Fans of Airplane! should make the effort to find a copy of the inspiration...a little known disaster flick called "Zero Hour!". It has the basic outline of the first "Airport" film (the ones with George Kennedy) but shares many of the same characters from Airplane! like Ted Striker and Rex Kramer. In fact legendary tough-guy actor Sterling Hayden plays the part that Robert Stack parodied so well. The shots and dialogue are identical but played seriously...which makes Airplane! all the better. It even has a famous contemporary athlete who's acting skills are even worse than Kareem's. It's well worth the trouble to buy it, I had to get mine from Asia.
Now on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Zero-Hour-Dana.../dp/B000OHZJOQ