Clouds and Haze

A helicopter was flying around above Seattle when an electrical malfunction disabled all its navigation and communications equipment. With all the clouds and haze, the pilot couldn’t determine his position or how to get to the airport. But he saw a tall building, flew toward it, circled, drew a handwritten sign, and held it up.

The sign read, “WHERE AM I?”

People in the building quickly responded with their own sign: “YOU ARE IN A HELICOPTER.”

The pilot smiled, waved, looked at his map, plotted the course to the airport and landed safely. On the ground, the co-pilot asked him how their sign helped determine the helicopter’s position.

“I knew that had to be the Microsoft building,” the pilot said, “because they gave me a technically correct, but completely useless answer.”