This is a story about professional pilots
and their special guided world,
their island in the sky
or take off a professional pilot who is keen,
anxious but let someone read his true feelings.
He is elaborately casual.
The reason for this is that he is about to enter a new though familiar world.
The process of entrance begins a short time before he leaves the ground
and has completed the instant he is in the air
in the world aloft. The factors of life and death assume their proper values.
Professional pilots are of necessity, uncomplicated simple men.
Their thinking must remain straightforward
or they die
violently.
Many professional airline pilots were attached to the army air transport command.
Soon after the war with Germany began,
they were of the army but not in it
for a time. They continued to wear their airline uniforms
but extremes of cold and heat.
The rigors of far flung operations frequently reduced them to an identifying cat.
The men in this story are fictitious characters
but their counterparts can be found in cockpits all over the world.
Now they are flying a war
tomorrow. They will be flying a piece
or regardless of the world's condition.
Flying is their life.
There are other stories, some perhaps more heroic,
but no matter what story might have been selected
or wherever on earth or in the air, it might take place,
the men involved would be much the same as Murray.
The Nunzia
Stankowski.
Love it.
And duly
we're gonna pick up some ice
and here,
see if you can get us a cross bearing from Desolation Island. Can't raise him.
How about Goose Bay?
Nothing doing. It's the northern lights.
We gotta wait.
All right.
Where do you think we are
right here, captain? Where's right here? How far from the Labrador Coast?
200 miles, perhaps 220?
You could be wrong. I got a hunch. We're almost over the coast.
Figure out what kind of ground speed we'd have to make to be over that there.
Hamilton River Peninsula. About 10 minutes.
We have to make um,
200
MPH captain. That could just hardly be possible.
Anything
mind you, anything can happen up here, Marie,
something wrong.
No,
it is not yet. After 15,000 flying hours, you are suspicious, cynical
and most of all humble
behind. You are the days and nights of airline flying
and a simple formula
that if you take good care of your own neck,
your passengers will likewise remain in good health.
Frank. I got a hunch we're in for a long ride.
We gotta get something on this radio.
Maybe we'll find a hole yet.
I doubt it.
We did. We couldn't use it. Don't know where we are.
Wanna head back for Greenland.
Would you like to tangle with that fjord at night? Young fella? Uh uh Not me, daddy?
Just an idea. I had, you can bust your tacu with ideas like that
says we couldn't make it anyway.
Yeah, we gotta watch our consumption.
We can't get into Goose Bay. We gotta go on to press
Gle,
you know, I guess we got,
you don't worry about rough air,
it's just uncomfortable.
You don't worry about snow or even the static.
You do worry about the winds up here.
They are invisible and can be so powerful
but most of all you worry about ice.
It can kill.
Have you ever been afraid?
It's something like hunger.
It comes faithfully to all men who fly to live.
It comes when something is wrong,
seen or unseen,
it comes when an engine sputters and dies.
It comes in a thunderstorm when the instruments go mad.
It comes at the end of a blind approach.
When the ground fails to appear,
it comes like now
when doubt creeps through your mind,
I guess where it goes by. Captain.
Why don't they turn on the range? He says it's on.
Well, I can't hear anything.
Go,
tried to take a bearing on us, but he says our signals are too weak.
How about Greenland?
They all
go?
You try Montreal. Yeah, that special frequency.
Nothing.
What's the frequency of that little broadcasting station? Mont
Joli? On the Saint Lawrence? 790 I think.
Wait a second, I'll look it up.
So
on. He, right. Cavin,
well, give it a try for bearing.
I can hear some guy
that must be, it. It's kind of weak but it's there
talking in English should be French.
It's 15 past the hour. There should be a station announcement
but on announcing French it's not
Marli.
This is station KTR A Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Skip it.
Funny how that, that's that so much up here.
Where do you think we are now?
Just coming up on the Saint Lawrence, maybe 50 miles this side of it.
But no stars are radio. It's pretty hard to be. Sure.
Good. Boy,
when you talk like that, I can believe you.
We must have missed Goose Bay altogether. One way south.
We couldn't have gone north. Not on this course. And we're east to car.
So we'll take a new one
flight. 270 Frank, 270 daddy
and no
transmit blind and keep sending.
Ask anyone you can raise for a berry.
Yeah,
he's sinking again
here
up to 2500
35 inches of boot.
Ok.
The
nuns
here.
More alcohol on the props.
We can't keep this course any longer.
We're going to have to get out of this ice right now.
Get through the ghosts or anybody
tell them we're in a jam icing up losing altitude.
We're turning northwest until we run out of gas. Got it, got it
and keep that key down so everybody can take bearings on us.
So if we go northwest, captain, we'll fly right off the map.
It says uncharted up that way. But that way it's supposed to be flat.
Uh,
stick around a while
we'll get through.
I haven't jumped out of a ship in 16 years.
Not going to start tonight.
Give me officer's mess.
Lieutenant Co this is radio.
Whats his last position?
Well, find out
they might find out how much fuel he has too.
I will.
I'll get down there after a while
that time. Daddy, 50 gallons left.
Get that window open.
See out if you see anything.
Is he in the ground yet?
No,
no, not yet.
It's gonna land like a grand canyon
thrown off the top of the mountain
and up, I think.
Oh, no.
And when we just passed through a layer,
better be quick.
