03x07 - Eagles

[bunniefuu]

I'm a lady who lives out on a limb.

A limb can break under you, you know.

I lost something last night,

and I think maybe you found it.

I want to race.

Only if I can arrange the proper protection.

I'm not crazy about the idea of k*lling her.

Either you take her down,
or she takes us down.

Roan?

Cole! What are you doing here?

I was picking up a few things
before I headed up to Reno.

What were you doing in the old man's office?

You know, he left this afternoon.

I know. I left him a note.

I wanted to visit some
friends up in Lake Tahoe.

You could've told him in Reno tomorrow.

Oh, I will. I just wanted to make it
official. You know, put it in writing.

Are you going out?

- Yeah.
- Okay.

- Hi.
- Good evening.

You got that plane ready to race tomorrow?

Always. How about the Sea Fury?

I just had it overhauled.

I got a place special on my mantle

where I gotta set that big, huge trophy

that's gonna say:
"Reno Air Races, st Place."

Is that so? Afraid I might have
something to say about that.

Yeah, I know.

But since we drew different heats,

so maybe I'll see you in the finals.

I'll be there if you are.

Good luck.

Yeah, this is Security.

We better contact Mr. Stappleford.

We got a problem.

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen,

and welcome to the nd
Annual Reno Air Races.

This is going to be the biggest
and the best event ever.

We have heats of racing in classes:

Formula, AT- , Sports Biplane and Unlimited.

We have dozens of exhibits featuring
aircraft from every era of flying.

You'll be entertained by the
world-famous Blue Angels,

the Army's Golden Knights Parachute Team,

the extraordinary Christen
Eagles Acrobatic Flight Team,

and from Canada, the Snowbirds.

You can see the planes gathering
at the far end of the field.

Once again this year,

we have the most competitive
group of planes in our history,

so the racing should be spectacular.

They're moving for the taxiways.

We'll be ready to start soon.

Some of the competitors
are already airborne.

There goes Jacobs in the # silver Mustang.

And that's Harris in his P- ,
which he calls the Phantom.

Would you look at that?

You know, this show keeps
getting bigger every year.

Don't you just love those old airplanes?

You know, it is kind of fun to just

to do some real old-time
cruising in a low-tech plane.

Hey remember, I'm boot’n her back.

I'm gonna show you the
old Santini snap roll.

Yeah, I remember the last time you
did that, you lost your spaghetti.

Oh, I'll give you a sh*t.

Hey, look at that! Wow!

Hey, hey! Isn't this great?

Just like the county fair.

I don't know. Looks a little crowded to me.

Oh, come on, you know you love racing.

Come on, the heats are ready
to start up. Let's go.

All the planes are airborne now.

Once they're warmed up, they'll
move into starting position.

They're lining up now, Keep your eye
on the starter at the south pylon.

And they're off!

It's a good start.

Jumping into the early lead
is Clemens in a P- ,

then Rogers in an AT- ,

Jacobs in a Mustang, Harper in a Sea Fury

and Carver in a Mustang.

That's Carver moving to rd, now
challenging Harper's Sea Fury.

But Clemens still leads in his P- .

Now Carver's slipped into nd.

That P- is really moving today.

Jacobs has got his silver
Mustang right down to the deck,

taking the low line around.

Final lap, ladies and gentlemen.

The checkered flag is waving!

It's Clemens and Carver!
Clemens and Carver!

Yes! Carver! Down under and home quick.

It's Roan Carver in the P-
Mustang to win the first heat.

Did you see that move?

Yeah. It's called skill.

No kid’n.

Come on, let's go check out
that Stappleford plane, eh?

I'm sure you'd all like to meet the man

whose company designed and built the X- .

The President of Stappleford
Industries, Lou Stappleford.

For those of you who have not yet heard,

the X- has just been certified

as a low-level surveillance
and support aircraft.

The Air Force has asked us
to start building of them.

This craft represents the highest level

of aeronautical conception and design.

It is built entirely of Prylon,

a composite that enables it
not only to be bulletproof,

but to have extreme stealth capabilities

against any modern radar systems.

Mr. Charles Crane here, our Chief Engineer,

will answer any of your non-classified
questions as best he can.

As for myself, I can only say

that as the owner of Stappleford Aircraft,

I am filled with pride that our
dream, this fantastic flying machine,

will now become a regular part
of our national defense.

Thank you.

Hey, there's somebody's hand
over here I gotta shake.

I'm sure we're all proud

to have your new plane
as part of America's defense.

I'd now like to introduce
you to the individual

who led the design team for the X- .

Hello.

Are you the one who was flying this baby?

That's right, Mr…

Oh, I'm Stringfellow Hawke.

That's a mouthful.

This is Dominic Santini.

Hi! That was some kind of fly’n…

Roan Carver.

Thanks.

This Mustang, do you own it?

Me and the bank.

Well, I gotta go. Nice talk’n to you.

Miss Carver.

It is Miss?

Always.

I just wanted to congratulate you again.

I've gotta go check the race schedules.

Maybe I'll see you later.

That was a hell of a line, String.

I used it myself back in .

Are there any questions?

When will the production on the X- begin,

and what kind of skills are you looking for?

Well, we start in weeks.

And we're looking for
the usual aircraft skills.

It's a very broad-based workforce.

Anybody else?

Yeah, I'd like to know about your plans…

Hey, boss.

Roan, I lost something last night,

and I think maybe you found it.

Lou, I really can't talk now.
I've got a lunch date.

Come on, cheer up, will you?

The lady said she may see us later.

What are you talk’n about?

Listen, hey, don't play games
with me. I'm not blind, you know.

That lady pilot really tumbled your gyros.

No big thing.

Listen to him.

Promise me something, will ya?

That if I tell you that
the lady's com’n back,

you won't turn around so fast that
you'll hurt yourself, will ya?

Is she?

Did you say you wanted to buy me lunch?

I didn't, but I will.

Stop begging. I'll go.

Something wrong with your legs?

Looks as if we're gonna
be playing some games.

Get your cameras ready,
ladies and gentlemen.

Here come the Blue Angels again!

How about that, folks?

Let's hear it for the Blue Angels.

So you run an air service?

What do you do?

Well, I work for a clandestine
government agency.

I have a top-secret aircraft
that I keep in a cave.

I live in a mountain cabin

and I have a dog that
looks up girls' dresses.

Unemployed, huh?

What do you do?

I'm a lady who lives out on a limb.

Limbs.

A limb can break under you, you know.

And they have. Often.

Momentarily, I'm one of Stappleford
Aircraft's test pilots.

So Stappleford Aircraft picks up
the racing costs for your Mustang?

My Mustang and also a Sea Fury.

Well, if you're gonna have
a sponsor, have a heavyweight.

You win very many races
with that sweet old w*r bird?

A few.

Of course, I figure I win every
time I pull those wheels up.

The lady's a gypsy.

It's true.

But it's a tough act to keep
on the road these days.

Gets tougher every year.

Oh, the Mustang looks plenty quick
enough to stay ahead of most of ‘em.

It is, and it does.

May we have your attention, please?

All race pilots still in the competition,

please report to the Officials' Tent.

That's me. Gotta go. Thanks for lunch.

Say,

you gonna be around later on?

Listen for the sound of breaking limbs.

You get a feel’n that lady
is walk’n a narrow line?

You noticed that too, huh?

You know what I'm think’n?

What?

I'm think’n that you're think’n

that this place isn't so crowded anymore.

You know, now that you mention it,

it does look like it
thinned out a little bit.

Roan, I think we better talk.

I was rather surprised
to see you here today,

but I guess you figured

that I wouldn't notice the tapes were
missing until after this weekend.

That was the general idea.

So when I came early to the air
show, you grabbed the test data.

But you see, my people checked
the company on Friday night.

So Roan, I'll take those tapes, please.

I can't, Lou.

Not until you agree to my terms.

You don't have the experience
to know what happened.

You don't have the expertise.

Come off it, Lou! I'm a damn good
test pilot, and you know it.

Yes, I know that.

I'm the one that gave you the
chance to prove it, remember?

No one else would hire a lady jet jockey.

No, you're the only one in the business,

and I'm the one that got you there.

I know that, and I'm grateful.
I've always been grateful.

Then why don't you show
it? Oh, my God, Roan.

We have worked years to get where we are.

This contract is the entire
future of Stappleford Aircraft.

And the jobs of , people

you're putting that in
jeopardy, don't you see that?

