Silly harmless pranks.

[oldtimer]

I started to watch a reality TV program that was supposed to be about jetliners. It was a dumb thing starring a young "TV star" who knew nothing about airplanes except what was fed to him by a script. The usual dumb TV shit.
First task was to do an Air Canada flight attendant safety briefing and then fly an Air Canada sim.
The funniest part was when the (real) AC flight attendent had him do a safety briefing. She then sent him to the cabin to close all the overhead bins. THEN CAME THE ICING ON THE CAKE.
This (real)flight attendent, with a completly straight face, had him go to the rear of the cabin collect an sample of the air in the back of the cabin using a puke bag. The captain needed a sample to test the oxygen content for safety sake. Funny.
Got me thinking, which is always dangerous, but how many people can recall and enlighten us with harmless pranks pulled on newcomers?
Like sending a new apprentice mechanic or rampie out for a bucket of steam, or a pail of prop wash, or a left handed monkey wrench. Must be a bunch of them, involving Herman Nelson, Al Timeter and others.
Love to hear them for a chuckle.

[Shiny Side Up]

The best part is when they come back with their sample ask them "Did you run with this?" you shake your head in dismay and tell them they have to be more careful transporting it, this sample is ruined go get another. When they come back a second time you tell them the sample isn't fresh enough, they got to move faster for the next one.

[hst]

Always tried to have fun with the newbie F/A's and F/O's (probably because it was part of my indoc.) Unfortunately it's not possible at my present employer (language).

The air sample never worked after the chief of FA's warned all during initial G/S but I was undeterred:

Had F/O request flightline and vortex generator oil on arrival. When we returned from a coffee run the control column, throttles etc were tied off with rope thick enough to tow a 747. The can of vortex generator oil (WD 40 cleverly disguised) was a nice touch.

My favourite was getting the rookie F/A to flush the back right lav to get the right gear to extend. The look of accomplishment on her face was something I'll never forget...her reaction after realizing she had been duped I'd rather forget.

[Shadowfax]

You only get to play this one twice a year so use it wisely (except in Skatchwan )

Get the newby to adjust all the clocks to compensate for DST. Your clocks have to be on UCT of course...(did I really need to explain that??)

[lownslow]

I remember a dead calm morning when an instructor pointed to a limp wind sock on the far side of the field and told his student to go plug it in. The student jogs across the airport, stands scratching his head for a while, bends down and does something then jogs back triumphantly. The instructor, realizing that the wind sock on an otherwise unlit aerodrome is now lit up at 8am, says with a straight face, "I told you to make sure it was unplugged. Go unplug it."

LnS.

[mbav8r]

Getting new F/A to go back to about row 6 and jump up and down because the gear is stuck and won't come down, seriously funny.
This one happened by accident, sitting at some airport in Northern nowhere, asked the brand new F/O to go and sweep the props. While standing there talking to another pilot, I hear this strange sound coming from behind me, the kind of sound straw makes on metal, I was laughing so hard I couldn't explain to him I meant the area underneath the props. That also explained the look on his face when I initially asked him to sweep the props. After that I would try to get all the new F/Os with that one, but I don't think any fell for it, just a once in a lifetime thing maybe.

[Airtids]

Send the FNG up into the cockpit to test out the "ground hailer"- you know, the funnel and tube found just under the Captains seat (Johnny tube). Lay under the plane and when he shouts into it, shout back "We can sort of hear you down here, but you need to be really loud, and you've gotta get your mouth really close to the microphone"! Grown men laying on the hangar floor giggling their a$$es off. I'm not sure which one was funnier!

[rigpiggy]

wake the captain out of a nap, by tripping both engine fire tests, screaming "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE" which of course is true eventually, or depending on the captain in th e next 5 minutes

[slowstream]

After a hard landing I had our CSR call up the tower and tell them to turn down the magnets on the touchdown markers.

I know I will have to answer for that one some day (lol).

[Edelweiss air]

Telling the new apprentice to go get the keys for the PA44.....

[Siddley Hawker]

Sending an apprentice up into the tower on the PBY with a grease gun to grease the flap jacks.

[Koopa]

Sim trick: Transponder code with an 8 in it.

People will rotate the dial uselessly for up to 30 seconds before asking aloud, "Where the **** is the 8?!"

[Bones]

I switched a guy's solder with lockwire one time.
He's probably still sitting there waiting for it to flow.

[The Weasel]

With a new receptionist in the hangar, in her first couple days on the job phone the main line and get her to page Mr Herman Nelson, Mr David Clark, or Mr Norman Wells.

