The Right Stuff Page #2

Slow down, Gordo.

Come on now, you're scaring the girls.

You're scaring the girls. You are!

Come on, Trudy.

Who's the best pilot you ever saw?

Who's the best pilot you ever saw?

You're looking at him, baby.

Come on, cheer up.

Hey, have I ever let you down?

Hi there, pops.

Pancho's, eh? Damn, look who's here.

Deke, that's 62 men...

in the last 36 weeks.

You know what that averages?

Is that Gus Grissom from Langley Field?

What is an ace like you

doing in a place like this?

Well, if it ain't Hot Dog.

Gordo...

- Cooper, right?

- Yeah.

Gordo thinks he's one of those

hot-dog pilots you hear so much about.

You got a short memory.

I am not one of them hot-dog pilots.

I am the Hot Dog Man himself.

I guess you're too shy to tell this guy

how I used to wax your tail.

Wax my tail?

Hot Dog, you were just in my shadow.

That's where you'll always be.

What are you two rookies going to have?

Rookies?

Now hold on, sis.

You are looking

at a whole new ballgame here now.

In a few years I bet you're even

going to immortalize us...

by putting our pictures up there

on your wall.

Did I say something wrong?

I'll tell you. We got two categories

of pilots around here.

We got your prime pilots

that get all the hot planes.

And we got your pudknockers

who dream about getting the hot planes.

Now what are you two pudknockers

going to have?

Scotch.

You know what happened!

The machine broke.

It didn't, it's the man.

He was dead before he went up.

Don't talk about it here.

Good one. Now fire it in here.

Look at old Yeager.

On top of the pyramid

for five goddamn years.

Every time somebody goes faster,

he just goes up again.

He stays the fastest man alive.

You know...

sometimes...

all it takes is just the sound

of a truck starting.

I think:

"That's the crash truck."

Anyway...

I'm really glad we could talk.

I thought I was the only one

who had these nightmares.

Yeah. Me, too.

Nobody ever wants to talk

about anything around here.

Everybody's always trying to...

"maintain an even strain."

Well, you marry a fighter jock

and you marry the military.

I'll tell you one thing.

The military owes me for all this.

One day I expect the military

to make good.

Well, it sure ain't your average dull life.

I went East for a reunion...

and all my friends could talk about

was their husbands' work.

How dog-eat-dog and cutthroat it was

on Madison Avenue...

places like that.

Cutthroat?

I wondered how they would have felt...

if each time their husband

went in to make a deal...

there was a one in four chance

he wouldn't come out of the meeting.

I'm going home to my folks in San Diego.

What did Gordo say?

He "maintained an even strain."

Look at them.

You'd think they were talking

about sports.

Men...

Sometimes they're just such... a**holes.

Sometimes they sure are

handy a**holes, though.

Yeah, sometimes...

Sometimes.

You want a hot dog?

I'm leaving, Gordo.

Look at that!

Yeah, that's the D-558 Phase Two.

Scott Crossfield.

It sure as hell is. Jesus!

He scorched that one, didn't he?

He's pushing the outside of the envelope.

He must be going for a record.

He's shooting for Mach 2, I heard.

On the 50th anniversary

of the Wright Brothers' historic flight...

another historic flight takes place

as Scott Crossfield...

streaks across the skies

over the high desert in California.

Mach 2.

Almost 1,500 miles per hour...

and a new world record!

It's a field day for the press.

Congratulations come

from a previous record holder...

as he shakes the hand

of the fastest man alive, Scott Crossfield.

And there's a comradeship of speed.

To Scott Crossfield, the fastest man alive.

To the D-558 Phase Two.

I'll tell you a quick one.

The one about the newlyweds...

who didn't know the difference

between Vaseline and putty.

All their windows fell out.

Compliments of Pancho's, Scotty.

The real test wasn't Mach 2.

I guess that demon lives out

at about 2.3 on your Mach meter.

Yeah, but Mach 2 was the magic number.

Like 60 homers, like batting.400,

like the four-minute mile.

The press likes a nice round number.

After that, they don't care,

until the next magic number.

You need more than speed records.

You need coverage.

Coverage?

You mean them root weevils

that crawl around popping off cameras?

Those root weevils write history.

Let them write the history,

and let the pilots fly the planes.

Pilots.

You know what really makes

your rocket ships go up?

The aerodynamics would take

so long to explain to you that...

Funding.

That's what makes your ships go up.

I'll tell you something.

And you guys, too.

No bucks, no Buck Rogers.

Whoever gets the funding

gets the technology.

Whoever gets the technology stays on top.

Flyboy, let's dance.

I'll drink to that.

He'll be going after Crossfield soon,

won't he?

No, he won't.

He'll be going after that demon

that lives in the thin air.

You got any Beemans?

Even before you hit Mach 2,

she'll be unforgiving on you.

So take it easy.

Wring her out a little bit this time.

You got any gum?

Yeah, I got me a stick.

Loan me some. I'll pay you back later.

- Fair enough.

- Thank you.

Okay, drop her.

All right, here we go again.

Drop!

Number 3 coming on.

Got seven seconds on 150 right now.

I've got you in sight, Chuck.

Going out of sight...

now!

Mach 1.

Number 4.

Here goes Mach 2.

2. 1.

Sorry, Scotty.

You got her now, buddy.

You can ease it back.

Bring it on in.

I'm pushing the envelope.

See where that demon lives.

Come in, Chuck.

Say again. Over.

Do you read? Over.

Damn! He's uncorked it!

Mayday! Mayday!

Alert all ground crews.

Talk to me!

Mayday! Mayday! Alert the ground crews.

Come in!

Do you read me? Over.

I'm fighting bad here.

I'm down to 25,000 over Tehachapi.

I don't know if I can make it

back to base or not.

What happened?

Think I must have bust the canopy

with my head.

I'm getting okay now.

We sure chased that old demon this time.

That's as fast as a man can go.

What's next, Ridley?

It's called Sputnik.

We know. Sit down.

And as I was saying...

whoever controls

the high ground of space...

will control the world.

The Roman Empire controlled

the world because it could build roads.

Later, the British Empire was dominant

because it had ships.

In the air stage, we were powerful

because we had the airplane.

Now the Communists have established

a foothold in outer space.

Soon they'll have space platforms

to drop nuclear bombs on us...

like rocks from a highway overpass.

How the hell did they get ahead of us?

Gentlemen, I think we're ready.

Is there a loose plug over there anywhere?

Here it is. I'll get it.

Senator Johnson's right.

This is Armageddon.

The decisive battle

between the forces of good and evil.

We're engaged in a struggle for survival.

This footage was assembled from...

sources operating under deep cover

at great risk.

Very great!

We're fortunate this material

did not perish with a couple of men.

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