Is it true that the US Air Force employed someone to pick up penguins after they fell over watching planes?

Answer 1

No,it is totally false.
A Mexican newspaper reports that bored Royal Air Force pilots stationed on the Falkland Islands have devised what they consider a marvelous new game. Noting that the local penguins are fascinated by airplanes, the pilots search out a beach where the birds are gathered and fly slowly along it at the water's edge. Perhaps ten thousand penguins turn their heads in unison watching the planes go by, and when the pilots turn around and fly back, the birds turn their heads in the opposite direction, like spectators at a slow-motion tennis match. Then, the paper reports, "The pilots fly out to sea and directly to the penguin colony and overfly it. Heads go up, up, up, and ten thousand penguins fall over gently onto their backs.

Origins: This tale about bemused penguins and the pilots who toy with them has been part of Internet lore since 1994. The attribution of the piece to the Audubon Society's magazine is understandable -- one figures anything to do with wild birds would be found there, as did whoever formed this story into a bit of online lore.
People find the story plausible because it's easy to anthropomorphize penguins: They stand upright, they walk rather than fly, and some of their actions seem distinctly human-like. Therefore it doesn't seem a stretch to imagine penguins, like people, calmly craning their necks to watch airplanes fly overhead.
As charming as the story is, there's not much reason to believe it. Penguins hate the sound made by airplanes and are known to scatter whenever one approaches.
This phenomenon was supposedly first reported by Royal Air Force pilots who flew over the Falklands during the 1982 war with Argentina, and it was popularized in a 1986 Bloom County cartoon in which Portnoy announces his desire to get his hair cut like Billy Idol because "everybody is doing it." Opus counters with the tale about penguins looking up at airplanes and falling over to make the point that whether one person or ten thousand performs a silly action, it's still a silly thing to do.

Answer 2

"QUOTE"
A Mexican newspaper reports that bored Royal Air Force pilots stationed on the Falkland Islands have devised what they consider a marvelous new game. Noting that the local penguins are fascinated by airplanes, the pilots search out a beach where the birds are gathered and fly slowly along it at the water's edge. Perhaps ten thousand penguins turn their heads in unison watching the planes go by, and when the pilots turn around and fly back, the birds turn their heads in the opposite direction, like spectators at a slow-motion tennis match. Then, the paper reports, "The pilots fly out to sea and directly to the penguin colony and overfly it. Heads go up, up, up, and ten thousand penguins fall over gently onto their backs.
-- Audubon Society Magazine

MY ANSWER

This tale about bemused penguins and the pilots who toy with them has been part of Internet lore since 1994. The attribution of the piece to the Audubon Society's magazine is understandable -- one figures anything to do with wild birds would be found there, as did whoever formed this story into a bit of online lore.

People find the story plausible because it's easy to anthropomorphize penguins: They stand upright, they walk rather than fly, and some of their actions seem distinctly human-like. Therefore it doesn't seem a stretch to imagine penguins, like people, calmly craning their necks to watch airplanes fly overhead.

As charming as the story is, there's not much reason to believe it. Penguins hate the sound made by airplanes and are known to scatter whenever one approaches.

This phenomenon was supposedly first reported by Royal Air Force pilots who flew over the Falklands during the 1982 war with Argentina, and it was popularized in a 1986 Bloom County cartoon in which Portnoy announces his desire to get his hair cut like Billy Idol because "everybody is doing it." Opus counters with the tale about penguins looking up at airplanes and falling over to make the point that whether one person or ten thousand performs a silly action, it's still a silly thing to do

Answer 3

No. That's an old RAF Joke. While it's true that if an aircraft flies too low over a flock(?) of Penguins, they will look up and lean backwards until they fall over, they can get up themselves. I've seen a video of the Penguins in the Falkland Islands (Where the joke originated) and it's Hilarious!

(The Joke was to tell the new guy that he's on Penguin duty (picking them up) and get him to wear protective clothing for no reason!)

Answer 4

Maybe they are the same bunch who are employed to pick up the Presidents brain when it falls over.

These guys are busier than anyone watching after a million penguins.

Answer 5

No, penguins are quite capable of standing up on their own.

However, there's no truth to the legend that they're fascinated by airplanes and fall over backwards watching them fly overhead. Penguins are generally terrified by the noise they make and are much more likely to scatter when one approaches.

Answer 6

Urban Legend I'm afraid. The story was that the USAF would fly side to side in front of the penguins to get their attention then fly over them and the penguins would fall over as they watched them go overhead.

Answer 7

Wisdom is the practice of observation and experiences of failure and success. All paths lead to wisdom. You choose your path the force just gives you options. The easy way or the hard way. All paths of the force uses.

Answer 8

Genghis41 has it bang on the nail....

I mean seriously, where the hell have the USAF been lately where there are Penguins for Gods sake?

Answer 9

I do not think that is true. It doesn't even sound like something the air force would do. It sounds stupid.

Answer 10

I don't know , but it sounds like something the military would do .
Thats just too funny though .