[The Weasel]

An AME once went on vacation. He came back to find his tools were neatly and individually wrapped and taped in newspaper, like christmas presents. Each wrench, each socket, everything...It was labour intensive, but worth it!

Had a parts shipment arrive with an unusually large volume of styrofoam packing peanuts. Figured that there's gotta be something we can do with these things...Carefully filled up a co-workers locker with them. He wasn't so happy when he opened his locker door. Worth a good laugh though.

[iflyforpie]

Sniping people with grease with needle tipped pneumatic grease guns (can't feel it, until you touch it with your hands).

All the old 'mag drop', 'prop wash', 'flight line', 'compass swing', apprenti tricks.

Hitting the over speed alarm test from the jumpseat to wake up sleepy pilots.

Not necessarily a prank, but it sure is funny getting apprentices to put their lips on the pitot tube of electric gear Mooney's to activate the airspeed switch by blowing.

I switched a guy's solder with lockwire one time.
He's probably still sitting there waiting for it to flow.

Switching a tungsten welding electrode with aluminum rod. High freqs on.... POOOOF!!

[lost in the north]

We had a cocky co worker,snuck into his room and rubbed insulation on them.....he couldn't figure out why he was so itchy

[MZUNGO]

I sent a rather large and dead rhinoceros beetle back to canada with some parts from congo. aparently the guy that opened the box screamed like a little girl. he took it well though, it was sitting on the top of his computer like a trophy the next time i went into stores

[Johnny#5]

One flight it was my FO's leg and while on the backtrack I diverted his attention and put the control lock back in....you should have seen him try and pull that thing off the ground!!!! Pure hilarity!

[into the blue]

One flight it was my FO's leg and while on the backtrack I diverted his attention and put the control lock back in....you should have seen him try and pull that thing off the ground!!!! Pure hilarity!

What?

[Siddley Hawker]

Our hangar was 120' x 120' and when it was empty the acoustics were great. One day the F-27 was out and we had a trip with the Gulfstream, so it was pretty well empty, just the Beaver. I was driving the G-string and the dispatcher called the flight. Two seconds after he finished the announcement and the pax were crossing the hangar floor to go out on the ramp, I was overcome with a terrible urge to pass wind. I grabbed the PA mike and let rip. A thundersprake! It was freaking awesome to hear, what with the echos and all. The guys boarding the Gulfstream were bent over with tears pouring down their cheeks, holding their sides. Some of 'em were still snickering when we landed in Wabush.

....you should have seen him try and pull that thing off the ground!!!! Pure hilarity!

Them kinda pranks could ensure there won't be a Johnny#6

[snoopy]

Got an oldtimer with this one...

In examining the journey log following an engine change on the Beech 18 I had been flying, I noticed the engineer had incorrectly assigned the serial number and engine change details to the right engine, instead of the left - which was the one they had been working on for several days. There was intense pressure to get the aircraft operational and the task hadn't gone smoothly so people were understandably on edge. I pulled the straightest face I could muster and charged into the DOM's office exclaiming "OMG this is a nightmare! Your guys have pulled the wrong engine! I can't believe this is happening!" The DOM, who had been preoccupied with other things, and not following the engine change too closely, leaped out of his chair in horror, grabbed the logbook and after checking the entry, exploded out the door in a panic - cursing and swearing as he left. We all had a good laugh over that one.

Cheers,
Kirsten B.

[Doc]

I had the lady at the CVG terminal page Mike Hunt, several times before she turned red and slinked off the scene.
Sent a chap to the hangar for a bucket of prop wash more than once.

[flyalmaguin]

Watched a new apprentice get sent to another company's hangar for a "tool" called a "long-stand".

Once gone, they called over to the other company to "set the stage". The other company then had the poor apprentice wait in the lobby for 30 minutes, someone different always asking him every 5 minutes what he was waiting for.

Eventually someone came clean and told him > you've been "stand"ing there "long" enough < and sent him on his way.

I got caught looking in the floatplane hanger for the keys to the crash-boat oar-locks. I laughed good at myself that day.

Box of steam for the steamer always works.

The captain on a Royal Airlines flight I worked told a new FA to feed his dogs which travel with him. She asked where they are, he told her in the forward avionics bay of the L1011. Even opened the floor hatch down to the hell-hole for her, down she went, looking for the dogs.

[Youngback]

Sent a guy to the sheet metal department to get a left handed rivet stretcher. Sheet metal guys had a laugh and sent him to the tool department to get it off the tool board. I guess being a bit proactive, he came back with a copy of every hand tool they had on the board asking us which it was.