"It looked swell, Sheila." "Thanks." "It was a perfect day for it." "Yeah, but holy smokes, what a way to dot an "I."" "Well, it got dotted, didn"t it?" "L"ll say it did." "Take Bonzo in and give her a drink." "L"ll be using her tomorrow." "All right." "Hi, boys." "Hi." "Hi, Sheila." "Did you make it?" "And how." "Hello, Top." "Hello, Sheila." "Cup of coffee and chocolate parfait." "What was it this time, Sheila, a parachute jump into Sheepshead Bay for dear old Dooley"s Little Liver Pills?" "Nope, just a simple little spelling lesson for the morons." "Not skywriting?" "Miraculous." "Oh, dear, oh, dear, I"d love to be a flyer, wouldn"t you?" "Way up there in the air." "It must give one a sense of freedom, like, like..." "Like a bird?" "Yeah, a bird." "That"s it." "Just like a bird." "All right, you monkeys, kid if you like, but $50 is $50." "Did they pay you $50 for doing that?" "Sure." "Me they did." "Go out and get yourself a reputation." "What do you mean, reputation?" "I only got 7,000 hours in the air." "And 10,000 hours in the seat of your pants on that chair." "MAN:" "I guess that grounds you, my friend." "What"d you use, Sheila, that crate of yours?" "Sure, why not?" "Better watch it." "L"ll have to ground you." "What do you mean, Top?" "Bonzo"s still good for 200 hours." "It"s not me, it"s the government." "I only work for them." "NICK:" "Quit worrying, Top." "The kid"s got luck." "Sure, just like me." "MAN:" "I remember one time I was flying an old girl who had a son in Omaha with a toothache." "Hi, boys." "Hi, Sheila." "Hi, Top." "How"d you make out?" "Well, I"m here." "Good." "Here"s your money, minus my fin." "Now about tomorrow, I got something swell." "How swell?" "Well, 25 bucks." "But you don"t have to do practically nothing." "And just what is nothing?" "You don"t think I"d ask you to do anything dangerous, do you?" "L"m your manager." "I got everything to lose." "Go on." "Now, look, there"s a little joint out in New Jersey, see?" "And they got a bridge." "And they want somebody to fly under it?" "Yes." "What"d they build a bridge for, anyway?" "Civic pride." "Now look, you can do it with your eyes closed." "It"s about 20 feet high and 40 feet wide and a nice little river underneath." "That"s in case I miss." "You can"t miss." "After that, all you gotta do is a parachute jump." "Oh, that"s all?" "Sure." "Is that before the bridge or after the bridge or under the bridge?" "Now, Sheila, it"s a cinch." "Okay." "What time does this cinch take place?" "4:00." "The sun"s right at your back." "You think of everything, don"t you?" "Why don"t you hire this guy to shoot you, Sheila?" "Save a lot of trouble." "Now quiet, Top, quiet!" "NICK:" "Hey, Top, ain"t that Ken Gordon coming in?" "Ken Gordon?" "Where?" "Over the south runway." "Don"t you see him?" "That"s Ken, all right, flying that blind goose of his." "We"ve just passed over the field." "Right." "L"m going to turn and go down." "Now, take it easy, Chief!" "What"s he doing here?" "Flying blind in a hop from his own field." "Flying blind, now?" "Yes, I"ve been expecting him." "I think I"ll take a peek at that jalopy." "Me, too." "Here we go." "GORDON:" "L"m leveling off." "Well, I hope Top saw that landing." "It"ll save an awful lot of conversation." "Right." "What a flyer." "Did you ever meet him, Sheila?" "Once, but he wouldn"t remember me." "Hey, what"s he got that we haven"t?" "He"s a flyer, son." "Well, we fly, too, you know." "I know, but when you go out and pick a couple of people off ice floes and fly serum through a blizzard to a lot of sick Eskimos, then I"ll buy your violets." "See that landing?" "Anything wrong with it?" "Nope." "Was it blind?" "Yes, and the take-off, too." "Take a look." "L"d like to." "Some board you"ve got up here." "Certainly is blind, all right." "We gave her the works didn"t we, Mac?" "L"ll say." "And we brought her down in our own field last week with the fog zero-zero." "Even the birds were walking." "Looks like you"re in." "I am in." "When do I go?" "Paris is a long way off, Ken, blind." "It"s a long way off any way you take it, but I"m going." "It"s your funeral, not mine." "Come on, Top." "Get on the phone to Washington and tell those red-tape artists what you saw today." "I can"t miss, I"m telling you." "When do you want to take off?" "Why, right away." "Tomorrow, if the weather"s right." "L"ll see what I can do." "All right, but keep it under your hat." "I don"t want any ballyhoo until after