Line #66 Main/LookMaNoPlane


1	[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/TheRocketeer https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/r_russ_heath.gif]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Not pictured: [[RequiredSecondaryPowers time spent shopping for]] [[ToastedBuns fireproof pants]].]]
3
4	->'''Steve Rogers:''' I thought you said you were a pilot.\
5	'''Sam Wilson:''' I never said pilot.
6	-->-- ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier''
7
8	Out of all of the world's ImprobablePilotingSkills, the most improbable of all is the ability to fly ''without a plane''.
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10	It has been shown in movies again and again that anyone who can fly in an unusual way (whether it be a superpower or just some nifty invention) will fly very close to passenger aircraft, which will either A) annoy those on the plane or B) scare the crap out of those on the plane. Sometimes they'll only be seen by ''one'' passenger; usually either a kid who [[NotNowKiddo tries in vain to get his parents to look]], or a lone alcoholic who [[NoMoreForMe stares bemusedly at his miniature of Scotch]].
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12	A variation is that, if it is a military aircraft instead of a jetliner, the pilot is likely to demand identification and/or [[TriggerHappy attack]].
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14	Probably every flying superhero has done it at least once. Female ones occasionally blow kisses at or otherwise flirt with the pilots. Be careful of [[TurbineBlender the plane's engines]], though.
15	----
16	!!Examples:
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18	[[foldercontrol]]
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20	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
21	* ''Manga/PsychicSquad'':
22	** Fujiko is riding on a plane, when she suddenly sees her friendly enemy Kyousuke (who has both telekinetic and teleporting powers) flying beside the plane window, just to have a little telepathic chat with her. This infuriates her. A mild subversion since he shows himself ''only to her'', hypnotically hiding his presence from other passengers.
23	** In Kyousuke's back-story arc, there is a scene where a fighter pilot gets first confused and then annoyed by two (friendly) [[PsychicPowers ESPers]], one of them with telekinetic and the other with teleporting ability, showing up on both wings of his plane, to demonstrate him what an [=ESPer=] can do in a battle situation. (And to prepare him psychologically for the upcoming practice battle with little Kyousuke.)
24	[[/folder]]
25
26	[[folder:Comic Books]]
27	* In ''ComicBook/PS238'', Captain Clarinet starts out with a pathological fear of flying, due to having repeated nightmares of being [[TurbineBlender sucked into a jet-engine]]. It doesn't particularly improve matters when Zodon "helpfully" reminds him that his invulnerability ensures that, should that happen, he'd come out on the other side unscathed... while the plane plummets to the ground in flames with the passengers aboard.... And then Zodon plays a "practical joke" on him that results in it happening in real life. However, it means the good captain is forced to use his flight to put the damaged plane down safely, which ends up curing the good captain of his phobia instead of compounding it.
28	* In the comic ''ComicBook/{{Lucifer}}'', the imp Gaudium uses this technique to get from London to New York. To be fair, Gaudium's wings are shorter than his arms and his best flying speed is only a bit faster than a human can walk, so hitching a ride on a commercial jet is ''practical''.
29	* ComicBook/SpiderMan swings by helicopters all the time. In the game of the second movie, you end up chasing one... if you go too close to the rotors, exactly what you'd expect happens.
30	* ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'':
31	** In "ComicBook/SupergirlsSuperPet", an airliner pilot informs the control tower that he is seeing a caped cat flying by when Streaky overtakes his plane.
32	** ''ComicBook/SupergirlWednesdayComics'': When an airliner pilot asks why the radar is picking up a foreign object on the back wing, the stewardess informs that -believe it or not-, it is a flying cat who is about to tear the fin off.
33	* ''ComicBook/XMen'': In the 80's comics, Rogue buzzes UsefulNotes/AirForceOne and gives UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan a thrill. She does it again in the first issue of her limited series, this time planting a kiss on one of two fighter jets.
34	* Inverted in ''ComicBook/{{Miracleman}}'', where the title hero (who can fly) takes a plane in his superhero form to meet his enemy Emil Gargunza in Argentina.
35	* ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'': A 70's comic has the title heroes engaged in a battle against ComicBook/{{Thanos}}'s starfleet. The heroes are flying around in small ships, but Thor is flying around smashing apart enemy ships under his own power.
36	* ''ComicBook/{{Bamse}}'': When Skalman's [[CoolAirship balloon]] outperforms a passenger jetplane, the pilot and co-pilot wonder why they are having the same hallucination.
37	* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: In her second appearance Byrna Brilyant/Snowman uses her PoweredArmor to encase the robot plane in "blue snow" directly.
38	* In the first ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' comic, ComicBook/IronMan is flying close to passenger jets, asking the pilots if any of them have seen ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk.
39	[[/folder]]
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41	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
42	* In one ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' storyline, Calvin thinks a motorized propeller beanie will let him fly, complete with fantasy sequence where he waves at a plane. Another Sunday fantasy has his parents letting him drive the car, and he drives so fast he breaks the speedometer, goes airborne and ''passes'' a jet.
43	* Inverted in ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'': a flock of geese are keeping pace with a passenger jet, and one looks over and sees another goose riding in comfort in the plane, making faces at the others through the window.
