The Sound Barrier Page #8

This time we'll try a dive.

35 degrees.

Here we go again. Starting dive... now.

Maximum revs.

0.91.

Slight buffeting.

0.92.

She's pitching a bit. Still buffeting.

0.93. Nose very heavy now.

Trimming back.

Port wing dropping. Correcting.

0.94. Still under control.

Nine-five.

Nose still going down.

Air brakes open, throttling back.

Second run completed.

Can a vision be evil, Sue? Can it? Can it?

I shouldn't have said that.

It's a terrible thing to make a man

doubt everything he's ever lived for.

If I've killed them both for nothing.

Well, it can't be true, can it? Can it?

Ridgefield Tower, this is 1-4. 40,000 again.

All right. Third and last, steepest

possible, dive. Full throttle.

Here we go.

Nine-four.

Nine-five.

Buffeting.

Nine-six.

Nine-seven.

Nine-eight.

Out of control.

25,000 feet.

Air brakes on, throttling back.

Pulling out of dive.

Ridgefield Tower, this is 1-4.

Nose heavy again. I couldn't trim out,

I had to use the air brakes to pull out.

All right. Clear to land now. Runway 3-0.

1-4, negative. I've got an idea I

want to try out. I'm going up again.

Ridgefield Tower, this is 1-4.

40,000 feet.

I think I can beat this nose-heavy

business by reversing the controls.

Anyway, I'm going to try.

I won't be a moment.

All right, here we go.

Increasing speed.

Nine-four.

Nine-five.

Buffeting.

Nine-six.

Nine-seven.

Nine-eight.

She's out of control.

Nine-nine!

Mach One!

I'm putting the stick forward.

She's coming up!

Throttling back.

It's sticking.

I did it! I did it!

1-4 to Tower.

On fourth run, Mach meter showed 1...

.. point 01.

Corrected nose-heavy trim

by putting the stick forward.

Have you got that? Stick forward.

I'm landing now.

He's got through.

It's all right. He's got through.

You'll...

You'll do me a favour, will you?

Of course.

You don't tell anyone what happened

in this office this afternoon.

Do you think I would?

I say. A chap called Sound just looked in.

He's absolutely livid with you, old boy. He

says he's going to bump his speed up next time.

Oh good, I've found you in.

- Hello darling. I...

- Look at this.

- We've got to make up our mind now.

- Look, darling...

Do you think the colour's too much? Cos they've

got a sort of beigey colour with stripes, and I...

Well, it seemed a bit dull to me, but...

Look, darling, pay attention.

This is very important.

- Is it all right?

- Yes, I'm sorry, darling. Yes, it's fine.

Good, that's lovely. I'll

be able to get back in time.

Well, bye-bye, darling. See you at home.

Hm.

I thought I heard a car. I

wondered if it could be you.

He has the look of Tony.

His eyes.

- What's that?

- It's the moon.

I never knew it could look so unfriendly.

It's an unfriendly universe.

Do you believe that?

Unfriendly only because it's

unconscious of our existence. 12

- That's a depressing conception.

- Doesn't depress me.

In our fight with the universe,

it gives us the advantage.

Must it always be a fight?

Well, I think it must. It wasn't for nothing

we were given so many weapons to fight with.

- Such as?

- Imagination, for one thing.

Which some people call vision, don't they?

Yes, some people do.

And I suppose another weapon is courage.

- Daddy, why didn't you tell me?

- Tell you what?

How alone you must have been.

Even Will had more imagination than...

I am sorry.

You've no need to be.

- I must put John to bed.

- Yes.

- He's no right to be up as late as this.

- And you mustn't keep your car waiting.

The car's gone, Father.

We've come home.

Hm.

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