The Magic School Bus Taking Flight
Original airdate: November 4th, 1995
Subject: Flight
Focus Student(s): Wanda, Tim
Wanda's thrilled that the model plane she and Tim have built is up and flying in the air, ready for an air show. Ms. Frizzle then shrinks the class so that they can fly in it and learn about aerodynamics. When Tim accidentally smashes the plane's controls, the class flies off into the distance, and have to learn about flight mechanics as Tim and Phoebe, who are normal-sized, have to maneuver the Bus to mount a rescue.
Producers Segment
The male producer answers the questions about the episode while Liz goes into a wind tunnel to sit in an orange airplane.
Tropes
- All Part of the Show: The class after Arnold starts maneuvering the plane's tail-fin ends up in the air show, and their attempts to get under control make the judges think that they're putting on a grand performance. They end up winning first place by accident.
- Chekhov's Skill: Arnold's brief time maneuvering the eagle's tail-fin allows him to maneuver the model plane's tail-fin to get it under control and land on the bus.
- Death Glare: The bus gives Liz one after she turns it into a ten-winged monstrosity that can't get off the ground.
- Dude, Not Funny!: In-universe Liz during the Producer's Segment angrily knocks on the airport glass when she gets caught in a plane drifting off the ground, has to land it, and kisses the ground. Why is she angry? Because the Producer jokes that all pilots, even lizards, have a hard time with landing.
- Epic Fail: The first two attempts to get the Bus in the air... gets it nowhere.Phoebe: (after the second attempt, coughing) What happened? We had ten wings! Why didn't we stay in the air?Tim: This heap is too heavy. Even if it had 100 wings, it wouldn't have enough lift for it to stay up in the air.Phoebe: Now there aren't even any... wings!
- Foreshadowing: At least twice the class refers to the fact that Wanda's little pilot controls are only made of wood. When they find a way to stay in the air, they realize that they have no control, and Wanda has to commandeer Arnold to manually maneuver the tail-fin.
- Hidden Depths: Tim makes reference to Charles Lindbergh while he and Phoebe are searching for the class.
- How Do I Shot Web?: Liz has trouble pressing the right button to change the Bus into a viable plane for a while.
- Imagine Spot: The episode starts with Wanda narrating one as she imagines herself flying her "baby".
- Instant Costume Change: The moment that Wanda gets shrunk, she's suddenly wearing a flight jacket and scarf.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!":
- The class when the plane starts to stall, and stop flying while Phoebe has the control.
- Likewise, the class when Tim breaks the remote control by accident.
- The class when the propeller stops turning and they crash into a tree.
- No Plans, No Prototype, No Backup: After Tim smashes the control by accident, they have no means of recreating a new one, or getting the bus back. The class, Tim and Phoebe have to improvise.
- "Not Making This Up" Disclaimer: The Producer confirms that the Bus's initial flight attempts were based on real designs, and the third design was actually the Wright's model used at Kitty Hawk.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Tim and Phoebe when the bus nearly crashes into City Hall.
- Arnold when the eagle soars off with him, right before he can let go of the rope.
- "Oh, Crap!" Smile: Liz offers one sheepishly to the bus's death glare.
- Rule of Three: The Bus needs three tries before it can get off the ground properly.
- Your Size May Vary: Liz's size compared to the model plane changes throughout the episode. At first, Liz and the plane seem to be roughly the same size. Later on, when the plane lands on the bus, Liz is suddenly way too small compared to it. She's larger than the shrunken kids, but much smaller than the model plane. Lastly, at the end of the episode, Liz is nearly twice the size of the plane when she's hanging on its tail.