Don't you think I know that?

I haven't thought about
anything else for days.

Ask me to do anything else
for you Lou, and I would.

But I can't do this.

And you can't either. You've got
to do what's right and fix it.

Otherwise, I'll have to.

It's your move.

Now, ladies and gentlemen,

overhead is Lieutenant Commander
Ellis of the Blue Angels.

How's that for low-level aerobatics?

Doesn't she understand? We'll all be ruined!

Of course she understands.

But all of a sudden she's on a
crusade, Joan of Arc in a jumpsuit.

If we could just ship enough
planes to break even,

then we could find this
problem and report it.

Why don't I talk to her?

I can convince her the
chance of in-flight failure

is virtually zero.

We've tried everything else.

Go get her, will you?

The planes for heat
of the Unlimited class

are ready to race. And they're off!

Jumping out are Lasky in an AT-G

and Cole in the Stappleford Sea Fury.

Lasky still leads, but Cole's got
that Sea Fury wound up tight.

Look at Cole, right down to the
deck as he goes to the lead!

Stappleford Aircraft looks
tough to b*at today.

Hey, lady.

Mr. Stappleford's getting
a little impatient with you.

You okay?

That wasn't necessary.

Hey!

I can take care of myself.

Didn't look like that to me.

I'm not your concern.

Yeah? Well, don't take it so personal, lady.

I'd have done the same
thing for anybody else.

I'm not just anybody!

Hey, how about it, lady? darts for $ .

Try your luck, huh? How about you, mister?

Thank you.

All right.

You know, you may be one hell of a pilot,

but you're sure lacking in social graces.

I know that.

You do?

Yes, I do. I'm sorry, so forgive me, okay?

It's Cole the winner in
the Stappleford Sea Fury.

You know, you didn't
finish your lunch today.

Maybe you'd like to have
an early dinner, huh?

One condition.

What's that?

No questions about those guys back there.

What guys?

You mak’n any progress with our problem?

She's always been stubborn.
We just can't reason with her.

Listen, I'm the official
test pilot of record.

If she compromises me,
it could cost me dearly.

It could cost us all.

I win again.

Now, wait a minute.

Now who wins, huh?

I think you switched monkeys on me.

Hawke, will you answer one
question for me, honestly?

Sure.

Who are you, really?

Well, I told you.

I know. You fly some secret
w*apon that you keep in a cave

and you work for some secret agency

and you live with a dog on a mountain.

Level with me.

I told you. What I said was all the truth.

You almost make me believe that.

Well, believe it.

Why did you lie to me before?

I haven't lied.

Everything I said was the truth.

But you made it sound like a lie.

Well, yeah.

I can't really talk about it.

What about you?

What did you do before you
went to work for Stappleford?

I don't like to talk about what's behind me.

I don't either, unless
there's a good reason.

Is there?

What do you think?

Well, I grew up next to a
small airport in the Midwest,

hung around and got my
first plane ride at .

From then on, I knew exactly what
I wanted to do with my life.

I always hated feeling closed in,

and up there I felt so free.

So right.

Let me guess.

You soloed at .



Then worked my way up from there.

Multi-engines, jets.

I was working for an executive jet
charter when I met Mr. Stappleford.

He liked the way I handled
a little emergency we had,

so I asked for a test pilot tryout.

And the rest was aviation history?

Are you planning on leaving Mr. Stappleford?

Could be. I'm beginning to
feel a little crowded there.

I guess he wouldn't be
very happy about that, huh?

How do you figure that?

Well, those guys who were hassling you,

they had Stappleford's logo.

What guys?

Yeah. Right.

Well, Mr. Stringfellow Hawke,

I can see you didn't learn all
your moves in the cockpit.

You keep talking like that,

then you're gonna be a -point rollover.

There you go get’n gushy on me.

Gushy?

is my lucky number.

Let's just hope it's mine.

One hell of a housekeeper.

Where is it?

Your friends from Stappleford do this?

Probably.

Why?

They were looking for these.

What are they?

The cockpit computer tapes from the
test flight of Stappleford's X- .

Why do you have them?

I lifted them from Stappleford's
flight center night before last.

You lifted them?

Or you stole them?

Depends on how you look at it.

Cole was the test pilot of record,
but I flew the X- first.

So what do they mean?