it"s through." "Okay." "Like to take a ride?" "Me?" "In that?" "L"m working for the government, not dying for it." "Hi, Ken." "Hi, Nick." "Nice little plane you got here." "Like it?" "They tell me you fly her blind." "That"s how I landed." "What are you going to do with her?" "Just kick it around." "Get you lots of publicity with this." "You know, those ballyhoo flyers you work for are getting you down." "You got the wrong slant." "Now, let me handle you and I"ll put you on every front page in the country and boy, how that front page pays off." "Yeah." "Some day a front page is going to walk right up and bite you, and you"ll be sorry." "All right, all right, just talking for your own good." "You"ll learn." "Well, I got to be going." "Be seeing you." "Keep after that, Top." "Right." "GORDON:" "All clear?" "MAC:" "Clear." "Contact." "How"d you like to fly to Paris with that guy?" "How"d I like to what?" "If you"re a good girl, I might be able to fix it." "Hold it." "How"s it coming?" "Eighty-five here, Chief." "How many all around?" "Six hundred gallons." "How much oil?" "Full up." "You"d better be right." "Right." "Need any help there?" "No." "A new bolt and she"ll be singing." "How"s your weather report?" "Made to order, Mac." "All we"re waiting for now is the permit." "Sure you"re ready?" "You can leave in two minutes." "Radio checked?" "Right." "Instruments?" "Right." "Plenty of coffee?" "Right." "Eight hours two points off East." "Mac, if that tail wind holds off the banks, I"ll make Paris under 20 hours." "Right." "Where the devil"s that permit?" "Give me a dime, Mac." "Give me a dime!" "Right." "You Scotchman." "Operator, get me Top Harmon at Roosevelt Field Government Office." "Boy, when I burn up half that load of gas, she"ll cruise over 200." "She"s a bonnie ship, my lad." "You should have seen my first one." "Four cigar boxes and a quart of glue." "Did she fly?" "From the top of the shed to the ground in one straight hop." "Hello, Top?" "Oh." "Well, where is he?" "Yes." "Well, have him call Ken Gordon the moment he comes in, will you?" "Yes." "Never mind, he"s here." "Yes." "Yes, thanks." "Oh, boy, am I glad to see you!" "L"ve never waited for anything so long in my whole life." "What"s the matter?" "You"re not going, Ken." "What?" "I didn"t get the permit." "They wouldn"t send it." "They wouldn"t send it?" "Why not?" "L"m ready to go now." "I told them that, Ken, but then..." "But what?" "What"s wrong?" "L"m afraid they"re not going to send it." "You mean not at all?" "They sounded like they meant it." "Look," "I don"t mean to appear to be stupid, but I just don"t follow you." "You seen this?" "The department figured that we couldn"t publicly sanction a man going out to commit suicide." "I see." "Sorry, Ken." "I don"t have to ask you if you did this?" "What do you think?" "Well, there goes the bubble, Mac." "Four years we"ve been working, isn"t it?" "MAC:" "And a few months." "Sort of hits you financially, too, doesn"t it?" "Lt"s all rotten." "Just because somebody wants to spill a lot of type, I"m grounded by an eight-column banner." "Hey, Mr. Gordon, carload of guys with a dame moved in on us outside." "Who are they?" "I don"t know." "Some of them"s got cameras." "Oh, they have?" "We tried to keep them out but they piled in anyway." "Fix that tie, babe." "Here." "There we are." "Now, keep that nose up." "Sheila, keep that nose up." "That"s it, that"s it." "Tilt your hat a little bit." "That"s the idea." "Show them you can look as well as fly." "All right, boys." "PHOTOGRAPHER:" "Smile, Miss Mason." "Wait a minute, wait a minute." "Look at the plane, honey, like you loved it." "Like you belong to it." "Fine." "Great." "That"s the girl." "GORDON:" "Just a minute." "PHOTOGRAPHER:" "What"s the idea?" "Get those things out of here." "What"s the matter?" "You heard me." "Get out." "Ken, you"re kicking everything in the pants after I had it all fixed up." "You"ve caused enough harm for one day." "Now, take your little whatever-she-is and get out." "NICK:" "Ken, don"t act that way." "Just a minute, Mr. Gordon!" "We may have done something wrong, I don"t know." "Maybe Nick can explain." "But whatever it is..." "I don"t think I know you." "It"s Sheila Mason, Ken." "Sure you know her." "Oh, yes, I believe I do now, by reputation." "Where do you fit into this?" "You mean you didn"t expect me?" "Nick." "Now, wait a minute, Sheila." "Give me a chance." "You see, Ken, it"s this way." "I heard you were