Daddy.
Uh,
I see a lake down here. I think
there's another one over here.
Wheels down in half flat. Where
are you gonna light this thing with the wheels down?
Yes, we're gonna walk away from this thing yet.
Plans
can just switch it right.
Hold your hat.
Thank you
God almighty.
Turn it.
What do you make of this bearing from Montreal Unduly?
It shows him north of the ST Lawrence somewhere
indicates he followed his plan and went off to the northwest
knowing duly, I guess he'd stick to his plan
that leaves us 10,000 square miles to search
if he was lucky enough to come down in one piece. How long could he live up there?
Oh, that depends
on a lot of things.
Ditson, you're the Arctic expert. Is there any game in that region?
No one knows Colonel.
No one's ever been up there before.
If he flew to the end of his gas supply is at least 200 miles in uncharted territory
or even the Eskimo was one headed.
We got to organize a search party somehow.
The cat
the catch is where
can't send airplanes out on a wild goose chase. Even the weather is lousy.
We got to make sure we don't lose some airplanes and have to do something about them.
The whole thing can become very embarrassing.
Court.
Yes, sir. How many ships are we available for a search mission right now?
Five, sir, counting the general ship, the General can walk.
Harper.
What's the disposition of the civilian airline pilots attached here at the moment?
Now, I have to check to make sure sir, they're kinda hard to keep track of.
Can you give me an idea how many are available?
Well, let's see,
Willie Moon is either in Goose Bay or out of there by now, westbound,
stop him if you can.
Who else Spanish is either in or just out of Greenland.
We haven't had a signal from there for two days. Great communication system.
What about Jh Handy? And Stutts
handy ought to be on his way to Iceland.
Stutts is supposed to be on his way out of there.
Mcmillan and sts are supposed to be over at the hotel.
I'll have to dig for Wally Miller.
You know, he's got that name in Boston.
Get him out of there.
Have everybody you can get a hold of in the briefing room at 9 a.m.
Turner. See that all five ships are fully equipped with art kits. Get with Ditson
and work out the stuff to be carried for dropping
court.
You haunt the radio room and let me know in the minute anything worthwhile comes in.
Now
if you gentlemen, any further ideas.
Well, we better have some by morning.
Those airline boys are going to be hard to hold.
Hi, uh Wallace.
Did you bring any whiskey? No, we brought some fresh milk, milk.
Well, milk is for babies.
Hello,
how
are you? Good to see you. Hello.
How was the tr
hey, what do you guys mean for coming up here without a drop in the blood of man?
What did you bring anyway?
But there was no plow groceries, a lot of medicine
and waste baskets
but no whiskey,
no whiskey.
There. Anything in particular on your way over
static.
I guess the weather's bad behind us.
I suppose we go to Iceland in the morning.
I'm telling you right now, I won't wear this shirt another week.
Maybe you won't.
I got some bad news for you.
We got word from pre
college before you landed.
Do
he's down
where?
I don't know, it didn't say the reported Harry Ice. What kind of a law did he have?
Two engines for overhaul and full tanks?
I don't think you want to drink. I've been doing some fairing.
You must have come down over land. Come on, breezy. Let's get out of here.
Wait a
minute, Spanish. I know how you feel. But you got to get some rest.
You've got to find Julie. We're gonna rest him all the time.
I don't want to have to put you under armed guard. You won't. I must have
and I'm leaving.
I can and I will. Julie may be freezing to death.
I know that. But you've got to wait.
The weather's really stinking a goose and press guy.
What are we supposed to do? Sit here and wait until summer comes to the Arctic circle?
You only heard
dos chances if they have to go out and look for you too.
I get about four hours sleep.
We're gonna have some late dope by then.
All right, four hours.
But no more.
Yeah.
The captain of lighthouse. Lil wants to talk to you
and then I beat the lighthouse little. Go ahead.
Have you heard about Dooley?
I can guess he got himself transferred to the nice warm pacific.
He's down slutty.
Repeat that.
Dooley's down.
It happened early last night
where
nobody knows.
Well, can't they find out that?
Did he go on a drink?
They don't seem to think so.
He's supposed to be way up
somewhere.
Well, that's definite. They're starting a search today.
If you get there in time you'll get in on it.
Hey, Sonny.
Sonny, come to life. Things are happening.
Hot dog.
Julia is down.
Wow,
that's too bad.
Poor old Dooley.
He was a good guy.
He may still be alive. They don't think he went in to drink.
Are you awake?
Yeah, sort of. All right. Then listen,
we're gonna stick out our necks more than usual.
The search starts tomorrow. I figure we can just make it.
If we don't stop at Greenland for gas, we'll fly straight on through.
Well, it's ok for me.
Whatever is customary.
Well,
you're down.
Yeah.
Right in the middle of a big nowhere
on a lake. Yes. But where's the lake
in the morning? If God will let the sun shine, you can take a shot with the
OCT and find out.
Maybe.
Now, keep thinking. So, you won't be so cold.
You got to think of everything.
It's about 30 gallons left in the tanks, maybe a little more. That's wonderful.
It'll have a generator power for the radio.
You can send a position from
nowhere to somewhere.
If you can get an engine started in this cold.
Now, the food,
three tins of salmon,
eight chocolate bars,
some c rations,
two marmalade sandwiches left over from last night.
One with a bite out of it.
