History Main / UpUpAndAway

* There is a DisneyChannel Original Movie [[Film/UpUpAndAway with this title]], about a family of African-American superheroes. Those who can fly generally assume this position.

* Sanae in ''[[VideoGame/{{Touhou}} Touhou]]'', and only rarely. Notable because in a series with over a hundred flying characters, nobody else seems to do it. Oddly justified since she is one of the few who'd [[Main/OtakuSurrogate know the trope.]].

* Makuta performs a villainous example in one of the ''Franchise/{{Bionicle}}'' comics, as he blasts off into space in Mata Nui's HumongousMecha body.

* There is a DisneyChannel Original Movie with this title, about a family of African-American superheroes. Those who can fly generally assume this position.

-->--'''Hogarth Hughes''', ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant''

* ''Film/ManOfSteel'' is the adaptation that really gives you the sense that Superman doesn't do this just because, but he does it because it ''helps him.'' He actively flies in this pose almost every time he needs to really pick up speed. It also seems to help him guide his flight path as well as stabilized his flight similar to a rudder. Since in this movie Superman flys evidently by some sort of gravity/telekinesis field, its possible that the outstretch arms help keep this "field" stable.

* The ''Franchise/DragonBall'' series have flying poses of all kinds: hands extended (curled into fists or kept straight), hands back, one hand stretched, etc.

->''"[[InvokedTrope Put your arms forward]], like Franchise/{{Superman}}!"''

* Averted in much of ''Film/TheMatrix'' film trilogy, as [[spoiler: Neo generally "does his Superman thing" with arms to his side.]] Later, in ''The Matrix Revolutions'', [[spoiler: Neo and Smith exchange their flight poses to meet the need for fighting.]]

* When otherwise ''hurtling face-first through the air'', under your own volition or not, protecting your face with your arms is a good general precaution.

* When ''hurtling face-first through the air'', under your own volition or not, it makes perfect sense to keep your arms up in front of your face.

** Golden and early Silver Age Superman artist Wayne Boring's flight style for Superman was quite unique: he would draw flight scenes with Superman standing completely upright and in a running/jogging pose.

->''"[[InvokedTrope Put your arms forward]], like Franchise/{{Superman}}"''

* ''Film/ManOfSteel'' is the adaptation that really gives you the sense that Superman doesn't do this just because, but he does it because it ''helps him.'' He actively flies in this pose almost every time he needs to really pick up speed. It also seems to help him guide his flight path.

* Parodied in ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'': when an operative uses the GrapplingHook to reach a higher ground, they sometimes quip "Up, up, and away!" while being pulled up--with their right hand naturally outstretched, because the hook is built into their PoweredArmor's arm.

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The classic [[{{Flight}} flying]] pose: stretched out, with one or both arms forward [=of/above=] the head. In both cases, this creates the illusion of 'obvious' aerodynamicness, as the resulting shape looks vaguely bullet or gooselike, since the human body tends to look very silly in flight otherwise.

From {{Superman}}'s catch phrase, originated [[Radio/TheAdventuresOfSuperman on radio]] to indicate to the audience when he was taking off, in his earlier cartoons and comics.

* The ''Manga/DragonBall'' series have flying poses of all kinds: hands extended (curled into fists or kept straight), hands back, one hand stretched, etc.

* {{Franchise/Superman}} himself, of course.
** Golden and early Silver Age Superman artist Wayne Boring's flight style for Superman was quite unique: he would draw flight scenes with Superman standing completely upright and in a running/jogging pose.
** Christopher Reeve flew gliders as a hobby and used that experience to make Superman's flying feel more believable in his films.

* Before that Film/TheRocketeer flew the same way, for roughly the same reason (although he lacked the hand-mounted stabilizers).
* In 1984's ''Film/{{Supergirl}}'', director Jeannot Szwarc deliberately tried to avoid making the flight scenes similar to those in the Christopher Reeve Film/{{Superman}} movies, opting instead for a more "feminine" ballet-inspired take.

* There is a DisneyChannel Original Movie with this title, about a family of African-American superheroes. Those who can fly generally assume this position.
* ''Film/ManOfSteel'' is the adaptation that really gives you the sense that Superman doesn't do this just because, but he does it because it ''helps him.'' He actively flies in this pose almost every time he needs to really pick up speed. It also seems to help him guide his flight path.

* DaveBarry wrote about Superman in one of his columns, wondering why Superman always flew in this pose. Why not fly in a sitting position and read a newspaper while you go?

[[AC:{{Live-Action TV}}]]
* The first time in ''TheGreatestAmericanHero'' that Ralph Hinkley tries to use his alien-powered supersuit to fly, a young bystander helpfully explains to him that he has to adapt this pose to get airborne. It works, sort of.
* In a parody sketch on ''SaturdayNightLive'', a superhero was chastised by her SuperTeam for, among other things, failure to assume the "proper" flying position; she flew while standing upright.
* Averted in ''{{Nightman}}'', who uses an anti-gravity belt to fly. He flies in a mostly vertical pose (sometimes at a 45-degree angle).
* The Ninja Megafalconzord from ''MightyMorphinPowerRangers''.
* KamenRiderSkyrider

* ''[[SuperMarioBros Super Mario Galaxy]]''. The flight power from the Red Stars seems to be centered in Mario's hands, and he needs to hold them outward to fly or hover.

* When ''CityOfHeroes'' added flight poses, one was the classical one knee bent, one fist forward UpUpAndAway pose, and another was the both hands forward "high dive" one.
* The characters of ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' typically don't fly in this manner, but in ''VideoGame/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAsPortable: The Gears of Destiny'', the ever flashy LargeHam [[BoisterousBruiser Levi]] once decided to adopt [[http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g386/laith_rem/Extra/snap106.jpg the one arm outstretched]] pose when she joins her fellow [[ArtificialHuman Material]] [[TheSpock Stern]] in her flight [[spoiler:towards a SuicideMission against the [[HumanoidAbomination Unbreakable Darkness]]]].

* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', while Nanase never felt the need to assume this pose while flying, [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2010-10-13 Elliot certainly did.]] It may have had something to do with the SuperHero spell.
* ''Webcomic/AxeCop'' has a variation on this: in order to fly, he has to clench one hand and leave the other open. According to WordOfGod, this is because some superheroes fly with closed hands and some fly with open ones, so Axe Cop does both at once.

* In "Ayla and the Tests" of the WhateleyUniverse, Phase (after a couple months of having powers) is ''still' learning how to fly without having serious steering and angular momentum problems. He gets major grief from some other students because he's seen flying in the 'supergirl' posture.
** In keeping with the series' love for [[LampshadeHanging metahumor]], at one point Generator tries out several different flying poses, including the two-fisted "{{Superman}}" style and the one-arm-forward "{{Supergirl}}" posture.

* Danny from ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' who does it often. The same rule applies to his OppositeSexClone and the BigBad. Not a lot of ghost baddies do this though, must be more of a hero thing.
** Or a half-human thing.
* ''WordGirl'' uses this constantly.
* In ''WesternAnimation/RenAndStimpy'', Powdered Toast Man inverts the trope by flying backwards in the pose. At least once, he did it while ''upright.''
* The title character of ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers'' does this, as shown in the image provided.
* Even though they're miniature winged horses rather than humanoids, pegasus ponies (usually Rainbow Dash) in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' often do this when flying fast.
* In the first ''WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' animated episode, the novice Clark Kent is brought to the future. As he has been keeping everything under wraps, he hasn't flown yet -- but the Legion needs him at full capacity. He spends most of the episode careening about and crashing -- until Brainiac 5 tells him to adopt the traditional pose -- for aerodynamic reasons. It takes him a while to get the hang of it, though. And his own flight ring.
* Peter from ''PeterPanAndThePirates'' would frequently fly forwards, backwards, in a sitting position, sideways, upside-down....as characters go, Peter just loves to show off, in any incarnation!

** Referenced directly in ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant'', where the rocket-powered giant really doesn't have to do this, but Hogarth insists for style purposes.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in ''Film/IronMan'', who keeps his hands back to use his palm-mounted repulsors as flight stabilizers.
* Before that Film/TheRocketeer flew the same way, for roughly the same reason (although he lacked the hand-mounted stabilizers).
* In 1984's ''Film/{{Supergirl}}'', director Jeannot Szwarc deliberately tried to avoid making the flight scenes similar to those in the Christopher Reeve Film/{{Superman}} movies, opting instead for a more "feminine" ballet-inspired take.

* Averted in much of Film/TheMatrix film trilogy, as [[spoiler: Neo generally "does his Superman thing" with arms to his side.]] Later, in ''The Matrix Revolutions'', [[spoiler: Neo and Smith exchange their flight poses to meet the need for fighting.]]

*** Disney's ''Disney/PeterPan'' doesn't give a second thought to aerodynamics, though, and is able to fly backwards, upside down, or while pretending to run on clouds.
*** Similarly, Peter from the [[PeterPanAndThePirates Fox cartoon series]] would frequently fly forwards, backwards, in a sitting position, sideways, upside-down....as characters go, Peter just loves to show off, in any incarnation!