making this flight to Paris blind, and thought it was a great chance to cash in." "Sheila"s good copy, and a swell flyer, and doing it together would make it the biggest stunt since Lindbergh." "There"s a million in it." "I see." "I thought Nick had already arranged it." "Sure, Ken." "It"d be terrific." "So you thought I"d take something like this and turn it into one of your cheap ballyhoo stunts?" "Take her along, huh?" "When I can"t even take a man like Mac, who"s worked every step of the way with me." "Well, it might interest you both to know that I"ve been refused permission." "Oh, no." "What do you mean?" "The government happens to have the same dislike for cheapness that I have." "REPORTER:" "You mean to say you"re not going?" "You heard me." "Well, what are we doing around here?" "Come on, let"s go." "MASON:" "L"m really sorry." "NICK:" "Yeah, me, too, Ken, but how was I to know?" "You"ve said quite enough." "Now please get out of here." "Nice tie you got there, Chief." "Might as well cover her up, Mac." "Right." "Like a cup of coffee?" "No." "Cover her up and go home." "They"ve got a new shooting gallery down at Coney Island." "Good night, Mac." "What is it, Mac?" "What is it?" "I thought you left with the others." "What do you want?" "I stayed behind to tell you again how sorry I am." "Rather late for that, isn"t it?" "I know explanations don"t mean very much, but I do hope you can forgive me." "It"s all right." "Forget it." "Thanks." "Hadn"t you better run along now?" "Your friends might leave you here." "They"ve gone already, but I can take a streetcar." "Well?" "Ken Gordon, you weren"t after publicity on this trip, were you?" "I think you know that by this time." "Nor glory, particularly." "No." "All you wanted to do was to prove that it could be made safe to fly an airship anywhere regardless of fog or weather." "That"s about it." "Then why don"t you?" "Why don"t I?" "Perhaps you haven"t heard, I was denied permission." "A piece of paper, wasn"t it?" "A pretty important piece of paper." "Of course." "Only it occurred to me that the man who laid the air track to Rio when the whole world said it couldn"t be done, and did a lot of other things that nobody else would tackle, well, that man would hardly be the one to wait for a piece of paper" "in order to do something a great deal more important." "Mac, Mac, Mac, are you still here?" "Coming, boss." "How soon can I take off?" "You"re going anyway?" "Right away." "Don"t want to lose this weather." "Get your maps, man." "You"re on your way." "What are you going to wear?" "Heavy flying suit, moccasins, gloves." "Where are they?" "In that locker." "L"ll get those." "You get your maps." "Say, you"re a pretty good sport to do this after the way I treated you today." "Forget it." "If I can"t go with you, at least I can see you off." "These moccasins are torn." "That doesn"t matter." "You know, you"re nothing like what I thought you were." "What did you think I was?" "Well, I"ve always heard of you barnstorming, flying under bridges, doing stunts for the movies." "In other words, working the aviation racket for all it"s worth." "Well, yes." "Where do you keep your coffee?" "Mac has it ready on the stove." "I didn"t mean to be as rotten to you as I was today." "This coffee"s cold." "L"m not often as wrong about people as I was about you." "You just didn"t understand, that"s all." "You see, I want to fly, but I haven"t the money." "Do you realize how little women can do in the air?" "We can"t fly for the Army, we can"t fly the mails." "Even the good transport jobs are closed to us." "How do you light this thing?" "L"ll show you." "I wasn"t fair." "I hope you"ll let me see you when I get back to sort of make up for it." "Watch that match." "You"ll burn your fingers." "Isn"t it always the way when you"re in a hurry?" "Mac!" "Mac!" "Oh, my dear!" "What"s happened?" "Get some olive oil, butter, any kind of grease!" "Hurry!" "Let me see." "Let me see." "Let me see." "I can"t see." "I can"t see." "Mac, hurry!" "Hurry!" "Just as we thought after the first examination." "There are no surface burns." "The explosion did its damage within the eye." "Then I"m blind." "The chief injury"s due to a major disturbance of the eye fluid, Mr. Gordon." "Tell me the truth." "Will I ever see again?" "That"s hard to say." "But as long as the optic nerve is uninjured, there"s always hope, but we can tell nothing yet." "How long before you can tell?" "A long time, I"m