Ever seen an airplane going through an arch of water between two fire trucks at the airport? I’d assume the aircraft is just getting a nice cleaning. But wait, why would they use firetrucks to wash an airplane? The short answer is, they don’t!

Sometimes, on very special occasions, a usually even number of firetrucks equipped with water cannons line up at the airport to greet an airplane that just landed. This “water salute” is quite a beautiful display. Let’s find out why it’s organized every now and then. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices