especially if 'check inside wing' is not an item on his checklist.
I have a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't the cat's first airborne adventure.
posted by Thistledown at 8:36 AM on June 22, 2015
I like to think that at first, when the pilot was trying to tell her about the cat, she was pondering "Is 'there is a cat above you' some kind of weird pick-up line?". For quite a long time she seems to refuse to move her head to see if there is actually a real cat up above her.
posted by King Sky Prawn at 8:49 AM on June 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by King Sky Prawn at 8:49 AM on June 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
also lbr how would a litter tray work in low gravity, not very well i imagine.
Your thinking is two-dimensional. Consider, if you will, THE LITTER SPHERE!
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:00 AM on June 22, 2015 [5 favorites]
Your thinking is two-dimensional. Consider, if you will, THE LITTER SPHERE!
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:00 AM on June 22, 2015 [5 favorites]
Don't look at the cat. Don't look at the cat. Looks at cat.
posted by DZ-015 at 9:11 AM on June 22, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by DZ-015 at 9:11 AM on June 22, 2015 [3 favorites]
Absence of a "This aircraft has been checked for sleeping cats" sign means it wasn't properly cleared for takeoff.
posted by Obscure Reference at 9:11 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Obscure Reference at 9:11 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
*adds 'check for cats' to checklist right after 'seatbelts' and before 'master on'*
Could I suggest before seatbelts? Because, you know, easier to move around. Really, should be part of the walk around.
posted by eriko at 9:15 AM on June 22, 2015
Could I suggest before seatbelts? Because, you know, easier to move around. Really, should be part of the walk around.
posted by eriko at 9:15 AM on June 22, 2015
Now he knows why there's an electric can opener in the hanger. It lures all the cats out of the planes.
posted by Sunburnt at 9:26 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Sunburnt at 9:26 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
I kept wanting the passenger to release her seat-belt death grip and at least hold her hands out just in case the cat fell. She didn't even seem to look at the cat until the very end!
posted by Fleeno at 9:47 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Fleeno at 9:47 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
There's....something on the wing!
posted by I-baLL at 10:07 AM on June 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by I-baLL at 10:07 AM on June 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
Airfoil cat is watching you aviate.
posted by Johnny Assay at 10:17 AM on June 22, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by Johnny Assay at 10:17 AM on June 22, 2015 [6 favorites]
Get out! Get out! The meows are coming.... from inside the wing!!!!
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:44 AM on June 22, 2015
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:44 AM on June 22, 2015
i was idly wondering last night why no space programs have ever said "hey let's send a cat along next time" and aside from the obvious reasons (furious yowling, nervous pooping, vigorous clawing of delicate instruments, vengeance barfing, hiding, shedding in your experiments, sits on top of the thing you are using) i think that face might just be too much.
And so you made me google "cats on the vomit comet" -- Not Too Happy.
posted by pointless_incessant_barking at 10:50 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
And so you made me google "cats on the vomit comet" -- Not Too Happy.
posted by pointless_incessant_barking at 10:50 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
omg so many agitated kicky feets
posted by poffin boffin at 10:52 AM on June 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 10:52 AM on June 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
Also I like how the purpose of the video seems to be showing that despite accepted common knowledge to the contrary cats can't really land on their feet in low/0 gravity no matter how wildly they whirl their tails.
posted by poffin boffin at 10:55 AM on June 22, 2015
posted by poffin boffin at 10:55 AM on June 22, 2015
What a good, smart kitty! Pretty sure I'd be dead if asked to navigate a remotely similar set of circumstances.
posted by a fiendish thingy at 10:56 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by a fiendish thingy at 10:56 AM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
Shit happen man
posted by kirkaracha at 11:07 AM on June 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 11:07 AM on June 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
Fleeno: I kept wanting the passenger to release her seat-belt death grip and at least hold her hands out just in case the cat fell. She didn't even seem to look at the cat until the very end!
As a scarred veteran, I can say that trying to catch a cat in mid-air generally results in scratches and a flailing cat that slides off in some direction. If it decided to jump, it would probably leap to the nearest solid horizontal surface, their laps. Best to let it do so and then maybe hold on to it at that point.
posted by tavella at 11:08 AM on June 22, 2015
As a scarred veteran, I can say that trying to catch a cat in mid-air generally results in scratches and a flailing cat that slides off in some direction. If it decided to jump, it would probably leap to the nearest solid horizontal surface, their laps. Best to let it do so and then maybe hold on to it at that point.
posted by tavella at 11:08 AM on June 22, 2015
> "cats on the vomit comet"
Hmm, pilot could be doing a better job of maintaining zero G, since clearly his dive is occasionally resulting in negative G through parts of that video.
I wonder what the cats think of the 2G turn upwards that occurs at the end of the weightless period?
posted by Sunburnt at 12:26 PM on June 22, 2015
Hmm, pilot could be doing a better job of maintaining zero G, since clearly his dive is occasionally resulting in negative G through parts of that video.
I wonder what the cats think of the 2G turn upwards that occurs at the end of the weightless period?
posted by Sunburnt at 12:26 PM on June 22, 2015
probably something along the lines of HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS i imagine.
posted by poffin boffin at 12:28 PM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by poffin boffin at 12:28 PM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
Have you seen Inside Out yet? That bit with the cats at the end? That. That is what they thought.
posted by maryr at 12:30 PM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by maryr at 12:30 PM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
this feels like it should be the subject of a children's book called Mr Fluffy Britches and the Very Bad Day.
posted by poffin boffin at 1:11 PM on June 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 1:11 PM on June 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
Could I suggest before seatbelts? Because, you know, easier to move around. Really, should be part of the walk around.
posted by eriko at 12:15 PM on June 22 [+] [!]
