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‘WELCOME TO PERTH’: Rooftop Sign Scares Passengers Flying Into Sydney Airport

Soumis
 
A “welcome to Perth” sign painted on a building rooftop is scaring fliers descending to Sydney airport into thinking they have been flown to the wrong Australian city. The prank was spotted by a passenger coming into land at the country’s busiest airport and shared on Reddit. The building, in the Sydney suburb of Sydenham, is directly on the flight path. The building owner, Brad Heasman, told Australia’s Traveller he has been quietly waiting for someone to notice it since painting it three… (www.independent.co.uk) Plus d'info...

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AeroTwin
Jason Kepler 20
Here at Merrill Field in Anchorage, they filmed part of that Drew Barrymore movie about saving the whales that were trapped under the ice up north back in the 80's. They repainted an old quonset hut hangar to look old and put a "Welcome to Barrow, Alaska" sign on it. When they filmed, they had big green screens all around it to block out Anchorage in the background. I'm not sure why they couldn't have just filmed it in a studio in Hollywood. But the point is that when they left they didn't take down the Welcome to Barrow sign, and it was up for years until the hangar got torn down for a new building a couple years ago. It made me chuckle whenever I taxied by it.

Around the same time, there was a movie about birding with Jack Black and Steve Martin where they were supposedly catching a ride from Merrill out to the Aleutians in a DC-3. They filmed it in some remote runway in the woods of British Columbia and put a "Merrill Field" sign on the one hangar on the gravel strip. I thought it was pretty ironic that one movie filmed at Merrill and tried to make it look like remote Barrow and the other used a remote runway and tried to call it Merrill. At least in the birding movie they used a TransNorthern DC-3 from Anchorage.
Quirkyfrog
Robert Cowling 11
There was a roadside gas station and snack bar near where my sister lived. It was on a 'spur' that was abandoned decades ago, and it's actually been decades since this happened, but there was a movie looking for 'the perfect site' to have a gas station/soda shop. The production company came around looking. Checked out other neighboring buildings, and decided that was the only place worth filming there. So they came in, spent over 6 months rebuilding, and aging the building and the surrounding area. They planted trees, redid the road shoulder, and fed a ton of money into the local economy. Then the 'cattle calls' came, and they hired hundreds of locals to be 'town folk', and some got to drive period cars by the gas station during filming. It was a huge deal around there. People were openly trying to get their crews to stop at their place to eat, and hotel to stay.

Then they all left, this was before filming. They came back, hundreds of semi trucks, and what appeared to be thousands of crew, they did some last minute grooming of the site, and the surrounding area. Called all the extras, rejected half of them, filmed for just about a day, and they all left. Everything was left 'as is'. The production company had bought the property, and another production came through and filmed a huge disaster there, and burned the whole thing to the ground freaking out residents. No one expected that end. They actually loved the new building, that was a mess inside, and some tried to buy it, and restore the inside and make it a local museum.

And now the site is a ditch, with some burned out wreckage. It was still a memorable experience for many there, but I doubt that they would welcome HollyWeird in the future...
mattmakar
Matt Makar 15
After we had touched down on a flight from Calgary to Toronto years ago on our Calgary based airline, the attendant came on and said “Welcome to *pause* the Center of the Universe..”. I broke up laughing but no one around me did. “Oh, you guys are from Toronto hey?”
RHLussier
I like it...

However, the actual center of the universe is 42.3467° N, 71.0972° W
malbarda
Maarten Albarda 13
Reminds me of KLM, who for years had the roof of Brentford Stadium in London, conveniently located on the flight path very close to Heathrow. The roof was painted royal blue, with big white letters saying "Next time, Fly KLM". BA tried for years to buy out the contract but had no success.
patpylot
patrick baker 1
BOAC, and latter British Airways have the award for thinnest skin air line executives, for KLM got under their skins as did Virgin Atlantic. Apparently british humor exists only when they tell what ever it is amongst themselves.
aurodoc
aurodoc 12
There is a sign made of white painted rocks that says Phoenix with a directional arrow East of SkyHarbor outside of Mesa that has been there since the 1950’s to point pilots in the right direction
lynx318
lynx318 23
Should have been more cheeky, "Welcome To Pyongyang"
Heatseekerws6
Heatseekerws6 1
I lol'd at that one.
Quirkyfrog
Robert Cowling 22
There was a guy that had the wrong airport on his roof, on purpose, and was forced to change it. I think it was in Michigan? I would think it was funny. I was on a flight once where the 'pilot' came on and welcomed us to 'X', which was the wrong airport name. I knew where we were, but I was surprised how many gasped and some appeared to try to stand up and look around, and some were actually angry.