You got to spread those out somehow
make them last five men for maybe six days.
But you gotta be careful.
Awful careful.
This is no raft floating on a warm sea.
Keep your strength.
It's the only chance against this cold.
They're all dependent on you
and you got to watch them because
this night is going to be the easiest
they hate today and they're still strong.
But tomorrow
or the day after
they'll start getting ideas,
ideas about living,
they want to sit out on their own and find their way out of nowhere
because they're human.
But you can't be human.
You gotta tell them every day that it can't be done.
Tell them it will be like a sickness creeping.
They all want to lie down and rest and they won't ever get up.
So find food. That's number one.
Find out where nowhere is. That's number two.
Then you can help the others find nowhere.
Stanish
Mullen,
Stutts,
Jh Handy and Willie Moon.
They'll come
just like you told the others they'd come,
they won't leave you alone waiting on a pinpointing nowhere.
They'll come if it takes all winter.
But you've only got six days
poor father
who
art in heaven.
He will be that night.
You
mcmullin
and wake up,
wake up,
come on mcmullen. Wake up.
Oh,
I'm sorry I didn't meet
come back.
Ah ma
please
please ma
and
so
please
to
his
to
him.
Three
Molland
and wake up.
Come on, man. Wake up the field. Wants you to come right over. Get out of here.
Give it
a fire
man. Now please
it down and get
up
the field right?
Pitch up then and leave me be,
please meg
I ain't gonna wake you up no more if you keep heaving me out of the window.
All right,
I'm sorry, Rennie. Close the dang window.
W a
Fitch. I am awake.
Them army maniacs want us hit the field.
They ain't got no sense of time at all. They said it was important
ff
what
something's wrong. I can smell it a mile away.
I'm gonna quit this business right now.
I'm gonna get me back down to Carolina.
I'm gonna get me a big old mule and I'm
just gonna plow the living tarnation out of that countryside.
When did you say you were leaving
this morning?
Yes, sir. This very same morning,
Mo here,
Willie.
I hate to call you now.
Hello, my little
Kumquat. What's on your mind?
Oh, darling, I did. So want you to have these few days at home.
You'll have to talk louder. I can't hear you.
The field's been calling.
They want you to come right away. Well, tell them you couldn't find me.
I think you'd want to go. Willie.
They said
Dooley was down.
Oh, throw
some shirts in my bag. Will you sweetie? My longing, my G I shoes and some socks.
Oh, I was gonna fry you. Such a beautiful chicken tonight.
Take it easy, sweetie. Now, just take it easy.
Everything's gonna be all right.
Bye.
Hi, Willie.
Oh,
stay
here.
I listen. You monkeys simmer down now a minute.
Daddy's going. Bye bye in the sky.
But you just got home.
Yeah, you can get home. All right. Can
you
sure we can take the street car? We got four bits.
All right now. Pay attention. Wrap yourself up real good and warm.
So you won't catch cold.
Take care of. Mommy won't you? You bet your life
grace your cross.
We give you a heads.
Yes.
No.
Yes.
From
ok.
Wandering a little far from camp. Aren't you, Bob?
I come from me.
See anything.
No,
no tracks, even
nothing.
No, nothing but snow.
Unless you see any different kind of wood.
The stuff we got won't burn
the saps frozen inside.
So was my face. Maybe
there's no feeling daddy
think maybe I should put some snow in it. No, I don't think that'll do any good.
We'll get back to the ship. We'll put some oil from the engine on it that may help
you better stay out of the weather for the next few days. I don't understand it.
I'm warm in the sun and there isn't any wind. It's probably 40 below here.
We gotta be careful,
real careful.
What are we going to do if a wind comes?
Oh, we'll rig up some kind of a lean tube down there.
Why are you scared? I think
he's not talking about his wife and kid.
I guess. Maybe it's a new kid.
I'll talk to you.
Of course, there's nothing to be scared about.
Only a few 1000 miles of snow and ice and sleet
and silence.
Yeah,
you can almost hear
is an awful country daddy.
I am scared.
We're a long ways from,
from home.
Oh, we'll get out of this.
As soon as the sun gets up enough. We'll take a shot that
gen,
and we'll know our latitude anyway. Do you honestly think that's going to help us?
Well, we got to try Frank,
going to try everything.
Been thinking about that food.
Maybe we can stretch it to seven days. Of course, we got to keep eating
kind of the cold and then what?
It'll just be cold.
Come on. We'll fix a face of yours. Julie.
There's something I got to talk to you. I know about
before. It's too late maybe. Yeah.
The boys think you did a great job getting us down even here.
Thanks. They want you to know that
anything you say from now on goes,
you know what I mean?
Yeah, I,
I know what you mean.
Better start pretty quick.
Remember the battery skipper
you use up all the batteries to try to start that engine. I'll never get anything out.
All right, forget it.
So, we got no generator.
How many times can you put out with? What power we have left? Hard to say,
three or four short messages, maybe less. It just depends.
Give me that pad.
Tell you what we'll
try this right now.
You send that message three times and no more.
Should I send it right now?
Send it loud and clear. Boy, they got to hear it.
Now.
We only know that from about 2300 hours
duly from a position on the Saint Lawrence river
proceeded on a northwest course.
We don't even know that for certain because some event a few minutes later
may have caused Dooley to change his course.
Well, if I might suggest sir,
the fact that Dooley is a civilian might allow us to Presuppose
if Dooley said he was going to fly Northwest, he'd do it.
But we don't know that Mac and we've got to go
on what we know before we can authorize a proper search.
Now,
we do know that Montreal got a bearing on duly around midnight.
Unfortunately, it was only third class,
but it did indicate that at that time he was somewhere in the vicinity of Lake Manan
just here.
You can see that from there
on North. The map is very sketchy. Most of it is marked
unexplored
that the latest map
I'm informed that it is right. Lieutenant. Yes, sir. I filed an urgent
nine w 605 requisition to Washington for any additional data
in quintuple it, I suppose
according to fuel figures received from Greenland on Dooley's departure,
he should have had four or five hours gas when he was over this area.
If he went on to the end of his supply,
that means he would be down
approximately 400 to 600 miles north of Lake Manow.
Whatever the case,
you can easily see that if Dooley went on to the end of his fuel,
he's in a very unfortunate position.
When do we start looking for him? Colonel.
As soon as the others get here, Stutts Moon Jh Handy and Stanish will be here tonight.
Why wait for them,
Dooley's freezing,
prevent any dissipation of effort?
I didn't ask you.
I think it would be unwise to use anyone but experienced weather pilots.
We do have ships to spare at the moment.
We might start a relay system when the others get here,
we still have a lot of gear to round up.
Well, if I might suggest, sir,
since no directive of any kind has been received from Washington,
possibly it would be better for a
for a,
if we proceed through channels.
Can we count on taking off in four hours? Colonel?
No,
be back here ready to go in two hours
mark.
I can't understand that. It
just doesn't make sense.
It's colder in this ship than it is outside.
According to that there, we ought to
be having hot coffee in Bangor, Maine, Paris or
Vladivostok
all in the same latitude.
I always get the same answer. I didn't think it would work,
cuts out any stars we might want to shoot tonight too.
I keep wondering if it's me. It's so cold, I can't think. Sure. It's cold. It's a cold.
Ogden's got pneumonia.
Our time could be raw. Too
fine. Machinery just won't work in these temperatures.
The Navigator should know where he is.
I don't
from. So,
you,
so
look, is it your fault if the sun isn't where it's supposed to be?
Somebody's been monkeying around with it, that's all.
Now, quit knocking your brains out with these books. Come on outside Dezio
has a new toy for us to play with. I'll be out in a minute. I
want to try one more shot.
Oh,
all you gotta do is turn his crank and it does the rest
if you want to send out just a straight. So s
you turn the switch.
If somebody's knee and you want them to take a bearing on,
you turn the switch this other way
and it sends out a continuous series of A's just one
after another until you stop cranking.
How far away can you hear that thing?
That depends around here. My guess is not very far.
There's a balloon to inflate that's supposed to take the aerial up and
a kite to do the same thing
right there for you if you're floating around on a raft. Well, I sure wish we were
but there's not always wind for the kite and
so called the balloon don't have any buoyancy.
So I have to try attaching the a
to
one of those trees over there.
Let me try cracking that no more.
Why?
That,
that
seems hard to turn
to
all strength.
The grease on the geyser is half froze but it works. I can see the light. Why me? Try it?
Will you? I want to see if I can crank it.
Sonny Boy, you forgot your wheaties this morning.
From now on, we start a coffee grinder. Watch every 30 minutes.
Somebody's going to be cranking that their gadget as long as they can
keep us warm. Anyway.
How far away did you say you could hear that thing?
Maybe 2500 miles?
That's fine.
It's gonna be a big hip,
like nails in your cup.
Mcmullin, the Miller and fetch
you guys. See what I see.
I'm too cold to see anything.
You're cold.
I got heated trouble. Even my windows won't stay clear. Look up ahead on the horizon.
About 70 miles.
Maybe I'm drinking the wrong kind of liquor but them mountains ain't on my chart.
Mine either.
I hope too. He didn't go through here
with a load of ice. He'd never clear those mountains.
They ought to have a name
looks like we'll be naming a lot of things from here on.
How about calling them the Corsair Mountains?
Ok, by me,
mark them on your charts.
The mountains are bad enough but get a lot of that weather behind them.
He either potted against those hills or he slipped through somehow.
If he's yonder on the other side, he might as well be on the moon.
Hey, Matt, Matt, come here quick
to all ships.
Relay from Dooley
on Lake
about five miles long,
near shore
position. Guest
about 600 miles
northwest
Saint Lawrence.
Get the rest of it.
No injuries
urgently
require food
batteries low.
Probably
capable
one more.
I can hardly read. Press Gle
Mac. You've got to get him to repeat,
capable
one more
transmission
for you. Take bearings
when you arrive
over area
sign.
Duly,
I lucky I,
did you hear that gang?
Did you guys hear that?
That Irish
that beat up all
balls.
They made it.
Hey, Wally Fit.
Did you guys read that message for Press Gyle
Gay man.
That do
that guy. He got away with it.
Now, all we gotta do is find him.
Hey, listen, Wally fetch.
I'm gonna send press
Gyle a message that we're proceeding to the area
somewhere over there. Mountain Stoolies waiting for us.
He's alive.
Did you get that?
Yeah, send it.
Well, I'll send it.
Tell
me
she still
da da
da
da,
da da
da.
Yes,
this grass will be good under the sleeping bags.
Give me your lighter.
I couldn't write.
You want some guys stay there?
Yeah.
See you.
Where is Lovick?
I don't know.
I've been busy making this a rough.
I thought he was with you.
We went hunting,
hunting. Yeah,
he took the shotgun and
he ate
shells.
The shell chamber was frozen but he fixed it.
He said he was hungry.
He get us something to eat or else It's funny the ammunition would work.
How long has he been gone?
About an hour? I guess. Where's that? Rice? I barely made it myself.
All right. The ammunition in this world
if he's done, win from us. Maybe he can hear us yell
altogether
right
over there.
Right.
There's no future in this Mac. You know that.
Yeah, I know.
Ma
oh,
we've got to go now,
go back.
They're just enough to make press Kyle no more.
Ok. Dusty. Take her up to 7000 and turn her back
mcfarland to Miller and Fitch.
See you back in pre
K
to
stay close
fire.
Uh
What's the difference?
You had your head off and nobody pays any attention to you.
So, what's the difference?
Just gotta keep walking in a straight line. That's all
walking around in C
Yeah,
just keeping a straight line
like this.
Is she
a pretty smart guy. A
regular old Daniel Boone.
You don't need no bushes, no trees.
You just follow these tracks back to camp
and go to sleep
because sleep is the most important thing.
The whole wide world,
man.
No.
What do you know?
Round and round we go where we step. Nobody knows.
Do
sorry.
And when a merry go round,
great big, beautiful merry go round with
free ice cream.
Ch
Lizza.
I
can't see anything Julie,
you know, something smart guy
like everybody else and expect to live forever.
You're afraid to die because you don't know anything about it
that you catch.
Ha
I'm just gonna sit
down here for a little while
right here.
Rest a little.
I can walk just so far. You know,
it's hard on his feet.
It is
just plain easy.
I'm just
gonna lie here and think.
But
Margaret
a far better, Mary go around.
You don't need any picture to remember. Margaret.
Oh Frank, I can't hit a thing.
It's ridiculous. Oh, sure. You can.
You just stop looking at me. Pay attention to what you're doing.
But I'd rather look at you.
I really shouldn't have this. Don't make me chubby. I like chubby girls.
They look like they enjoy living.
It makes my eyes look Chinese.
It was your idea.
But I wanted you to have a picture of me.
I don't need a picture to remember what you look like. If I was 10 jillion miles away,
I'd always remember.
Oh, Frank. Don't be so dramatic.
So
I have always,
yes.
Hey,
even if it isn't clear, it will be by the time we get up there,
Montreal wide open
wind west 25 Quebec scattered clouds
thought a break up here in an hour or so.
What more do you want? I wish we knew what the weather was en route.
Mcmullin says the area's plenty tough to find.
Once you get past those mountains, it practically all looks alike.
I'm for going right now. We'll find it somehow. How do you feel about us? Tutsi?
I think we ought to take a crack at it.
We get lost. It won't be the first time for any of us. We'll fly a white v
odd man stuck for the lead.
Looks like I'm in.
Hey, Rip Van Winkle. Wake up. We're going places. Come on.
I'm all excited. You got trouble.
Stasi, what's up?
We can't get the carburetor heat to come up proper in the right engine.
We're not Deri in
the whole assembly.
It'll take us about two hours working in the cold. What do you want to do? Two hours?
Can't you get up any heat at all? A little? But she may ice up on you,
whatever is customary.
We'll take her like she is. It's your neck.
If we find Dooley tonight, I will buy us a bottle of liquor and we will get drunk. A man.
We got to do something about these windshields.
We wouldn't be able to see Dooley. Now, if we ran right over him,
just take it easy. See relax.
I'll show you an old trick. When we get close to the searching area,
you got your hunting knife with you.
Yeah.
What about it?
Just relax.
Don't get impatient.
A razor would be better
if you want me to cut my throat. The answer is no,
it's an old trick we learned when we were flying Fords and Stenson
for. They had all these new fangled heating tubes.
You mean
you want to reach out and around and scrape the frost off with my knife.
You reach out and around.
I do.
That's right. My friend.
Just. How cold do you figure it is outside?
I don't know.
Temperature gauges. Stop at 40 below zero.
I imagine.
I imagine it's close to 70.
Couldn't be much colder than that.
No. Couldn't be much colder than that.
Relax.
What's the matter? Are you afraid of freezing your hand off?
Oh, no, not at all.
I'm just afraid it might get a little drafty in here for you. If I open the window
won't inconvenience me a bit,
I'll just go back and snuggle down with
Wilson till you're through with the scraping.
All right guys,
we're coming up on the searching area,
spread out
Willy moon
bound in spirit to certain other men
because they had all long fought the same Heavens.
Spanish flight is more than a lifetime career.
It is the reason for living and perhaps for dying in the way of your choice.
Jh Hand
part of a tight communion.
Not enough hatred among these men to fill a poison thimble
because it is difficult
to hate so impersonal an enemy as the weather
stutts,
sunny Harper
and Joe
waiting,
listening for a sound. Any sound.
Because when one of your kind is down,
it becomes so important to the age old battle
that he rise again.
They usually say something about
how good a guy was when they do this.
Well, it seems to me that
that's for strangers.
There's no strangers here.
It's just
about one thing to be said.