I am in complete agreement. It's a 'verify' checklist rather than a 'do' checklist, so I was thinking post-walkaround, pre-engine start. Theoretically, you'd catch it during or after the walkaround and then verify that you looked for cats before the start sequence.
posted by Thistledown at 1:15 PM on June 22, 2015
made a gfycat of the guy's double take
"Merde!"..."Merde!"... "Merde!"...
posted by oneirodynia at 1:20 PM on June 22, 2015
For all we know kitty has been doing this for years and was caught for the first time.
What makes you think this is the first time? The pilot's rather mellow response could mean it's not the first time he's seen it and he knows the kitty is safe where she is.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 1:21 PM on June 22, 2015
What makes you think this is the first time? The pilot's rather mellow response could mean it's not the first time he's seen it and he knows the kitty is safe where she is.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 1:21 PM on June 22, 2015
The passenger has an absolute death grip with both hands on her belt straps. I would have done the same thing and whether or not it was smart to try to grab the cat would not have entered into the equation because I would not have been able to let go of the straps.
After looking a bit terrified at first, the cat chills and just checks out the scenery until they land. Love it!
posted by JenMarie at 2:13 PM on June 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
After looking a bit terrified at first, the cat chills and just checks out the scenery until they land. Love it!
posted by JenMarie at 2:13 PM on June 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
I don't think she knew the cat was there. Judging from her death grip, I'm sure a big part of the pilot's job is to keep the passenger calm and scrubbing down soiled seats. Screaming 'HOLY FUCK A CAT' would not improve the situation.
Typical pilot coolness in an emergency. 'We're going to be in the Hudson'
posted by adept256 at 2:42 PM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
Typical pilot coolness in an emergency. 'We're going to be in the Hudson'
posted by adept256 at 2:42 PM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
"Consider, if you will, THE LITTER SPHERE!"
Oh, I needn't consider. My (recently departed :( ) cat Isaac was more than capable of producing these, even in terrestrial gravity. Incidentally, he looks exactly like the cat in this video. I now suspect he faked his death and moved to France.
"cats can't really land on their feet in low/0 gravity"
My other cat Beatrix can't even do that after rolling backwards off the bed.
posted by mrgoat at 4:11 PM on June 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
Oh, I needn't consider. My (recently departed :( ) cat Isaac was more than capable of producing these, even in terrestrial gravity. Incidentally, he looks exactly like the cat in this video. I now suspect he faked his death and moved to France.
"cats can't really land on their feet in low/0 gravity"
My other cat Beatrix can't even do that after rolling backwards off the bed.
posted by mrgoat at 4:11 PM on June 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
I only got up my courage to watch after lots of friends shared the video on Facebook -- friends who wouldn't have if the kitty had fallen. Kitty seemed pretty calm, after the initial few moments of "WHAT HELL I WAZ NAPPING WHEREZ THE GROUND??" Even seems to be enjoying the breeze!
(The pilot's double-take cracked me up, and I'm glad no one tried to grab the cat -- it might have recoiled and slipped, or overbalanced the plane, or something.)
posted by sarcasticah at 7:48 PM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
(The pilot's double-take cracked me up, and I'm glad no one tried to grab the cat -- it might have recoiled and slipped, or overbalanced the plane, or something.)
posted by sarcasticah at 7:48 PM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
Just when they're coming in to land, it seemed to me like the cat looks down at the ground, trying to gauge if they're within "I could jump down" height yet. I had a split second of "aaaaaaugh no" there, before the cat was like, eh, staying put.
posted by LobsterMitten at 7:59 PM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by LobsterMitten at 7:59 PM on June 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
On rewatching, I'm amazed at how relatively calm the cat is after the first moment of distress. I don't think it's happy to be there, but it doesn't either freeze in fear or retreat back into the wing. It just looks around and waits for shit to stop moving.
Also, there's an argument in the yt comments about it being staged, and while I can see why the framing makes people wonder, it doesn't seem likely. Both people act fairly naturalistically, and even if you stuffed a cat down the wing and took off, it would be hard to ensure that it would do something other than either huddle where it was or run frantically out and fall to its death.
posted by tavella at 12:52 PM on June 23, 2015
Also, there's an argument in the yt comments about it being staged, and while I can see why the framing makes people wonder, it doesn't seem likely. Both people act fairly naturalistically, and even if you stuffed a cat down the wing and took off, it would be hard to ensure that it would do something other than either huddle where it was or run frantically out and fall to its death.
posted by tavella at 12:52 PM on June 23, 2015
figurant: There's ... someone on the wing! Some ... thing!
Will you please look? In the name of --
posted by filthy light thief at 1:27 PM on June 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
Will you please look? In the name of --
posted by filthy light thief at 1:27 PM on June 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
it would be hard to ensure that it would do something other than either huddle where it was or run frantically out and fall to its death.
Who knows how many cats they burned through to get this one good take though?
posted by Rumple at 1:29 PM on June 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Who knows how many cats they burned through to get this one good take though?
posted by Rumple at 1:29 PM on June 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
"On rewatching, I'm amazed at how relatively calm the cat is after the first moment of distress. "
If the humans aren't freakin out ...
posted by King Sky Prawn at 3:59 PM on June 25, 2015
If the humans aren't freakin out ...
posted by King Sky Prawn at 3:59 PM on June 25, 2015
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I had to skip to the end to make sure they got to the ground okay...
posted by a power-tie-wearing she-capitalist at 11:51 PM on June 21, 2015 [17 favorites]