"I ain't getting on no airplane!"
For as many times as B.A. Baracus said that famous line on The A-Team, Mr. T's character flew quite a bit. It's no secret Baracus hates flying, and would take any other mode of transportation before stepping onto an airplane. Is it because he's scared of heights, or because Howling Mad Murdock is often his pilot? Maybe it's a little of both.
Given how much the squad had to travel far distances for their high-paying clients, it was best for Face to con a plane and Murdock to pilot it. For Hannibal, it was best to come up with a plan to get B.A. on the aircraft.
Whether it was blantantly giving him a sedative, tricking him into taking one or using brute force, the A-Team had to get creative to get B.A. in the air.
Here are nine ways to get B.A. on an aircraft, along with a few lines that are classic Baracus.
Novocain
"Whatcha doin' sucka? I ain't going to no airport Hannibal. I ain't going to fly with that crazy fool Murdock." A little Novocain won’t hurt B.A., but it will knock him out for his flight to Mexico in the first episode of the series. Already worried they’re traveling to an airport, Bad Attitude doesn’t even notice that Hannibal injected him with Novocain, making for a smooth flight B.A. will never remember!
Mosquito that's really a Novocain shot
"If that's Murdock, I'm not getting in the air with that crazy sucka!" Novocain works, but the Team had to come up with creative ways to lay it on B.A. In “Holiday in the Hills” the Team is centered in the woods with plenty of “mosquitoes” around. Hannibal slaps away a fake mosquito on Face’s neck, setting up a similar move on B.A., except his slap is the injection of the sedative! In comes Murdock with the plane, and away The A-Team goes!
3
Make him a maintenance man
"I ain't flying with that crazy fool anyway." Actually B.A., you are! No sedative was needed in this trip to the skies. When you give B.A. a job to do, he does it, even if it involves playing the role of a airplane maintenance man! Of course, B.A. wasn’t planning on being in the plane when it begins to taxi out to the runway. Once in the air, he freezes up like a statue multiple times before grabbing Murdock’s collar, shaking him relentlessly saying, "We on a plane!? We on a plane!?"
Give him milk: Part 1
B.A. loves milk, and Hannibal knows it. Gearing up for yet another mission where a plane is required, B.A. thinks he’s ahead of the curve when it comes to being drugged in this one saying, "you ain't going to get me with no knockout drops, man. Ain't no way you're going to get me to eat or drink anything." Hannibal proceeds to grab an already open milk carton, saying “Then, you won’t want this last swallow of your milk I guess?” As B.A.’s anger intensifies, he drops to the ground, having already drank that sneaky sedative.
Give him milk: Part 2
Just when B.A. thinks he has the Team’s tricks figured out when it comes to knocking him out before a flight, he takes another swig of his beloved milk and falls asleep. Thinking they spiked his burger, Baracus continues to switch out his meal with the other Team members. He concludes that’s what the team wanted him to do, so he takes back his original burger and takes a bite. Without realizing, he takes a drink of milk out of a carton Hannibal discreetly gives him. Down he goes.
Use hypnosis
"Yeah, it's pretty ain't it?" Something to say when admiring your own bling! Little does B.A. know that his admiration is just a ruse to hypnotize him! On the count of three, Baracus falls back onto a prearranged gurney. Hannibal drags him onto the plane from there.
When his mother is in trouble
Only one thing can make B.A. Baracus say the words "I want to fly!" and that's when his mother is in danger. Nothing can stop him from getting to Chicago the fastest way possible, even if it means boarding a plane and having Murdock fly it. Though he willingly gets on, he does take some knockout gas before takeoff.
Simply knock him out: Part 1
When the team didn’t have time to formulate a plot to sedate B.A., Hannibal took a rather direct approach to knock him out. A quick strike to the head with his weapon, Hannibal delivers B.A.’s boarding pass, and the Team can take off.
Simply knock him out: Part 2
"I'm not going on no chopper, and that's final!" Again pressed for time and needing to be on the move, Hannibal uses whatever he has at his disposal to effectively get B.A. on the plane. This time, it was with an oar! One quick strike from Hannibal sends the group’s intimidating force to his knees! Effective and saves time!