afraid." "You mean weeks?" "Months?" "Years?" "Months, at least." "Now, let me get this straight." "L"m blind now and it"ll be months before you can tell me if I"ll ever see again, is that it?" "Sorry, but I"m afraid that"s about it." "Thank you." "Goodbye, Mr. Gordon." "Goodbye and thanks." "You"ve been very kind." "Here, Ken." "Thanks, Mac." "All right, Mr. Kelter." "Thanks for not trying to tell me that everything will work out swell." "Right." "L"m going away, Mac." "Away?" "Yes, I have to." "I don"t want charity and I won"t stand being pitied." "L"m not down yet." "Of course you"re not." "You"ll have to get another job, Mac." "But I wish you"d keep an eye on the ship." "Right." "I don"t want you to tell anybody where I am, nobody." "L"ve got to have time to think this thing out alone." "Right." "No, Mac." "He"d rather do it himself." "You all right, Mr. Gordon?" "Certainly I"m all right." "What are you doing out here?" "I told you I didn"t want you following me around, Waring." "I only came out to get some wood, Mr. Gordon." "All right, get the wood." "Yes, sir, Mr. Gordon." "Here, Mac, you take him in." "L"ll wait out here." "Right." "What is it, Waring?" "Well, what do you want?" "Lt"s me, Chief." "Mac?" "Yes, Ken." "What are you doing here?" "The ship"s all right, isn"t it?" "Sure, the ship"s fine." "Well, then?" "I knew you wanted to be alone but, well, I brought you something." "Thanks, Mac, I don"t need a thing." "L"m getting along fine." "Of course you are, Ken, but this is a dog." "That"s very thoughtful of you, Mac, but don"t need a dog." "But this is not an ordinary dog, Ken." "He"ll help." "He"s a German shepherd." "He"ll lead you around." "He"s from the Seeing Eye school." "I see." "A dog to lead the blind." "Just the thing, isn"t it?" "Now, Ken." "All I need is a tin cup and some pencils." "Congratulations, Mac, that"s a swell idea." "Ken, it"s nothing like that." "You don"t understand." "Here." "Meet him, get to know him like I did." "Here, this is his harness." "All you have to do is to snap it on him." "Get him out of here." "Now, Ken." "(YELLING) Get him out!" "Come on, Lightning." "Come on." "What"s the idea?" "Let Lightning try." "Waring!" "Waring!" "No." "Don"t go." "Waring!" "So he left you here anyway." "Keep quiet." "Go away." "Get away!" "GORDON:" "Waring!" "Waring!" "Come and take this dog out of here!" "Waring!" "Get away!" "You"re a determined cuss, aren"t you?" "Now what are you trying to do, talk to me?" "Well, you"re an awful lot of dog, big fellow." "L"ll bet you could put up a whale of a fight." "What do you want to do, go for a walk?" "What"s this?" "Oh, your harness." "All right, how does it work?" "Keep your fingers crossed, Sheila." "I believe he"s going to do it." "So that"s it." "Come on, boy." "Well, how about that walk, boy?" "You still feel like it?" "Okay." "Contact." "Easy, fellow." "This is a new kind of take-off for me." "Now, we"re ready." "Give it the gun." "Hey, let me learn to fly this ship, will you?" "(DOG WHINING)" "What"s the matter, fellow?" "What is it?" "(DOG BARKING)" "Who is it?" "Who is it?" "Who"s there?" "Who is it?" "Who"s there?" "Lt"s Sheila Mason, Ken." "Sheila Mason." "What"s she doing here?" "Well, right now she"s trying to shake the straw out of her hair." "What"s the matter?" "Forced landing." "If somebody will give me a hand, I"ll try and get this crate of mine in the air again." "Here." "Thanks." "Hope you weren"t hurt." "No." "Just dusted off the wings." "Sheila bought the dog, Ken." "Oh, thanks." "Come on, Lightning, let"s all go outside." "That his name, Lightning?" "Yes." "I hope you don"t mind my being here." "I made Mac bring me." "She made the dog make me bring her." "Well, whatever it was, I"m terribly grateful to you both." "I hope you"ll stay and have dinner with me." "You"re sure you want us?" "I have to have some lessons on these controls, don"t I?" "L"ll have you doing your solo in an hour." "There"s some rhododendron partway up that hill." "Can you see them?" "Only on top where the moonlight strikes them." "Yes." "Are we near the lake?" "Lt"s right in front of us." "Is there a moon?" "A great big one." "Tell me about everything around us." "I want to see it with your lips." "The lake"s silver, Ken, pale silver, and divinely quiet." "Like above the clouds at night in a ship?" "Yes." "The hills are dark, almost purple." "(WATER RIPPLING) Listen." "Wasn"t that a fish jumping?" "Yes." "The ripples are spreading