We can do the rest of it with thinking
Frank was a good pilot
that takes in a lot of things.
There's some
psalm about
a shepherd but I don't know it.
So I think maybe we better
say something. We all know like
our father
of art in heaven.
Hallowed be thy name
the kingdom come.
I will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
forgive us, our trust.
We
forgive those
now.
Hey,
darling.
But deliver us reliever
for thine is the kingdom
power
the glory
forever and ever.
I'm in.
Mm
I,
I'm sorry. I
was so excited.
All right kid.
I
guess we can go now.
Nothing more we can do
so on,
on a lake. About five miles long. What lake?
That one,
that one
you can see 100 miles.
But the wing spread of an airplane
may be only 100 ft,
like, looking for a chip of wood
in the middle of an ocean.
I
think we're practically over the area.
I'm going to tell him to build a big fire.
Wilson.
Did you hear anything yet?
Nothing.
Nothing. Huh.
He might not be putting out in the regular way, you know?
I know I've got the volume turned all the way up.
Maybe he's using the emergency outfit,
you know, the one that you're Craig.
I'm listening for that too.
What do you say? We give him another call?
I hate to try too often.
I can't hear him if I'm sending.
Well, try it anyway. That's a chance we got to take,
tell him to build a great big fire and keep it going.
It's them,
it's, them,
they must be somewhere near us now. Are they louder than the first time?
Yeah, much louder. They said build a big fire and keep it going.
Anything else?
Yeah.
They said
take it to you.
Well, don't they want any bearings, aren't you going to send them an answer?
Isn't with that? I got to warm up my figures.
Well, get them good and warm boy, Stankowski and Murray,
get out and pile all that lousy wood on the fire, pour some engine oil over it.
Maybe you can get some besides white smoke
and bring that coffee grinder down.
Well, aren't you gonna answer them?
We gotta think this out. Yeah.
And while we're thinking they'll probably be going away from us. I know it,
but we've only got a little power left in our batteries
and if I hold my key down there won't be any left in a few minutes.
I think it would be better if we took bearings on them.
Are you sure?
You gotta be sure. Boy.
No, I'm not sure.
I think our batteries will hold longer when we tell them which direction to fly.
All right,
that's the way you want it.
That's the way we'll play it.
It
was,
here's where we shoot the works in.
I got it.
He's weak but I got it.
He was to take bearings on us.
Says the fly 130 degrees. Now,
one that's behind us.
That's what he says.
He'll get
be
it
up,
turn to 140 Ralph.
We know we,
we're right on your tail. Willie. Well, don't be spread up and keep your eyes open.
Hey, Willie. Slow down a bit. Will you? Our right engine keeps icing up.
We can't stay with you.
You're pumping alcohol?
Are you kidding?
This ship smells like a brewery right now.
We'll stay with you somehow.
Well, just stay in the air. That's all I ask.
Hey, Willie.
I got him again.
Turn to 150 degrees. Now,
when the cold is sure killing this bird dog,
did you hear my dynamo a minute ago?
It's plenty sick.
How much we got left in the bank? Where about? How did I think
the last message said that we're having magnetic compass trouble.
Want us to send bearings constantly.
I wish we could do it. So do I,
they're still getting way up to the north.
Must be strong winds up there.
Give me a new bearing. 160 degrees.
No berry
160 degrees.
How does he sound
weaker?
He can't last much longer.
Wow. We,
now this fire ain't doing any good up here. Come on.
Let's drag it down by the ship where I can see it better.
Yeah. Grab the big piece.
Hey, Stan, hold on a minute.
Listen,
question.
Do you hear anything?
No, I don't hear nothing.
I swear. I heard an airplane.
I guess I didn't hear anything stana.
I guess it was
just that I wanted to hear something so bad.
They'll find them pretty soon. Time and gasolines are wasting
470 gallons left that leaves us about a half hour.
You see something?
Yeah, way over there to the northeast. It could be, have a look at it.
I could have sworn, but it was just a little island with another tree on it.
A no bearing 170 degrees.
Ok.
They're
working around in a big circle coming in the back way.
Getting any louder.
Yeah, a lot.
They're knocking my ears off.
Thank God,
I am pl
Billy.
Wait a minute,
Billy.
What's the matter?
We've had
nothing more at all.
Maybe once more.
That'll really be it.
I'll tell him to lesson on 500 kilocycles. The emergency at that
coffee grinder.
I'll try
that. I put on your gloves. Boy.
Get going on that
c grinder.
Hit it hard.
Hey, Joe.
Oh, we can get his bum music on 500. We couldn't hear Dooley's emergency set.
If he did crank it
as that big station in Montreal, it's spilling over. Nothing we can do about it.
We must be practically sitting on top of him.
We gotta be, maybe when the sun goes down, we'll be able to see better
when the sun goes down. It will be too late.
Gonna have trouble getting back to Pre
Kyle as it is.
Is this doing any good?
Are you sure they're listening on this frequency?
I don't know.
I try to tell him
but it was the last of our batteries
they didn't acknowledge,
couldn't they acknowledge? Ordinarily?
Yeah, they would
just keep cracking and
brilliant.
A
boy.
Right
on
big moment.
Sorry,
he didn't even turn once.
They didn't even see the smoke.
They were coming right over us.
They didn't see
us.
