Airplane

Continuity mistake: When the 747 crashes into the terminal window, the red stripes wrap all the way around the nose of the plane. In the previous shot, the stripes came to a point and ended several feet back. (00:04:00)

Continuity mistake: In one of the first establishing shots of the starring Boeing 707, the tailplane livery would suggest that the aircraft is a real-life Trans World Airlines (TWA) airliner with 'Trans American' and 'TA' merely painted on. However, in nearly all subsequent shots (such as that of the aircraft in the air), the tailplane design is noticeably different - the thick red square is now a thin red stripe instead. Also, a further red stripe now extends upwards over the fuselage just before the tailplane. (00:08:05 - 00:14:00)

Continuity mistake: The plane we see at the end dragging on the ground and taking off is a 707. 707's have four engines: two on each wing. However, the plane we see in the air is a 727. 727's have three engines: one on each side of the rear fuselage and one on the vertical stabilizer. (00:08:10 - 00:27:10)

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Suggested correction: The exterior shots are all of a 707 (2 engines on each wing) until the very end of a movie. After Otto and his wife take off again, a 727 is flying away, but only that once.

Airplane mistake picture

Continuity mistake: On the beach, Elaine's hair is semi-wet and fluffy on close shots but soaked and straight in wide ones, and Striker's hair changes to soaked and messy, with two bits of hair sticking out, to wet but not messy. (00:23:50)

Sacha

Airplane mistake picture

Continuity mistake: During the kissing on the beach, the seaweed on Striker's body and the lobster behind Elaine disappear when the second wave comes. (00:24:35)

Sacha

Continuity mistake: From the back of the plane, the sick girl's plastic tube is hanging from the right side of the plane, in close shots it is right at the middle of her seat. (00:31:10)

Sacha

Airplane mistake picture

Continuity mistake: After you see all the newspapers talking about the plane, and when you see the drummer on TV who speaks by drum tones, when the drums are handed to him the ends of the sticks are round, but when he looks to HIS left, after the camera changes position, they're not round anymore. (01:04:45)

tylerasktaylorsteckleralexdenny

Continuity mistake: Striker tells Elaine to say the landing gear is down. The first exterior shot after that, the plane is shown without the landing gear down, after that it is. (01:15:20 - 01:16:20)

Airplane mistake picture

Continuity mistake: After the landing, Striker has big sweat stains under his arms and over his chest - but when he leaves the cockpit, his back is completely dry. (01:17:31 - 01:17:59)

Continuity mistake: Ted and Elaine embrace at the very end as the camera moves around them. You can see the wheels on the plane. Seconds later as Otto takes off with it, the plane has no wheels.

manthabeat

Continuity mistake: At the end when Elaine and Ted are standing on the runway kissing, the first shot of their plane can be seen in the background and it appears to be up off the runway on its landing gear, not lying flat on its belly. When Otto starts the engines to take off and the camera focuses back on the plane, the plane is back on it's belly like it was when it landed.

Hawk

Continuity mistake: In the scenes on the plane, the camera angle showing the seats down the left side (on the plane's right side) change from 3 seats to 2 seats, then back again. This is evident because the 2 black passengers who speak 'Jive" are seen in their seats with both 3 and 2, and not because it goes from Coach to First Class.

Hawk

Continuity mistake: When the doctor comes back to talk to Striker, you first see the man's shadow on the wall. It doesn't have an arm out. When the angle changes, you see the man's arm on the corner of the wall.

Movie Nut

More mistakes in Airplane

Ted Striker: Surely you can't be serious.
Rumack: I am serious, and don't call me Shirley.

More quotes from Airplane
Airplane trivia picture

Trivia: Towards the end of the credits, there is a paragraph that states "Unauthorized duplication, distribution, or exhibition may result in civil liability and criminal prosecution. SO THERE." (01:27:05)

Jackie Menechino

More trivia for Airplane

Question: When Over's wife gets the call about her husband's plane having problems, there is a horse in bed with her and she tells the horse to let himself out. This is the only joke in the movie I didn't understand. Is there anybody out there who got the joke and can help me understand it?

Answer: This is a reference to The Godfather, where a character being intimidated by the Mafia wakes up with his prize racehorse's severed head next to him on the bed. For comedy purposes this is twisted by the movie as an implied sexual relationship, when the horse is revealed to be alive.

Answer: This is an inside joke that Mrs. Over is cheating on her husband with a horse.

More questions & answers from Airplane

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