You can tell this article is "ancient" by the one problem listed, "number 3 engine is missing" - as in a gas engine misfiring - as in from the pre-707 era of propeller driven radial engine aircraft.
For that matter, it may be even more ancient than I first supposed. Back in the dim recesses of my memory, I remember perusing a book at one time that was a collection of Reader's Digest "Humor in Uniform" column from back during WWII - and I'd swear there was a version of this same article in there, attributed then to the Army Air Corps, even with "number 3 engine is missing"!!!
The origins of this bit of folklore may be well over 70 years old!