Oh,
I my,
I guess we're awful hard to see Donnie,
harder than we thought.
Awful heart.
I'm sorry to call you men here directly from your ships. I know you're very tired
but we got to decide our next step tonight.
Then you can all hit the San
Willie.
I believe your ship is the first one to contact Dooley. What time was that?
What was your position?
That was around three o'clock? We were an hour north of the mountains
that would put you approximately
100 and 80 miles north of the mountains.
Your guess is as good as mine.
Compass just won't stand still in that country.
We had the same trouble
but your radio operators who duly answer the first time mine did the first time,
but from then on you couldn't hear a thing with that Montreal station,
knocking everything off the air.
Can't you shut that station up? It'll be shut up.
You covered a certain area anyway, which we can possibly eliminate because
if Dooley had been there, one of you would have seen him.
Mm.
I'm not so sure,
you know, Colonel, I hate to say this. I hate to even admit it.
Uh,
although I'm pretty sure the others feel the same way about it.
Maybe I shouldn't even talk at all because we were the only ship
that never heard a word out of Dooley one way or the other.
But
I would just like to say that for the first time since I started flying,
which was a long time ago.
I don't know where I've been.
Did you keep track of your courses? What about your dead reckoning? Colonel?
I'm laughing.
Anybody that can hold an accurate course in that country up there is a genius
and he's getting considerable help from God to boot.
What are you suggesting
we got to do something?
Go up there at night
strictly on the stars.
Plot one fix right after another. Keep some idea where we are all the time
plan to arrive over the area just before dawn.
If Dooley hears our engines, he'll shoot up a flare and we'll see it.
Why can't you see him better in the daytime?
Well, that country all looks alike,
which is probably what Dooley didn't realize when he said he was on a lake.
There's 10 billion of them.
You got to remember, colonel that Dooley's trying to think with a frozen brain.
It's close to 70 below up there.
And at this point of the game, he's probably not acting very logically.
I don't know where Dooley is,
but my guess is that we passed very close to
him about 10 minutes after he sent the last burning.
How close? I haven't any idea.
We asked him to build a fire
and you didn't see any smoke? No,
if there was any smoke
anywhere below you or on the horizon,
isn't it likely you would have seen it?
Normally
there's a lot of geography up there to look at.
We were pretty high. Might be better to fly lower.
Spanish. Did you see anything?
How about you, George?
We thought we saw him,
we left the others but it turned out to be just a wild goose chase.
We got to narrow this down somehow.
You think you could have seen him if you've been very close,
say within 10 or 15 miles of the ship.
And I wouldn't like to say,
give me an opinion anyway.
It sure seems out of the question that we wouldn't have seen a fire.
Our combined visibility was 100 miles in all directions.
You're not answering my question.
Do you think you could have seen him?
Had you been very close, say within 10 or 15 miles of the ship?
I'm sorry. I think one of us would have seen him
that leaves us with a very tough choice.
We can either go back to the same area and search
again more carefully on the theory that you may have missed him
or
try an entirely new area
fuller.
When will it hit the search area?
I see.
And the route up
very good,
there's a new low pressure system forming over Hudson Bay.
It will hit dule in about 36 hours.
Oh,
that's swell.
This level will last for days.
Well,
which is it?
All right.
I can understand how you feel.
I'm inclined to believe that you would have seen him if you had been very close.
So it seems logical to strike that particular area off the books and try
searching along the same course, only further east, say about
50 or 100 miles.
Anyone violently opposed
Stetz idea of going up on the stars has a lot of merit. So let's try it.
We'll use every ship
so you can spread out. Why?
Tomorrow night
you have a good rest by then.
Because of the weather, you'll be cutting things pretty fine.
I need hardly point out to you that if we're so unfortunate as to miss him this time,
it's likely to be a little rough
on Dooley.
He's been up there six days, you know.
Yeah.
And he's getting hungry.
Hey, Stutts, you're supposed to call Operator 52 in New York.
They've been trying to get you all night. Ok. Come on, Sonny. I'm not through yet,
honey. Will you get me up right at 52 in New York.
It's probably one of your dolls.
52. You got a call for a Captain Stutts.
Yeah.
Probably wants me to get you to marry you.
Whatever's customary. Hello? Yeah. Speaking.
Oh.
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Your husband is duly navigating.
No, we haven't. We ought to find him tomorrow night though.
Yeah. Sure. I mean, it, we got some bearings on him today. I mean, yesterday I
keep forgetting it's already tomorrow. I can sort of sleepy, I guess.
No.
No, it's no trouble at all. It, don't you worry, we'll find him.
Oh, sure. He's warm.
Sure. They got all kinds of stuff to eat on those ships.
Charles
for the baby.
He's over his call.
Oh, sure. Sure. I'll tell him,
uh, is that all Mrs Murray? You still there?
Yes.
I'm here.
Just tell him that
we love him.
Columbus Murray,
Mr
Murray,
Mrs Murray,
and I'll tell him
no longer a pilot and navigator,
a radio man, an engineer.
Now four men
welded into one spirit
for hope can be murdered
and seldom the deep human strength of survival.
Every other urge becomes reduced to nothing
and so whole peoples may unite in desperation.
Yet this strength is as tricky as it is powerful.
It can become miserable. Panic if the leader falters
or a member of the unit says the wrong thing
at the wrong time
and all the strength can explode
and be gone
to
do we.