clear across the water." "What are you thinking about?" "I was just thinking how crazy I was not to take a good look at you when I had the chance." "Don"t you remember at all?" "Pretty well, but I"m not sure." "Tell me." "L"m a sort of low wing, single-motored monoplane type." "You"ve seen hundreds of them." "I don"t believe it." "Tell me more." "Let"s see." "I have reddish hair, snub nose, freckles, plenty of freckles." "What else?" "Well, a little under medium length, fair wing spread, stream-lined, so they tell me." "Sounds fascinating." "Watch out for this log." "Thanks, I"ve got it." "Sheila, come here." "I can"t tell the color of your hair, but it"s soft and fragrant." "I just had it shampooed." "They put the silliest things on it." "You lied about your nose." "I have not." "Now, don"t argue with me." "What color are your eyes?" "Sort of gray." "I knew they would be." "You"re so lovely." "Ken, why don"t you come back?" "Back?" "You can"t stay buried up here." "It isn"t fair to yourself." "Up here at least the money I have left keeps me going," "I can"t be a burden to my friends." "You wouldn"t have to be." "There are things you can do." "There must be." "L"d hate to wind up in a tailspin." "Good flyers pull themselves out of tailspins." "Right." "On the panel board of a modern plane, there are six important instruments by means of which the pilot may determine the movement and position of his ship." "You know, Mac, writing these articles has given me an idea." "L"ve got a hunch that if I took the glass off my board" "I could read most of those instruments by touch." "There might be something in that, Ken." "Mac, a blind man flying a plane." "Boy, oh, boy." "Would that really prove blind flying." "Look, first thing in the morning go down to the Rockwell people." "I don"t want to have them take my ship away from me now." "All right, Ken." "Wouldn"t it make Sheila happy if I could work this thing out?" "She"d like it, Ken." "If I could really prove blind flying." "It would sort of justify her faith in bringing me back again." "And if I succeed, she wouldn"t have to go stunting around county fairs any more." "(MOTOR WHIRRING)" "Keep that crowd back." "Go on, keep them all back, will you?" "Keep them all back." "Nice going, Sheila." "Thanks, Nick." "NICK:" "Go on, kid." "Get away from that plane." "Here you are." "Two hundred for the week." "That right?" "Right." "You kind of kick that ship of yours around up there, don"t you, Miss Mason?" "Oh, I give it a little exercise now and then." "Like to have you back with us next year if you live that long." "Thanks." "Well, good luck." "Good luck to you." "Cheerful little fellow." "Isn"t he?" "The most interesting thing on the instrument board is the artificial horizon." "(BARKING)" "Sheila, boy?" "Let her in, Mac." "Hello, boy, hello." "Hello, Mac." "Hello, Sheila." "Hello, Ken." "Hello, Sheila." "I brought a visitor." "Come in, Nick." "How are you, boys?" "How"s tricks?" "Good to see you, Ken, you"re looking great." "You haven"t any shame at all, have you, Nick?" "You mean about that Paris trip?" "Water under the bridge, water under the bridge." "Water, huh?" "Well, all right, perhaps you"re not so bad when you"re not trying to help somebody." "That"s the stuff, Ken, Sheila said you wouldn"t be sore." "How"re you doing?" "Fine, thanks, Nick, fine." "You should read some of the things he"s written, Nick." "L"d like to." "And you"d better let me sell it for you, too." "I got a pal who"s editor of..." "No, you don"t, not this." "Okay, only if you"d let me... (KNOCKING ON DOOR)" "Excuse me." "This just came for Mr. Gordon and I thought I"d bring it up." "For me, Mrs. Clark?" "What is it?" "Well, it"s a letter from the Hallwell Publishing Company." "Great." "Here, give it to me." "Wait, Ken, let me open it." "Thank you." "All right, Sheila, you break the news." "GORDON:" "Well, what do they say?" "Well, wait till I see." "GORDON:" "Well, what is it, good news or bad?" "A check!" "Yes, a check." "Congratulations, Ken." "You"re a full-fledged author now." "Now I can really go to work." "Sheila, I"ve got an idea that"ll knock the world for a loop." "What is it, Ken?" "Never mind about that now, I"ll tell you later." "How much is the check for?" "$200." "$200!" "Mac, did you hear that?" "This cinches it." "Now we go places." "What was your idea?" "L"ll have to work like mad, Sheila, and if you don"t mind, I"d rather not tell you now in case I miss." "It"ll take