44	[[/folder]]
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46	[[folder:Fan Works]]
47	* In ''Fanfic/ThePriceOfFlight'', the Ankh-Morpork City Air Watch comprises four (later five) different classes of aviator. There are Feegle on trained birds of prey. There are flying carpets piloted by Ankh-Morpork based Klatchians. There are Witches operating a variety of broomsticks. A smaller élite group who each have a {{Pegasus}}. But all four of these still require an Air Vehicle of some sort to get them up there. Except, that is, for two Watch members who muster alongside the Air Watch. Sally von Humpeding, code-named ''Fledermaus'', is a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Vampire]]. And Watch cadet Bridget O'Hellion is a [[OurBansheesAreLouder Banshee]]. Both can get into the air without assistance and each is entitled to shout "Look! no broomstick!" once up there.
48	[[/folder]]
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50	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
51	* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'': As part of Edna Mode's rant against the dangers of a CapeSnag, she mentions the airborne heroine Stratogale, who invoked this trope only to be [[TurbineBlender sucked into the plane's turbine]].
52	[[/folder]]
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54	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
55	* In the second ''Film/FantasticFour2005'' movie, the Human Torch flies next to the plane in which the rest of the Fantastic Four is flying, annoying the Thing. Yes, you read that right, the Fantastic Four were flying on an ordinary, mundane plane. Johnny had told them, "I don't fly coach."
56	* In ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'', Superman does this with UsefulNotes/AirForceOne, to save it from crashing.
57	* ''Film/IronMan1'' is an example of the "fight military aircraft" portion of the trope. And it is awesome. Though actually, Tony unknowingly invaded USAF controlled airspace. When Rhodey tries to contact him, he at first lies that he's "driving with the top down", but then admits to be flying in a rocket-powered suit of armor so his men won't shoot him out of the sky.
58	%%* A common sight in [[{{Kaiju}} daikaiju]] movies with flying creatures.
59	* ''Film/TheRocketeer'' did this. It would have looked cooler if he wasn't [[HowDoIShotWeb still figuring it out]] and shut off the jetpack by accidentally hitting his throttle button (indicated by an audible "buzz") on his helmet when he attempts a patriotic salute.
60	* There's a hilarious bit at the end of ''Film/{{Flubber}}'' using the little boy RunningGag that has been going through the whole movie.
61	* During the climax of ''Film/AddamsFamilyValues'', the baby somehow gets catapulted high enough to come eye-to-eye with a commuter plane... specifically, the one that's currently flying the AlphaBitch and her family home from the disaster that was summer camp.
62	[[/folder]]
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64	[[folder:Literature]]
65	* Arthur and Fenchurch in ''Literature/SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish''. They took a somewhat inventive approach to joining the MileHighClub.
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68	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
69	* Subverted in the first episode of ''Series/TheBoys2019''. A child who's a fan of superhero Homelander is delighted to see him flying next to their private jet. Homelander then activates his heat vision, destroying the plane and killing everyone inside.
70	* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'' episode "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS5E123NightmareAt20000Feet Nightmare at 20,000 Feet]]" starring Creator/WilliamShatner is the ultimate "scared passenger" example, and one of the few that can be said to be evil. This example also is true for TheMovie. A remake of this episode used Creator/JohnLithgow as Shatner's character. ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'' worked in a double ShoutOut when one episode had Dick Solomon (Lithgow) claiming to see something on the wing of the plane, and a later one has the previously-only-mentioned Big Giant Head (Shatner, [[LargeHam of course]]) gets off the plane drunk, saying the same thing (with Dick excitedly saying "That happened to me too!") and explaining that the crew gave him liquor to calm him down. According to Shatner himself, his children would ask him to try this with cabin crew on RealLife flights. Mostly, the crews found this amusing.
71	* ''Series/TheMandalorian'' sees the members of the title character's tribe rescue him and the Child from bounty hunters. As the Mandalorian makes his escape, he looks out the cockpit window as one of his fellow Mandalorians [[JetPack flies alongside his ship]] and gives him a farewell salute. The Mandalorian turns back to the ship's controls and remarks, "I gotta get me one of those."
72	[[/folder]]
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74	[[folder:Video Games]]
75	* In ''VideoGame/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'', Harry and Ron nearly collide with a jumbo jet when flying Arthur Weasley's Ford Anglia to Hogwarts.
76	[[/folder]]
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78	[[folder:Western Animation]]
79	* In ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'', Rogue once sat on the wing of a plane when she needed to think, and didn't notice the passengers freaking out.
80	* WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom has phased through at least one plane.
81	* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'': Plane Transfomers have been getting steadily closer to real planes. Usually fighter jets, and there's sometimes a misunderstanding. (Or it's a Decepticon, in which case, they're right to shoot, but it [[ImmuneToBullets tends to do them little good.]])
82	* ''WesternAnimation/DastardlyAndMuttleyInTheirFlyingMachines'': Muttley is able to use his tail as a propellor after the Vulture Squadron screws up another mission to catch Yankee Doodle Pigeon and crashes out their planes.
83	* Played with in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' where two rich passengers on a jet see Launchpad and Scrooge seemingly flying without a plane [[spoiler:(They're actually flying a jet that can turn invisible, but they aren't wearing one of the suits that turn them invisible too, so they're still visible.)]] and simply assume that they're flying on one of those "no-frills airlines."
84	[[/folder]]
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86	[[folder:Real Life]]
87	* A [[https://www.jetman.com/en Dubai-based jetpack company]] has flown their jetpacks in coordination with the French Air Force [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNaZCDhvh88 for a publicity stunt.]] The same company also did a similar flight with the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VPvKl6ezyc Emirates airliner company.]]
88	[[/folder]]
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