Are you asleep?
No,
I can't sleep.
I keep thinking,
keep trying. We got a lot to do tomorrow.
If the planes don't come back to me,
if they don't come back pretty soon,
they'll come back. You can depend on it.
But I've been thinking,
why should they come back to the same place?
They looked here and didn't see anything,
wouldn't they naturally look somewhere else tomorrow
just by the process of elimination,
wouldn't you?
If you were flying one of those planes,
they'll figure it out when they get back on the ground.
What we got to do is
going up, the bigger fire
go to sleep.
It'll be slow to get back to my wife
and Charles.
Yeah, it'll be swell.
But I'm gonna ask your wife if you keep her awake all night,
you're a lousy guy to sleep with
little Charlie keeps us up most of the night.
So he's yelling
or
something.
He's probably going through something right now.
I'll be glad you're here.
You're not kidding me, do we?
You sure they'll come back tomorrow,
I'm sure
try to get some sleep.
Gee, I miss my wife
and the kid.
And
you said they'd come today,
they didn't,
the wind's getting louder.
What's that mean?
I don't know.
But if it keeps up like this all night,
we're going to have a change of weather,
the weather's been good.
That means it'll be bad, doesn't
it?
Maybe we ought to crank the radio at night.
No, I don't think they'll try to come up at night
and save our strength for the day
tomorrow. Instead of sending straight signals.
Maybe you better tap out some kind of a message like
return to the same place.
Return to the same place. Get it.
How long could you keep that?
As long as the boys can grind?
But then we'll do it all day.
And then what?
And I guess we'll just need some rest.
Perhaps it would be better if we started walking out of here.
There doesn't seem to be anything to kill around this price
like everything was already dead.
Queens didn't come back. The weather was good. Shout out.
But do we might find a river or
a,
you said
now, listen carefully
all of you.
There's a boy up on that hill. Who didn't listen to me?
He's dead.
Our only chance is
right here.
They can't see that ship from the air.
They couldn't see us alone walking.
Yeah,
I'll shoot the first one of you who leaves the camp area,
I'll aim for your legs.
But I may miss and hit you in the back of the head either way serves you. Right?
Does everybody understand me?
Hm.
Have you ever hit your own kid?
Happy.
Yeah.
Hey mcmullin. Where are you
on top? Waiting for you?
About 14,000
that is just broke through beneath me.
Ok. Let's start climbing.
Hang on now. We're breaking through.
Vega looks good and I need one more shot
kind of early, ain't it?
Yes.
Let's start cranking same rotation as yesterday
and
the,
and light you up
then I'd be hot coffee. But
the ice.
Oh man,
that's all I got in me.
He's had it.
Ok? You take over
kid,
I'll have a go at it after that
Stankowski when you start breathing again,
get out the ship and break out the flares and the pistol.
That's where we'll need them.
We don't want to be running around looking for anything.
That's right.
We don't want to be running around
badly on a full stomach.
Ok, guys,
this is it.
I hope
we're going down to see what we can see.
Stand by
dus, you better watch those hills. Some of them stick up pretty high.
Well, if you not listen to studs.
Keep your eye on that needle all the time.
Wilson,
you listen in at 500 kilocycles. I am.
Well, listen with false ears.
Don't tell me, say it isn't. So you're not getting excited.
Me excited. Everything's under control.
Hey, studs. Where are you?
Don't bother me.
Steps. Are you in the clear yet?
I do
stand by.
We're getting a few breaks.
Hey, guys,
the valley,
the tops of the hills are just in the clouds. Find yourself a hole or
on down.
Not for us
sty. We gotta go
only 450 gallons left.
Oh, wow. We waiting to say something. Get going.
Hey, too, Stets. See you back in pre
K.
Good luck.
Hey, fellas. Hey, hey, I've got him. I've got him for the love of Mike. I've got him.
Where, Mike? Where do you see him?
No, no. On your radio, on your compass.
Listen, you hear the signal.
Look at your needle, look at his spin.
It's 40 degrees quick turn and let's get going.
He's sending a message. Shut up and listen.
He says to return to the same place. There ain't nothing.
No,
no, no. You better keep those signals up or we'll miss them again.
Maybe
we crank it too often.
Now we got to keep doing it.
We got it.
Well, let's just take a little breather
studs.
I guess we'll have to go.
Yes.
Yeah,
I'll see you around.
Hey, Ma
have you heard anything lately?
No, nothing of you.
No.
Hey, wait, wait, wait,
he's on again. He's on boys.
30 degrees 10 left.
You see it?
He's knocking my ears off.
On
Polish.
Theism is time.
Have a hand.
Where
had I thought
maybe I'm seeing things
that course hold at 30 degrees.
I said,
plus
there's, the car
says
guys,
oh, bless their pointy little heads.
Time.
I like it.
I find the letter here.
He says my mother is all right.
Listen,
thank God we found you.
Hit Marie,
your wife phone and
let him watch his neighbors over his cold.
Just get planes.
Take you all out soon. Who do
your wife and kids are waiting for you?
I know what's wrong down here.
They can only four of us.
What is the make so
big like this?
Grab an arm full of
bows, make it fast.
That guy can't hang around there. My promise.
Hey, Dooley.
I didn't know you had a wife and kids.
Yeah.
Sex of.