Joey Hammen: Wait a minute. I know you. You're Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. You play basketball for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Roger Murdock: I'm sorry, son, but you must have me confused with someone else. My name is Roger Murdock. I'm the co-pilot.
Joey: You are Kareem. I've seen you play. My dad's got season tickets.
Roger: I think you should go back to your seat now, Joey. Right, Clarence?
Clarence Oveur: No, he's not bothering anyone. Let him stay here.
Roger: All right, but just remember, my name is Roger Murdock. I'm an airline pilot.
Joey: I think you're the greatest. But my dad says you don't work hard enough on defense. And he says that lots of times, you don't even run downcourt. And that you don't really try except during the playoffs.
Roger: The hell I don't! Listen, kid. I've been hearing that crap ever since I was at ULCA. I'm out there busting my buns every night. Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes.
Rex Kramer: All right, I'll need three men up at the tower. You, Neubauer. You, Macias.
Johnny: Me, John, big tree!
Elaine Dickinson: Would you like something to read?
Hanging Lady: Do you have anything light?
Elaine Dickinson: How about this leaflet, "Famous Jewish Sports Legends?"
Elaine: You got a letter from headquarters this morning.
Ted Striker: What is it?
Elaine: It's a big building where generals meet, but that's not important.
Dr. Rumack: You'd better tell the captain we've got to land as soon as we can. This woman has to be gotten to a hospital.
Elaine: A hospital? What is it?
Dr. Rumack: It's a big building with patients, but that's not important right now.
Stewardess Randy: Excuse me sir, there has been a little problem in the cockpit...
Ted Striker: The cockpit? What is it?
Randy: It's the little room in front of the plane where the pilot's in, but that's not important right now.
Old woman: Nervous?
Ted Striker: Yes.
Old woman: First time?
Ted Striker: No, I've been nervous lots of times.
Controller: I know but this guy has no flying experience at all. He's a menace to himself and everything else in the air... Yes, birds too.
Rex Kramer: [talking to the airport control tower.] No, we can't do that, the risk of a flame-out is too great. Keep 'em at 24,000. No, feet.
Dr. Rumack: I just want to tell you both good luck. We're all counting on you.
Ted Striker: It was a rough place - the seediest dive on the wharf. Populated with every reject and cutthroat from Bombay to Calcutta. It's worse than Detroit.
Hanging Lady: No wonder you're upset. She's lovely. And a darling figure... Supple, pouting breasts... Firm thighs. It's a shame you two don't get along.
Rumack: Elaine, you're a member of this crew. Can you face some unpleasant facts?
Elaine Dickinson: No.
Ted Striker: Because of my mistake, six men didn't return from that raid.
Elaine Dickinson: Seven. Lieutenant Zip died this morning.
Roger: We have clearance, Clarence.
Clarence: Roger, Roger.
Rex Kramer: Striker, listen, and you listen close: flying a plane is no different than riding a bicycle, just a lot harder to put baseball cards in the spokes.
Ted Striker: Surely there must be something we can do about it.
Dr. Rumack: There is something we can do about it. And please, stop calling me Shirley.
Rumack: The life of everyone on board depends upon just one thing: finding someone back there who can not only fly this plane, but who didn't have fish for dinner.
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.