They mean that the Air Force is
about to spend a billion dollars

on copies of the X-

and any or all of them could
suffer an in-flight failure.

That's pretty scary.

I really can't believe this.

One thing's for sure.

I'm not leaving you here tonight.

Stay with me.

The forceful type, huh?

Well?

Haver and Morgan tore her room
apart. They came up empty.

I'm not surprised.

What did they expect?

She's too smart to leave that
flight data just lying around.

They wrote a thr*at on her mirror.

Figured it would scare her.

They are idiots.

This woman power-dives
experimental aircraft

at over , miles an hour.

It's going to take a lot more
than that to frighten her.

A lot more.

So what do you suggest?

I suggest we all get ready
for a very hard fall.

No way.

Look, Lou Stappleford is not
gonna let some hysterical female

bring his whole operation down.

He can play hardball if he has to.

Yeah, maybe so, but it looks to me
like he's running outta options.

He can't scare her off.
He can't buy her off.

So what's he gonna do, Cole? Huh?

This morning, Dom and I are gonna
take you to meet General Hillman.

He'll put you together with all
the right Pentagon people.

I'm racing in the finals today.

Well, that doesn't seem just all
that important right now, does it?

Well, it is to me. I've got a
payment due on the Mustang.

Stappleford threatened you last night.

I think it's about time
you vacated the area.

Lou wouldn't hurt me,

not while I've got the
X- test flight data.

Besides, last night was his last hurrah.

You don't really believe that, do you?

Sure, I do.

Listen Hawke, Lou Stappleford
is a businessman.

He's not a thug, not a spy.

Sure, he'll thr*aten me and
have his men trash my room,

but when it comes right down
to it, he's not gonna hurt me.

Listen to me. You can't be sure of that.

That guy's got a billion reasons

why he'd want you out of the way.

I'm not gonna stand by Roan,
and watch you get hurt.

Suddenly it gets personal?

Yeah, suddenly it does.

I told you, I don't like being crowded.

You know, you can't always be alone.

And if you try it, you're gonna
crowd yourself right into a corner.

I know.

I know because I tried it.

I wanna race.

I need to.

Please?

Then I'll act like a big girl, okay?

Only if I can arrange the proper protection.

I don't know all the details yet, Michael,

but she says that the X- is
seriously flawed and I believe her.

A billion dollars' worth
of substandard aircraft?

The newspapers could have a
field day with that one.

I know you think Miss Carver's credible,

but can she supply any documentation, proof?

She's got the cockpit computer
tapes from her test flights.

Excellent. I'll call the Pentagon.

Make sure you have access to General
Hillman as soon as possible.

Yeah, listen, we should
be there this afternoon.

Fine. Anything else you need?

No, I think that's it. Thanks, Michael.

You're welcome.

Take good care of Miss Carver
and those tapes.

Right. I'll see you.

If it's got any design flaws,
you can't tell by looking.

When operating at max speed and firepower,

there's a tendency to set up
structural shock wave harmonics.

The vibration is deadly and it
can cause aileron reversal.

Even commercial jets experience
momentary aileron reversal.

Yeah, but this isn't momentary.

And it's self-accelerating, severe,

and it can happen at any altitude.

Look, I've got a pilots' meeting.

Be sharp.

You know String, you gotta
remember, she's not an Engineer,

and the X- did pass the Air
Force Flight Certification Test.

Yeah, but she pushed it beyond
the Air Force requirements.

Oh, we all know that every
aircraft has its limitations.

Yeah, she knows that.

Every airplane has its margin for error

between its legal limitation
and its actual fail point.

She's just saying that the
margin is too narrow.

Oh, you're talking about
a very gray area, String.

Well, if she's wrong, why is
Stappleford so worried about it?

You got a point.

Yeah, I'm gonna stay with her
until this race is over, but

maybe…

You mean, bring the Lady here?

I'm with you.

I'm on my way.

Keep out of trouble.

I want you to arrange, for her,
an accident in the finals.

A fatal accident.

Listen, a man could get hurt
trying something like that.

Oh, I'm aware of the risks.

No, I don't think you are.

Now, I'm not too fond of the girl,

but I'm not crazy about
the idea of k*ll’n her,

especially in front of a crowd.

Make it look like an accident. They
happen all the time at air races.