a lot of money, of course, but I can grind out enough stories to cover that." "Of course you can." "I know you can." "Oh, Mac." "Yes, Ken?" "Take good care of that." "Right." "You know, writing is a great profession." "(SPEAKING WITH SCOTTISH ACCENT) Right!" "What are you trying to do, kill yourself, or just seeing how much that crate"ll stand?" "They"re paying extra for those stunts, aren"t they?" "Yes, I know, but you don"t have to chase yourself all over the sky." "Your job is to get more of them, that"s all." "And for what, that"s what I want to know, for what?" "A blind man"s pipe dream." "Nick, you know what"s going to happen?" "A lot of little children are going to grow up to hate you." "Hello, Mac." "Hello, Sheila." "Getting any place?" "Well, to tell you the truth, Sheila, I believe we are." "Really?" "You mean to say that business about the radio beams and the automatic pilot really works?" "Well, I wouldn"t exactly say that, but I will say it"s got a chance." "MASON:" "Honest, Mac?" "Yes." "Ken"s working it out on the model at home, and I"m following instructions here on the ship." "Say, I can make something out of this." "You just try." "All right." "Here, Mac, here"s a check." "This is from some other magazine." "Sure, I know." "Well, what you don"t know is how she"s been trying to break her neck to get those checks!" "Don"t listen to him, Mac, he"s getting soft." "Well, tell Ken I"ll be up to see him later." "Just a minute, Sheila." "L"ve got something here that I think you ought to know about." "Listen to this." "It"s from the Rockwell Aviation Company." "They own Ken"s plane." ""My dear Mr. Gordon." ""In view of the fact that your unfortunate accident" ""has incapacitated you from completing the work on the plane" ""we have placed at your disposal," ""and since we have received no payment from you for the last two months," ""we feel forced to reclaim the ship" ""unless a substantial payment is made within the next 10 days." ""Yours truly, George Rockwell, President, Rockwell Aviation Company."" "That"s something else again, isn"t it?" "Lt"s a lot of money." "Yes." "What are you going to do now?" "L"m going to borrow your car!" "But I tell you, Mr. Rockwell, he has a chance." "His mechanic is a Scotchman and even he"s beginning to believe in it." "Miss Mason, I know Ken knows his business or we wouldn"t have let him have the ship in the first place." "But a blind man, putting it in operation so he can fly, let"s not fool ourselves." "He"s not trying to build instruments so that blind men can fly." "He"s simply trying to perfect something that even a blind man can fly." "You"re pretty persuasive." "L"ll tell you what I"ll do, not that I believe in it, but for you." "Yes?" "L"ll give Ken another three weeks and that"s final." "Oh, thank you." "If there"s anything to it, he should know it by that time." "Goodbye." "Good luck." "Thank you." "See him?" "No." "Do you?" "They"re certainly giving it a test." "(CRYING)" "Hello, Sheila." "Hello, Nick." "Kind of dirty outside, isn"t it?" "Just coffee." "What"s this I hear about Ken taking a run-out powder?" "Let"s forget that, huh?" "All right." "So, Nick, has anybody been set for that Moscow flight yet?" "What?" "You heard me." "So you want to make it after all?" "Well, I have been giving it some thought." "I see." "Guess you know they moved Ken"s plane over here to Roosevelt, don"t you?" "Now, what"s that got to do with me flying from Moscow?" "I was just wondering. $25,000 would come in pretty handy right now, wouldn"t it?" "Do I get the job or don"t I?" "You know, I sort of like you." "Tell you what we"ll do, Sheila." "L"m sorry, Ken, there"s nothing I can do." "Miss Mason was here several times before, and for her sake we let you have the plane weeks and weeks after we should have foreclosed." "L"d like to help you, but my hands are tied, too." "L"m sorry." "L"m sorry, Mr. Gordon," "Mr. Crawford can"t see you today." "That"s what you"ve been telling me for the past two weeks." "L"ve got to see him." "Why don"t you come again next week?" "Thanks." "Can"t you understand, Jack?" "You have hundreds of pilots and thousands of passengers riding in those planes of yours out there," "I can make them as safe as rocking chairs." "But this is a business proposition." "You must realize I couldn"t put the company"s money into experiments that you can"t even see to make." "Thank you." "McNAMEE ON RADIO:" "How do you do, ladies and gentlemen of the radio