EP082

← EP081 : Pallet Party Panic

Original series

EP083 : Poké Ball Peril →

A Scare in the Air

EP082   ひこうせんはふこうせん！？ Blimp Accident!?

First broadcast Japan February 4, 1999 United States January 8, 2000

English themes Opening Pokémon Theme Ending

Japanese themes Opening ライバル！ Ending タイプ・ワイルド

Credits Animation Team Ota Screenplay 武上純希 Junki Takegami Storyboard 鈴木敏明 Toshiaki Suzuki Assistant director 鈴木敏明 Toshiaki Suzuki Animation director 志村泉 Izumi Shimura Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de

A Scare in the Air (Japanese: ひこうせんはふこうせん！？ Blimp Accident!? ) is the 82nd episode of the Pokémon anime and the first episode in the Orange Islands arc. It was first broadcast in Japan on February 4, 1999 and in the United States on January 8, 2000.

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Synopsis

Preparing to depart for Valencia Island, Ash and his friends are at a grocery store picking up supplies for their trip. Ash suggests walking, but Brock's guidebook says that it will only take a day traveling by blimp. While the blimp arrives, two men sponsor a contest where the winner gets a prize just by showing their store receipt to them. Ash shows his receipt, and wins a trip on the blimp. Unknown to the kids, Jessie and James have received an assignment from Giovanni to operate the blimp.

Ash and the others reach the blimp yard, where they see a broken down blimp. Two men approach them and ask if they are riding the blimp. They then tell them the blimp is haunted and full of ghosts. At this point, Jessie and James enter the blimp.

Once on board, Ash and the others notice how broken down the blimp truly is. At the same time, Meowth is fixing dinner, while Jessie and James act as waiters. During some turbulence, Ash complains about the ride. Jessie and James ask Meowth who's flying the blimp. They realize that nobody was flying the blimp. Realizing this, Jessie and James attempt to pilot the blimp, but instead fly it into a big storm.

Suddenly, Misty notices that Togepi is missing. They set out to find it, while Team Rocket starts looking for the twerps. When Ash and the others reach the inflated portion of the blimp, they encounter what they believe to be a ghost. As it turns out, the ghost is actually Jigglypuff.

Eventually, Ash and friends meet up with Team Rocket, and begin a Pokémon battle. At one point, Brock's Geodude throws James's Weezing through the blimp and it starts ripping apart. While this is happening, Misty finally spots Togepi on a high ledge. Ash uses Bulbasaur to grab Togepi from the ledge. While trying to rescue Togepi, Team Rocket attempts to steal Pikachu. Their plan is thwarted when the blimp hits a pocket of turbulence and they fall out of the blimp. Using fabric from the blimp, Meowth makes a parachute. However, Jigglypuff lands on top of it and starts to sing. They fall asleep, and Meowth lets go of the fabric, causing the trio to fall into the ocean.

Now in control of the blimp, Ash and the others try to land it. Using their Pokémon, they are able to steer the blimp and crash land it on Valencia Island. Now safely on land, they continue to Professor Ivy's lab to obtain the GS Ball.

Major events

• Ash and his friends reach Valencia Island.

For a list of all major events in the animated series, please see the history page.

Characters

Humans

dare da?

• Ash
• Misty
• Brock
• Jessie
• James
• Giovanni

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Vulpix (U.S. and international), Daruma doll (Japan)

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Togepi (Misty's)
• Bulbasaur (Ash's)
• Squirtle (Ash's)
• Staryu (Misty's)
• Psyduck (Misty's)
• Onix (Brock's)
• Geodude (Brock's)
• Zubat (Brock's)
• Vulpix (Brock's)
• Arbok (Jessie's)
• Weezing (James's)
• Persian (Giovanni's)
• Jigglypuff (anime)

Trivia

• Professor Oak's lecture:
  • Pokémon senryū summary: Lickitung; a stretching and contracting, long tongue.
• The dub of this episode was renamed "Spirits in the Sky" after the September 11th tragedy. However, this may have only been temporary, as the Cartoon Network rerun kept the original dub title. In addition the dub title has remained unchanged on the official Pokémon website, both on the title card in the episode and the title on the website.
• This episode's renamed dub title is a reference to the Norman Greenbaum song, Spirit in the Sky.
• This is the first English episode of the 2000s.
• The tune to the song which Meowth sings is the tune to "On Top of Old Smoky."

Errors

• Ash states that it would take about a month or so to reach Valencia Island if one were to travel by foot. As it is an island with no indication of a bridge connecting it to the mainland, this would be impossible.
• While this episode marks the beginning of the Orange Islands arc, both Kids' WB! and Cartoon Network aired the first season intro instead of the Orange Islands theme for this episode and the next one.
• When Jessie and James are emptying water from the blimp, outside camera shots of the blimp only sometimes show any water being expelled.
• The blimp in this episode can be seen on the inside with a rigid metal framework. Real blimps do not have framework; only zeppelins have the rigid metal framework. Zeppelins were never manufactured again after the Hindenburg disaster of 1937.

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		飛行船是不幸船？
Czech		Hrůza ve vzduchu
Danish		Luftens Vovehalse
Dutch		Angst in de Lucht
European French		Y a-t-il un pilote dans le dirigeable?
German		Flug des Grauens
Hebrew		פחד באויר pachad ba'avir
Hungarian		Légi riadalom
Italian		Il dirigibile fantasma
Portuguese	Brazil	Susto no Ar
	Portugal	Um Susto no Ar
Russian		Воздушные страсти
Spanish	Latin America	Un susto en el aire
	Spain	Susto en el aire
Swedish		Ett luftskepp kommer lastat

← EP081 : Pallet Party Panic

Original series

EP083 : Poké Ball Peril →

This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.