A sense of humor is not given to all of us at birth, sadly...
EMK69
EMK69 17
Years ago, early 70's, there was a farmer who cut an arrow in his cornfield and "Airport" below the arrow. I was flying into an old SAC base when I spotted it...did a 360 just to get several photo's
MikeRigg
Mike Rigg 8
Not exactly the same, humorous nonetheless. Years ago I was flying commercial late one day. I was changing planes in Atlanta, where thunderstorms were causing delays. I disembarked and ran to catch my connection. I got there, boarded, moved to my seat near the back of the plane, and stowed my carry-on. I turned around and a woman was sitting in my seat. “33C?,” I asked and she said “Yes,” and produced a boarding ticket for that seat. After a short moment of confusion, I asked, “You’re going to Greenville, right?” She said, “No, Knoxville.” I said, “This plane is going to Greenville.” Visibly shaken, she stood up, grabbed her carry-on and headed down the aisle to leave the plane. I sat down, smiled, turned to the guy next to me and laughingly said, “She thought this flight is going to Knoxville.” He said, [wait for it], “It is.” I met her icy stare as she was coming back up the aisle and I was hurriedly deplaning. This was in the days before barcoding. Oh, I still made my flight connection, the right one.
RHLussier
A colleague of mine from years ago had just transferred departments and needed to meet his new boss in Dallas. He was cutting it close on time, and being days before on-line checkin and bag drops meant he was very late once he got through security after checking himself and his bag at the ticket counter. He had to dash through the terminal to make his flight and just made it before the door closed. The flight attendant told him to take any open seat "we are pushing back" as soon as he got on.

Later, he is at the baggage reclaim to retrieve his checked bag, but no luck. Goes to the airline's baggage desk and explains his bag wasn't on the flight and asked when he might expect it. The gentleman at the desk looks at his claim check and boarding pass: "you think you're in Dallas right now? This is Denver!"

Great first impression for his new boss!
WhiteKnight77
WhiteKnight77 3
I was stationed at a small air station in SoCal that had MCAS painted on a roof showing where the air station's airspace extended to. There were a few times where I could see a pilot's eyes as they encroached into it at the same fight level we were at while flying the pattern.
navigator2013
John Ward 3
That's why you should ALWAYS listen to announcements by the pilot or cabin staff! Funny though!
Quirkyfrog
Robert Cowling 2
Flying years ago. Got on the plane, and the 'flight deck' was introducing the major players.

The one doing the announcing says that, and I forgot the names, but it went something like this:

'This is Mike, the pilot in the left seat on this flight. I'm assisted by Tim in the right seat. Our head flight attendant is my ex-wife Linda. She's currently dating your co-pilot. They are engaged, and planning a wedding early next year.' People looked at each other, and I could tell people were getting a little anxious. After being introduced, the head FA was left standing there having people ask her if she thought they were safe, with her dating the 'other pilot'.

And just then the PA crackled, and: 'Oh, don't worry, people. I'm fine with the whole thing. They make a fantastic couple, and I only hope for the best for them int he future.' pause 'Honest. She is much happier being with Tim, and I'm happy for her. So today's flight will take...' and things were great. The poor FA was left a little embarrassed, and yet was loving some of the attention. But I'm sure there were a few people on that plane that were surprised they made it to the destination. That flight goes down as the weirdest flight I'd ever had. Yeah, it topped the 'We landed in 'X'' prank by far. And I laughed over the whole thing. That was so weird, freaky, funny, hilarious, awesome...

