The Sound Barrier Page #2

But of course you'll know it all.

I'll be able to shoot a line

about my new brother-in-law now.

Looks as if I'll need one.

You're a bit unhappy about

it all, aren't you, darling?

Oh, no. Not really.

Why don't you reapply for a ground job?

- What do you think Dad would say if I did that?

- Well, does it matter?

You know it does.

Anyway, I don't want to let him

down, Sue. Heaven knows I don't.

- Chris.

- Hm?

Would you let me talk to him?

No, thanks awfully, Sue. If anyone's

got to talk to him, I've got to.

As a matter of fact, I half thought

I might tackle him about it tonight.

Not about a ground job, I mean RAF ground

job, but, well, commandos or something.

- Commandos?

- I've got to show him it isn't a matter of guts.

Look, you're either born to fly or

you're not. I'm not. I'm really not.

Darling, you go downstairs and

give yourself another whisky,

then take him aside and

tell him how you feel.

- It's going to be jolly difficult.

- Well, I'll be there behind you.

Darling. I'd almost forgotten.

Come on, you two.

Here's to you both.

- To us.

- To us.

- Tell them that from me.

- Father.

I don't like it, JR. We may find the

Ministry will never agree to it at all.

If they want, we stop

production on the 696 altogether.

- Nervous?

- Nervous? I'm scared stiff.

- That'll be the second. Good night.

- Good night, JR.

Hello, Father.

Hello, Susan.

This is Tony.

So, this is Tony.

The DFC and Bar I know

about. What's the AFC for?

Oh, just for bumbling around.

They don't usually give that for bumbling around.

Well, I'm very glad to meet you at last, Tony.

I must say, I'm surprised

at Susan falling for a flyer.

Christopher, I've just had Fletcher on the

phone. He says he hopes you may go solo tomorrow.

- Yes, Dad, I know.

- Well done.

Who knows, we may make a pilot of you yet.

- What time is it to be?

- At 10:
30.

Hm. Well, let's go in.

You sit here, will you,

Tony? Place of honour.

- Quite a room, eh?

- Yes, quite a room.

I hope you like the pictures.

There's some of them quite well known.

Of course, Susan hates them all, I know that.

Yes, I sent her to Oxford to get an education

and all she comes back with is a passion for

donkey-tailed doves and modernistic music.

Where she gets her tastes from, I don't

know. Certainly not from me or her mother.

Mother liked modern music very much.

First I've heard of it. If she

did, she didn't let on to me.

- No.

- This is lobster Dominique,

a sort of speciality de la maison.

No, not for Mr Christopher.

He's flying tomorrow.

Fletcher says young Jackson's

gone solo after six hours.

Yes, he's rather good.

Is this fellow running a sort of

flying kindergarten over there, sir?

Just the two boys.

Jackson, that's my head of airframes,

his son's waiting to go into the RAF too,

so I've let Fletcher take him on as well.

Won't do them any harm

to get a start, eh, Tony?

No, you'll probably shatter your RAF

instructor by going solo in about 20 minutes.

That's right, something like that

won't look so bad on the record.

14 hours wouldn't have been so good.

That's the noise we heard this afternoon.

It comes from the test-beds, doesn't it?

Yes, I heard you were asking questions.

Well, I tell you what. I'm giving

this party down at the works,

and on our way, well, you're

a member of the family now.

I don't suppose it'll do any harm for

you to have a look at our little secret.

I think it's the most

exciting sound I've ever heard.

It isn't only the sound

that's exciting, Tony boy.

- Evening, Joe.

- Good evening, JR.

- How's the missus?

- That stuffs done her good.

- Told you it would. Good evening, Mike.

- Good evening, JR.

Hm. Put up the lights.

- What the heck is it, sir?

- It's the aircraft engine of the future.

- Where's the propeller?

- There is no propeller.

- How does it keep the aircraft in the air, then?

- By propulsion.

- Propulsion?

- Yes. Jet propulsion.

Come on, I'll show you.

You two had better stay there.

- By the way, don't call me sir.

- What do I call you?

Susan calls me father, Chris calls

me Dad. You can take your choice.

Now, this is something quite extraordinary.

Like all great inventions, from the

wheel to radar, perfectly simple.

Yes, I know it looks complicated,

but the beauty is how little there is

to it and how much power comes out of it.

Now, there's a fan here in

the front which draws in air.

- The air's heated here with paraffin.

- Paraffin?

Ordinary paraffin.

Hot air blows out here at the end.

It comes out at such terrific force

that that alone drives the aircraft.

- Who invented it? One of your men?

- No, a chap called Whittle.

- Whittle? Englishman?

- Yes.

We aren't the only firm working on them.

De Havilland and Rolls are ahead of us.

Excuse me.

Well, Susie, how do you like our new toy?

- What did you think of that, Chris lad?

- Wizard, wasn't it?

- Wizard, Dad.

- Come on, we'll be late for the party.

- Good night, Joe.

- Good night, JR.

- I'll get out now. Are you ready for the joyride?

- Yes.

- Sure you wouldn't like another circuit with me?

- No, thanks.

You'd rather not have me bawling

in your ear, eh, I suppose?

- Are we in time, Chris?

- Bang on.

Thanks for coming.

Is that your rival?

Yes.

Good approach.

- Good morning, Fletcher.

- Morning.

- Come and have some food with us afterwards.

- I'd love to.

- All set?

- There's nothing to it.

All the best, darling.

By the way, Ridgefield, just for once

you can make any sort of landing you like.

I'm going to have a drink. Only try to get

her down in one piece, there's a good chap.

A very bad turn.

Hm, better.

Hasn't he learned anything at all?

He'll be all right. You

can't get hurt from those.

Sue!

- Chris!

- Sue! Sue, stay here!

What about that?

Oh, that's fantastic.

- This the future 901?

- That's it.

- What's her landing speed?

- It's high at the moment, but we're working on it.

Well, I have to go to the works at 1:00

so I shan't be back before your train goes,

so I'll say goodbye now.

Goodbye, Tony, it's nice to have

you in the family. Especially now.

Well, it's nice being in the family.

- Come and see me again soon.

- I will.

You... You know how I feel

about this awful business.

Mm.

Fletcher on the phone today said he'd not have

caught fire if he hadn't forgotten to switch off.

- Heaven knows he had plenty of time.

- Here, I'm awfully sorry.

- What are your plans for after the war?

- Plans?

I only ask because if you've nothing definite in

mind, there's always a job at Ridgefields for you.

Well, what sort of a job?

- You mean... test pilot?

- Well, that's the thing I had in mind.

Well, don't say anything now. Think it over.

You've plenty of time.

- Well, goodbye, Sue.

- Goodbye, Father.

Write to me and let me know.

- Would you like a drink, darling?

- No, thank you.

Ridgefield Tower, this is Glass Jar 1

- 0.

I've just crossed the coast at

Seaford Head, descending through cloud.

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