audience?" "This is Graham McNamee speaking." "America"s daring and darling Sheila Mason, left the Moscow airport bound for the USA, at 6:20 a.m. Greenwich time." "The whole world is waiting for news of her nonstop flight which is being brought to you over the facilities of the ABC International Hookup." "Miss Mason is flying the great circle, which will carry her over Ireland and Newfoundland and north of the regular lane of ship travel." "Her ship is equipped with radiotelephone but she may be out of touch with the world for hours, and her life depends on her skill and her ship." "She is flying a powerful, single-motored monoplane with a cruising range of over 6,000 miles." "Unless she runs into bad weather, she should put her plane down at Roosevelt Field under 40 hours." "A record." "Hello, Halifax." "Hello, Halifax." "Mason calling Halifax." "Mason calling Halifax," "Sheila Mason calling Halifax." "McNAMEE ON RADIO:" "Here"s the bulletin you"ve been waiting for, ladies and gentlemen." "Halifax has gotten in touch with Sheila Mason." "She reports by radio that she"s 100 miles off the banks." "She says that she has been held up by headwinds, but her plane is working well." "It begins to look as if she"ll succeed in her great flight from Moscow to New York." "It"s safe to say that every man, woman and child in the world hopes so." "Hello, Portland." "Mason calling Portland." "Mason calling Portland." "Sheila Mason calling Portland." "If you can hear me, come back, please." "If you can hear me, come back, please." "McNAMEE ON RADIO:" "Here"s the latest flash on Sheila Mason, and ladies and gentlemen, it"s not so good." "She is over the Atlantic somewhere north of Boston, but she has been out of touch with every radio station for more than an hour." "A heavy fog bank covers the entire seaboard and in order to get to New York, she will have to fly without any visibility at all, on account of those head winds, her gasoline supply must be running mighty low." "We will now continue our regular program, but we will give you the latest bulletins as they come in." "Ken, where have you been?" "Down the street, listening to the radio." "You heard about Sheila?" "Oh, it"s terrible." "Why, the fog is so low out on that field a snake couldn"t crawl under it." "Why did she make this flight?" "Too late to talk about that now, Mac." "L"ve got to get out to the field." "What?" "L"m going up in my ship to bring her down." "You"re crazy, man!" "All right, then watch a crazy man do it." "They won"t let you have the ship." "They"ve got to!" "You"ve got to take me, Mac." "I can"t, Ken." "You"re in no shape to fly." "They may have ruined the instruments, anything." "You might get killed." "That isn"t important anymore." "It"s Sheila"s only chance." "You got to help me." "Right?" "Right." "Come on." "Hello, Boston." "Hello, Boston, Sheila Mason calling Boston." "If you can hear me, come back, please." "Mason standing by." "Hello, Mason." "Hello, Mason." "Boston calling." "What is your position?" "What is your position?" "Boston standing by." "Go ahead, Mason." "Hello, Boston." "Mason calling Boston." "Am uncertain of my position." "Haven"t seen the ground for the past two hours." "Am flying in and above a heavy fog bank." "How is my signal strength?" "Come back, please." "Come back, please." "Hello, Mason." "Hello, Mason." "You"re coming in very strong." "RADIO MAN:" "You must be within 100 miles." "Here are the weather reports... (CLANKING)" "Hello, Boston." "Hello, Boston." "Come back, please." "Mason calling Boston." "Come back, please." "McNAMEE ON RADIO:" "This is Graham McNamee again." "Here you are, ladies and gentlemen." "Another bulletin on Sheila Mason." "Boston reports, they"ve just got in touch with her." "She said she was keeping on toward New York, but the fog is so thick her situation is almost hopeless." "She asked for her bearings, but before Boston could reply, they lost touch with her." "Please stand by." "Is this as fast as this thing can go?" "L"ve got her wide open, Ken." "Sheila Mason calling Roosevelt." "Sheila Mason calling Roosevelt." "If you can hear me, come back, please." "If you can hear me, come back, please." "After a sensationally successful flight of over 5,000 miles, during which she conquered distance, winds and North Atlantic storms," "Sheila Mason, girl flyer, was apparently defeated tonight within a few miles of her goal, by the aviator"s greatest enemy, fog." "Yeah." "Well, even