They are serious. And don't call them Shirley. Writer/directors Jim Abrahams and the Zucker brothers lampoon the Seventies fad for aeroplane-related disaster movies with this merciless spoof. Former fighter pilot Ted Striker (Robert Hays) hasn't flown since the war, when an error of judgement on his part led to the decimation of his squadron. Now he has a drink problem (he keeps missing his mouth) and his girlfriend - air hostess Elaine Dickinson (Julie Hagerty) - has walked out on him. Desperate to get her back, Ted follows her onto her next flight... which goes horribly wrong when the entire cabin crew succumb to food poisoning mid-air! Aided by Elaine, the unflappable Doctor Rumack (Leslie Nielsen) and his former nemesis Rex Kramer (Robert Stack) back at air control, Ted makes a valiant effort to fly the plane to safety. But has he still got what it takes?