But, yeah, comedy isn't always funny to everyone...
sflso
David Kay 5
Ha! The airports are 2000 miles apart.
DRotten
D Rotten 5
Funny!!! Even funnier is that individuals 'got scared'. lol Now, we wait for 'the offended' to cry/whine and make them remove it. This is why COMEDY IS DEAD!
Quirkyfrog
Robert Cowling 0
But 'comedy' isn't always funny.
ewrcap
David Beattie 1
These days it’s dangerous!
coljim317
I flew from a small French airport adjoining the Air Base at Evreux, France. There was a SHELL sign at the entrance. For a short period the "S" was out on the sign so it appeared you were landing at "HELL".
MKanzler
Mark Kanzler 1
Like the "O" in "Hotel Hello"
(It was a campy comedy horror film long ago)
Quirkyfrog
Robert Cowling 1
And the 'Hotel Coral Essex' in Revenge of the Nerds! 'Hot oral sex'...
TerryMeyer
Terry Meyer 2
In 1978 Mark Gubin created the "Welcome to Cleveland" sign that is still visible at 2893-2897 S Delaware Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207 (42.99134803089884, -87.88366583920126). It is periodically rediscovered by popular media.
GeorgePepe
George Pepe 2
Reminds me of this guy https://aviationhumor.net/this-guy-is-a-genius-troll/
markriegler
Mark Riegler 2
Why not "WELCOME TO MINSK"?
SteveCutchen
Steve Cutchen 2
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/world/welcome-to-perth-sydney-airport-sign-confusing-air-travellers/ar-AAKVCls
johdgui
Johnathan Guif 2
Someone did this on the roof of a building at the Milwaukee International Airport with a sign that said Welcome to Cleveland.
srobak
srobak 3
it mentions that right in the article
GeorgePepe
George Pepe 2
https://aviationhumor.net/this-guy-is-a-genius-troll/
DaveRK
DaveRK 1
Ex-Clevelander.
The Cleveland media had so much fun with that. After-all we did feel sorry for those landing at MKE :)
J/K
adeej
Adrian Jenkins 1
I had a situation years ago when I was settling into my seat for a flight from Brisbane to Cairns on Qantas. An announcement came over the tannoy from the purser saying "Welcome on board this Qantas flight to Townsville". We all sat there concerned and talking to each other before another announcement came over about a minute later saying "Sorry about that, welcome on board this Qantas flight to Cairns. We are going to Cairns folks". So, even flight crew can get it wrong. (I don't know if the purser was on the wrong flight or not - I was way down the back of coach/economy).
snow
James Cox 1
Haha, gold
redcataviation
Sidney Smith 1
Brilliant!
alevans51
WARREN EVANS 1
Just plain going out one's way to make conversation. Clever but disturbing!
Dmclean119
Donald McLean 1
Southwest has a few good humorous FAs. The funniest one I remember was after an unusually bounced landing where the FA said “please remain seated while the pilots taxi to the gate in what is left of the aircraft”.
ah6oy
Jim DeTour 1
Good ole Ozzies.
Rickh52
Rickh52 2
Maybe you mean "Aussies"?
yarnoca1
John Yarno 0
If they were truly scared, they must be woke Americans.

kerimparrot
Mike Williams -2
Here in Tucson, AZ the NBC local weather news/weather dummies use TUC for the BIG airport for temps. It should be TIA, not the South American airport.
They should educate the public not fool the watching public.
I use small mistakes (like this) to grade the "educators" overall value.
Propwash122
Peter Fuller 2
Tirana International Airport Nene Tereza (Mother Teresa), Albania
IATA code TIA
ICAO code LATI

Tucson International Airport, Arizona USA
IATA code TUS
ICAO code KTUS

Teniente General Benjamin Matienzo International Airport
San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina
IATA code TUC
ICAO code SANT

Plus, news media and airport marketing folks do their own thing, sometimes making up initials. Easy to get confused!
FrankHarvey
Frank Harvey 1
To further confuse, according to an actual non-updated paper binder in my old Jepp case, TIA (aka LATI) is in Albania, TUC (aka SANT) is in Argentina, and TUS (aka KTUS) is somewhere in North America. No wonder my baggage was put in wrong British Caledonian hold by the Raytheon system at Gatwick, LGW (aka EGKK) back in 1977.
lfkeating
Larry Keating 1
The "dummies" are closer than you are. TIA is in Albania. Grade yourself on that.
kotbegemoth
kotbegemoth 0
TIA is not in South America.

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