if she could find the field, she won"t be able to land." "There"s the worst fog in years all up and down the coast." "And, Al, you better send a couple of cars out here in a hurry." "I think I"ve got her!" "L"ve contacted her." "Give me that." "Hello." "Hello, Sheila." "Hello, Sheila." "This is Nick." "Hello, Nick." "Yes, this is Sheila." "L"m all right, but where am I?" "Can you hear me?" "Can you hear my motor?" "No, we can"t hear your motor." "Have you any idea where you are?" "No." "L"ve lost my bearings, and I"ve got gas for another 20 minutes." "How"s the weather at the field?" "Lt"s zero-zero here." "The fog"s right down the ground." "Listen, kid, forget the flight and bail out." "Wait a minute, wait a minute, let me have that." "What good will it do her to jump?" "Lt"s a hundred to one she"ll fall in the Atlantic Ocean." "How does she feel?" "How would you feel?" "Hello, Sheila." "Sheila Mason." "Calling Sheila Mason." "Hello, Sheila." "Sheila, hello, Sheila!" "L"ve lost her." "Here"s where they keep it." "Here you are, Ken." "It"s shortly after midnight, the fog shows no sign of lifting." "Sheila Mason"s situation is becoming more hopeless." "Where"s Top Harmon?" "Right here." "Ken Gordon broke into the hangar to get his plane out." "What?" "He says he"s going up to find Sheila Mason." "Well, why didn"t you stop him?" "Well, tried to tell you first." "Hold everything." "Ken Gordon, blind flyer, broke into the hangar, stole his plane and is going up after Sheila Mason." "Keep this wire open." "He mustn"t do it!" "He"s crazy!" "All set, Ken." "You"re headed straight down the runway into the wind." "Get on that transmitter and don"t stop talking." "Right." "(MEN YELLING)" "Sorry, Top, but after all, I got Sheila into this." "(BEEPING)" "Sheila, Sheila, Ken speaking." "Can you hear me?" "Ken." "Ken!" "Yes, I can hear you." "Where are you?" "In my plane 1,000 feet over Roosevelt Field." "In your plane?" "Are you alone?" "Yes, but everything is working fine." "How much gas have you got?" "Maybe 15 minutes." "Are you above the fog?" "No, I"m trying to get down under it." "All right." "Head due south, climb above the fog and look for me on top." "Right." "I can see you now, Ken." "Good, sit tight." "We"re only about 20 miles away from the field." "Pull up alongside." "Right." "L"m alongside now, Ken." "How close are you?" "MASON ON RADIO:" "Just above you on your right." "Fine." "Follow me." "L"m following you, Ken." "KEN ON RADIO:" "Keep as close as you can so you don"t lose me." "I will." "How do you feel?" "A little tired." "We"ll be over the field in a few minutes." "L"ll have to shut off my transmitter." "There isn"t much time." "L"ve got to tell you something." "What is it, Ken?" "I love you, Sheila." "It"s the first time you ever told me that." "I couldn"t before." "I love you, Ken." "I loved you even before I met you." "I want you to be happy, dear." "L"m so happy right now I could cry." "L"m not even tired anymore." "Ken, if we get through, you"ll have proved your ship and then maybe you and I..." "No." "No, we can"t plan beyond, this." "Ken, what are you saying?" "Listen, dear, there isn"t much time to talk." "L"ve lost my courage." "I can"t go on." "I can"t." "Even if I get my ship back, what"s the use if I can"t see the clouds and the moon and the stars?" "I won"t be able to see you." "But we"ll make up for all that." "No, Sheila." "L"m going to take you down and then, I"m going on until it"s too late to turn back, I"m taking my ship with me." "Ken!" "Ken!" "Steady, Sheila." "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight." "MAC ON RADIO:" "One, two..." "We"re over the field now." "One, two, three..." "We"re gonna take a dive into this now." "One, two, three..." "Keep close to me but be careful that we don"t tangle in this soup." "I can"t talk anymore now." "Ken!" "Ken!" "You can"t do it." "You can"t do it!" "Cut your motor." "Ken!" "Ken, don"t!" "(CROWD TALKING)" "I won"t let you do it!" "L"m going to stop you!" "(CRASHING)" "(SIREN BLARING)" "Ken." "Sheila!" "Miss Mason, Miss Mason, will you say a few words to the radio audience, please?" "She"ll tell you all about it later." "Watch out!" "Sheila, dear, you"re sure you"re not hurt?" "Of course I"m not hurt, dear." "Sheila, I can see flashes of light." "That"s what they are, dear, flashlights." "You mean you can see them?" "Yes, dear, I can see them." "Keep that nose up, Sheila, keep that nose up." "Right." "My darling."