Molly Bina has collected 55 emergency evacuation pamphlets across a variety of airlines within three years
Credit: Courtesy of Molly Bina (2)
NEED TO KNOW
- Molly Bina has collected 55 airline evacuation pamphlets with help from friends, family, and aviation enthusiasts
- Her airplane-themed bathroom also features pilot pins, plane models, and her grandfather’s Air Force memorabilia
- Bina’s collection continues to grow with items like life jackets and antique plane tickets despite limited space in her home
It all started with one Instagram post back in September 2023 when Molly Bina put out a request asking her followers to nab a peculiar item off their next flight.
“I was obsessed with airline evacuation safety pamphlets when I was a kid,” the 32-year-old wrote in her post “I'd always take it out of the seat pocket and stare at it during the entire boarding and take off process. A few months ago I finally made my dream a reality of stealing one and now it is displayed in my home.”
“I have since discovered that different airlines have different pamphlets,” she continued. “So now is when I humbly ask you all to help me complete a mission from God. I am looking for volunteers that will be flying in the next 8-12 months to help me complete my collection.”
Now, less than three years later, Bina has 55 emergency evacuation pamphlets displayed in her bathroom. But the odd thing is, Bina doesn't even like to fly.
Credit: Courtesy of Molly Bina
“I hate traveling. I hate flying. It's a pain in the a–,” the pet groomer tells PEOPLE. “I have no interest in that stuff. I don't know, I like the pretty colors of the pamphlets.”
Bina has only acquired a single pamphlet herself; the rest of the “community-built project” comes from friends, family, her recently acquired following of aviation enthusiasts and people she hasn't talked to since high school.
Credit: Courtesy of Molly Bina
“I'm middle class, but I was raised in Naperville, [Ill.], a very upper-echelon area,” the Chicagoland resident says. “So I had people I went to school with that have gone to Europe like 30 times in their adult life. So I have two big suppliers: One of them, I haven't seen since 6th grade. The other one is a friend of a friend that will have a Euro summer and then mail me like, seven, eight, nine— I got 16 pamphlets from one of them in a year.”
With each update posted on social media, including a viral April 22 TikTok, Bina's network of contraband pamphlet suppliers continues to grow.
@nathanfielderpilotdaddy fun fact- I do not like to travel at all. the rest of my house is pretty cool too tbh if people wanna see #airplane #airport #southwestairlines #uniquecollections #collection
♬ 80’s style background music(1405364) – Green Woodpecker
“I've been talking to like 15 pilots,” she says. “That's the other thing, these flight attendants and pilots are messaging me. They're like, ‘Keep it anonymous,' because they're not stealing, but they're taking something from a plane.”
Credit: Courtesy of Molly Bina
But the emergency evacuation pamphlets aren't the only thing Bina proudly displays in her bathroom. Her collection includes an authentic oxygen mask from an aircraft parts website, a few pilot pins, a couple nods to her favorite show Lost, nine plane models hanging from the ceiling and even her grandfather's Air Force pin.
“He's the only break from the strict, rigid commercial airline-themed bathroom,” Bina says.
Online, Bina says the reaction has been “all positive,” even exposing her to other uniquely themed bathrooms like one based on Steve Buscemi or the 1984 Winter Olympics. “We're tied, that's very niche and unique,” she says.
For now, Bina is worried about how she'll keep accommodating her incoming shipments, including her most recent additions including two life jackets, a Delta pillow, and even an antique plane ticket from 1952.
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“Me and my husband were staring in the bathroom like architects being like, ‘Where are we going to put these?' ” she says. “We live in a townhouse, so we're gonna hang them from the ceiling.”
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