OT- flying 101

[Check Six 2]

How about this for an airlines livery?

 

Kulula Air, a small airline based in South Africa, has recently revamped their planes in a clever new fashion: by painting them bright green and covering them with witty, self-referential labels. On the engines: “Engine #1″ and “Engine #2 (26,000 pounds of thrust).” Near the black box: “black box (which is actually orange).”

 

Their planes used to have funky military paint jobs, but we think you’ll agree that this is an upgrade:

 

 

 

 

Flightstory has the full set of labels, including:

 

• seats (better than taxi seats)
• some windows = kulula fans (the coolest peeps in the world)
• black box (which is actually orange)
• landing gear (comes standard with supa-fly mags)
• back door (no bribery/corruption here)
• tail (featuring an awesome logo)
• loo (or mile-high club initiation chamber)
• rudder (the steering thingy)

 

 

[Olham 164]

Anything to be different, eyh?

Well, it's funny, but the surprise effect will wear off quick, and the green almost hurts.

[Slartibartfast 153]

Okay the Green is horrendous but I quite like the idea I wonder if it comes with an Airliner for Dummies book ???

[FastCargo 412]

I like it!

 

FC

[Bullethead 12]

How about this for an airlines livery?

 

Very interesting. South Africa isn't exactly the place I'd expect to see American slang painted on airliners. Given the gerat difficulty I have understanding most South Africans, I not sure they speak English down there .

 

Anybody else old enough to remember Braniff Airlines? Back in the 60s, they put an end to the "plain plane" (the unpainted silver of the day) and started painting their planes all sorts of solid colors. They favored orange fuselages but had planes in just about every other color. Then in the 70s, they went totally psychodelic. They commissioned famous, weird artists to paint a number of planes--I think Picasso did one, and Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol at least were in their commericals. You can imagine how that looked--all sorts of clashing colors in a mix of jagged and curved blotches. Many other planes were repainted in random "camouflage" of pastel pinks, oranges, yellows, and green, having in common only the then-current hippy-style "peace dove" on the tail, although the color if it often varied. Anyway, you could tell it was a Braniff plane just from the weird colors even if you couldn't read the logo.

 

The stewardesses all wore either hippy-inspired or space cadet-type uniforms, usually none of them looking alike on the same plane. Their whole program seemed to be party-oriented. I think some of the "Naughty Stewardesses" movies of the time were inspired by Braniff.

 

YouTube's got a collection of old Braniff commercials: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=braniff+commercial&search_type=&aq=f. They even have may favorite, "The Air Strip", which shows off some stewardess fashion from before they went totally weird:

 

BTW, me ol' gray-haired mother was a Delta stewardess back in the 50s. She was absolutely horrified by the Braniff stewardesses

[JimAttrill 24]

Very interesting. South Africa isn't exactly the place I'd expect to see American slang painted on airliners. Given the gerat difficulty I have understanding most South Africans, I not sure they speak English down there

 

Don't you mean 'Seffricans'?

 

Kulula is a subsidiary of Comair, which is owned by British Airways. I often fly with them if I can as Lanseria is very close to me, and they are cheap - buy your sandwiches on board, etc. They used to have only two 737s, one green and the other white. I like the new livery. I think most pax will find it most informative.

 

 

I do remember the Braniff colour schemes - they were the first to have every aircraft a different colour.

[Bullethead 12]

Don't you mean 'Seffricans'?

 

Is that what you all call yourselves, or is that your language?

 

Funny story. Shortly after 9/11, we got advised by DHS that terrorists might try to join our fire department as volunteers, so they could use one of our trucks as a secondary bomb to take out responders at an on-going incident. Not 2 days later, I got a phone call from a guy wanting volunteer, and he sounded like he had a very thick Arabic accent which I could barely understand. So I had the cops check him out. He turned out merely to be a South African .

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

Love it

[JimAttrill 24]

How to speak Seffrican:

 

Your definitive Saffa Slang Resource! Each letter of the alphabet gets three slang words, struesbob!

 

Ag: is ‘Oh no!’, as in ‘Ag no man, how can it be raining again.

 

Aita: is a greeting, as in ‘Aita bru, I reckon we hit Camden market today.’

 

Arvie: means ‘afternoon’ as in ‘I reckon I’m going to chill in the common this arvie dude.’

 

Babalas: means hangover, as in ‘Yissie that Dutch beer gave me a babalas today.’

 

Biscuit: commends someone, as in ‘Go Hamilton you biscuit! Go!’

 

Boet/Bru: means friend, as in ‘I would dig to have a beer with you, my bru.’

 

Chips: is a warning, as in ‘Chips for that siren oke! That’s when the cops come!’

 

China: is your friend, as in ‘My china why haven’t you hooked up the speakers yet?’ [originally Cockney rhyming slang 'china plate = mate']

 

 

Chookie: is jail, as in ‘He didn’t chips for the siren, and now he’s in chookie.’

 

Dop: is a drink, as in ‘I’ve heard there is cheap dop at that off license.’

 

Donner: is to punch or hit, as in ‘If those chavs don’t stop making noise I’m going to donner them!’

 

Dwaal: means dizzy, as in ‘This muggy London heat leaves me in a dwaal.’

 

Eish: is an exclamation as in ‘Eish! I thought I saw David Beckham for real today!’

 

Eina: means pain, as in ‘Eina man! Stop kicking that football at me!’

 

Ek se: means ‘I say’, as in ‘Let’s go out on the London town tonight, ek se.’

 

Fully: is an affirmation, as in ‘That DJ’s set was fully wicked my man.’

 

Fanks: is saying thank you, as in ‘Fanks for my birthday present!’

 

Frot: means drunk, as in ‘Why did you get so frot and pee against the wall last night?’

 

Goof: means to swim, as in ‘Let’s go take a quick goof at Wimbledon park.’

 

Goose: is one’s girlfriend, as in ‘Last night I took my goose to a movie.’

 

Graft: is one’s work, as in ‘I start new graft tomorrow, wish me luck!’

 

Hectic: is a describing word, as in ‘Yoh but those Snakebites at that club were hectic!’

 

Howzit: is a famous Saffa greeting, as in ‘Howzit! How are you doing?’

 

Hundreds: is an expression, as in ‘I slept in late so I’m feeling hundreds today!’

 

Indaba: is a meeting, as in ‘Have you seen the cool stuff at that art indaba?’

 

Ish: indicates worry, as in ‘Ish, I’m not too sure about this Thames eel pie.’

 

Izit: is an expression of interest, as in ‘Izit? You say I can make biltong at home now?’

 

Jeet: means go, as in ‘I’m tired of this place boet. Let’s jeet!’

 

Jislaaik: means anger or wonder, as in ‘Jislaaik it but the London Eye is tall!’

 

Jol: means party, as in ‘That was one of the best jols I have ever been to!’

 

Kief: means cool, as in ‘That Vernon Koekemoer is one kief oke!’

 

Klap: means hit, as in ‘Do that again and I will klap you my friend.’

 

Kuif: means hair fringe, as in ‘Any less kuif and that’ll look like a mullet china.’

 

Larney: means fancy, as in ‘Last night we went to this larney jol.’

 

Lekker: means nice, as in ‘I am having a lekker time in London!’

 

Legend: is a compliment, as in ‘You my dear sir, are a legend.’

 

Mal: means crazy, as in ‘I wouldn’t mess with those football yobs, those okes are mal.’

 

Mif: means unpleasant, as in ‘China your room smells as mif as my grandma’s socks.’

 

Moegoe: means a twit, as in ‘That Mugabe is a real moegoe don’t you think?’

 

Naff: means wimpy, as in ‘That is a naff shirt you are wearing.’

 

Naught: means bum, as in ‘I came short and fell on my nought. It hurts now.’

 

Nooit: means no, as in ‘Nooit bru, I will always be a Liverpool supporter.’

 

Oke: means guy, as in ‘Did you see that weird oke on the Tube?’

 

On a mission: indicates action, as in ‘That oke is always on some kind of mission.’

 

Ou ballie: is an older man, as in ‘Boet if you don’t turn it down, that ou ballie is going to klap you.’

 

Park off: means to chill out, as in ‘Can’t we just park off at this restaurant a little bit longer?’

 

Poepol: is an insult, as in ‘That bouncer is a real poepol, I’m not even drunk yet!’

 

Porzie: is someone’s house, as in ‘Can’t we just chill at your porzie for the afternoon?’

 

Shot: means thank you, as in ‘Shot for the heads up mate, I’ll take the District line instead.’

 

Sif/Sis: denotes unpleasantness, as in ‘Sis man! Get your face off that toilet seat!’

 

Struesbob: means the truth, as in ‘I saw Cheryl Cole naked today, struesbob!’

 

Trap: means to walk, as in ‘Let’s take a trap down to Notting Hill.’

 

Tune: means to engage in conversation, as in ‘I’m going to go tune that oke about a job.’

 

Twak: means tobacco, as in ‘Can I bum some of that twak off you please?’

 

Vaai: means to leave, as in ‘Let’s just finish these beers and vaai.’

 

Vloek: is to swear, as in ‘I’m going to vloek that oke just now, bru.’

 

Voetsek:is to chase something away, ‘Voetsek you doves, voetsek!’

 

Wettie: is a cold drink, as in ‘Yoh, it’s hot, I need a wettie right now!’

 

What what: means something, as in ‘That guy tuned me what what but I didn’t understand!’

 

Windgat: means speed freak, as in ‘Gee, that old lady on the electric wheelchair is a real windgat!’

 

Yinnah: means wow, as in ‘Yinnah it’s a hot day today!’Yoh is said in amazement, as in ‘Yoh, yoh, yoh! That is one fine-looking lady!

 

Yowza is also said in amazement, as in ‘Yowza that Ferrari is lekker.’

 

Zol: is marijuana, as in ‘I don’t like people who smoke zol on Sundays.

 

Zonked: means drunk, as in ‘That guy was so zonked on Saturday, it was quite funny.’

 

Zippit: means keep it down, as in ‘I told you to zippit!’

 

 

 

So there you have it. A mere drop in the ocean of South African culture, language and expression.

 

 

 

[Bullethead 12]

So there you have it. A mere drop in the ocean of South African culture, language and expression.

 

Yinnah! Shot for the chips on that, Boet. Jislaaik, how did OFF ever happen with Winder tuning like this at the indabas? Ek se, it must have made the rest of the team dwaal.

 

You should write stuff in the "Reports from the Front" thread this way