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Gotta share this story... LOL


Freight Dog

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Before getting into the story, a small background - I fly a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) for an operator based in the United Arab Emirates.  One of the fun things about my job is that our crews are truly multinational. For example, I'd have an Italian FO, Filipino flight mechanic, Moroccan, Russian, Japanese and Aussie cabin crew, Indian dispatchers, etc. 

 

So here I am sitting in my recurrent CRM class (pilots and flight attendants), and I'm just chit-chatting with some of the guys who were asking about my plane, and we get to chatting about Mooneys. 

 

As we keep saying the word 'Mooney', I noticed one of the girls (Greek) would chuckle, get red and look distracted. So I look at her puzzled... she goes, what did you say your plane is called? I said it's a Mooney. She goes... hmm, that's what I thought you said, and she looked all shy/embarrassed. But now she got everyone's attention...

 

OK, spill it... what's so funny about Mooney? 

 

Oh, nothing... just it has a different meaning in Greek. 

Oh yeah? What does it mean?

 

Again, blushing, embarrassed, etc. We tried to press her to tell us, but she wouldn't. We were all egging her on... aw come on, you can't just say stuff like this and leave us hanging... 

 

Now, this poor girl is naturally shy, so this really brought out the blushing, and nervous laughs. Even the facilitators of the class were in on it pressing her to just come out and say what it meant. 

 

I pulled out my trusty iPhone and Google'd it... and here's what I found (note, it's pronounced the same as Mooney):

 

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=mouni

 

 

Of course, shared it with the class... I just looked at her and said... Ah, so when I say I'm almost too big for a Mooney (I'm 6'7"), or that it's a tight squeeze but a great ride, it just has a completely different meaning to you...

 

Anyway, great laughs... but now I feel kinda funny about 'those remarkable Mooneys'....

 

... and if this wasn't brought up by our Greek FA, I would have suspected something like this originating over on BeechTalk.  :D

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I'm Greek. You don't understand how embarrassing it is when people at church ask me what kind of plane I have and I tell them "a Mooney". I've gotten some pretty disgusted looks.

 

No need. Were I you, I'd say: "M20J."

 

Pilots wouldn't be disgusted, and I've yet to meet a non-pilot that wants anything more than "mumble-mumble". Seriously. The actual type seems to go in one ear, through an obviously sparsely populated volume, and out the other side. They're doing that often irritating thing normals do called "making conversation".

 

Acceptable alternatives:

 

"A fast one."  *smirk*

 

"Low wing, retractable gear M20J. Carrys two people plus baggage at 160Kts for over 4 hours, hey! is that your kid. Wow he's really grown...."

 

 

Future airplane designers, take note: If you have a weird last name, don't name it after yourself.

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I'm Greek. You don't understand how embarrassing it is when people at church ask me what kind of plane I have and I tell them "a Mooney". I've gotten some pretty disgusted looks.

 

What about Al when he visited Greek church?

 

Church Minister: "Welcome sir, what is your name?"

 

Al: "Al"

 

Church Minister: "Welcome Al, What is your family name?"

 

Al: "Ummmm.....Al."  "Albert Mooney"

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