Yeah. Yeah, they do, but I'm not
gonna be one of the victims.

You are one of the victims.
Don't you see that? We all are.

Now look,

either you take her down
or she takes us down.

And I'm not just talking financial here.

The Air Force could file criminal charges.

You did remind me you
are the pilot of record.

Are you saying that we could do prison time?

That's exactly what I'm saying.

We're getting carried away
fellas, okay? We're overreacting.

I don't believe the X- is going to fail.

And I ought to know, I designed it.

But you didn't fly it. No, she did.

As long as she is alive,

if the Air Force finds any fault whatsoever,

we are exposed.

She could turn a minor doubt
into a major catastrophe.

What you're saying is, I don't
really have much choice.

None of us has a choice.

Now a special treat, folks.

The incredible Eagles Acrobatic
Flight Team in their Christen Eagles.

I'm gonna win. Why aren't you smiling?

I'll smile when you get out of this thing.

As soon as I win this,

the of us are leaving with you.

Before you pick up your trophy?

Hey, winning it is my trophy.

Now the moment we've all been waiting for,

the Unlimited class finals.

The planes are getting airborne,
so be ready for action.

They're lined up for the start,

and they're off!

Early going, it's Kruger in his AT-G,

followed closely by Carver
in her blue Mustang.

Then it's Cole in the Stappleford Sea Fury.

Now Cole is closing in on Carver,

coming up on her outside.

Look at those as they battle!

That's what I call racing!

Now Cole's trying the inside.

Cole and Carver. They're wing-to-wing.

Cole and Carver slap wings,

and Carver's got trouble.

Looks like a broken line.

Incredible, folks! Carver's Mustang
is smoke’n and lose’n oil,

but she's try’n to hang in the race.

Looks like Carver's plane is faltering.

And she's leave’n the course
and give’n up the race.

Don't worry viewers, she's a real pro.

She'll get that plane on the ground somehow.

Roan, this is Hawke, do you read?

Roan, do you read?

I read. Where are you?

On your right.

I can't see.

I know, there's an oil leak.

Cole's blown it. If Roan gets down
alive, she'll spill her guts.

I'm go’n after her.

Lou, for the love of God,

covering a k*lling with an
accident was bad enough.

Using the X- , that's insanity.

Charlie, we've made our
move. We are committed.

I'm not gonna let her ruin us.

Now, come on, help me
get this thing cranked up.

Roan, you got mountains ahead.

I still can't see. I'm losing altitude.

Raise the nose more.

I'm trying, Hawke. It's not working.

Roan, just keep it in
the air. You can do it.

I'm trying, Hawke.

You're clear, Roan.

Listen, Roan, we gotta
get you on the ground.

There's a mesa ahead.
That’ll be your best sh*t.

Lower the nose.

Full flaps.

Start easing off the power now.

It's okay. I want you as slow as possible.

You're about feet.

feet.

Lift your left wing.

I'll tell you when to chop and flare.

Chop it.

We gotta get out of here.

No! I'm not gonna let this plane burn!

Go on without me.

You're crazy!

He's making another pass.

The hell he is.

We gotta decoy him. Is he following us?

Following? He's running over us!

Friend, you picked the
wrong plane to mess with.

Combat mode, Dom.

Combat mode.

Reach full turbo.

Full turbo.

m*ssile fired. Dropping sunburst.

I need more, Dom.

Forget it. We're %
past maneuvering speed now.

He's still all over us.

Let's run him through the maze.

Dom, around the next turn,
I want full reverse turbo.

String, you slam on the brakes,

I'm not sure she'll hold together.

She's gonna have to.

Now!

Nice sh*t, String!

Well, so much for the X- .

Let's get back to Roan.

Sorry, Roan.

The fire got to the fuel t*nk.

I tried. I couldn't stop it.

I know.

I'm gonna do… I'm gonna do
a quick ground check,

make sure she didn't sprain
anything important.

When I was little, we had a pair of
eagles that nested on our property.

And I'd watch them early in the morning,

and they'd soar together way up in the sky.

I always wished I could
be up there with ‘em.

With her, I could.

Well, you know Roan, there's other eagles.

No, I think we only get one.

After that we call ‘em airplanes.

Hawke, Dom and I can take care
of the Stappleford thing.

Then I think I'd like to
hide out for a while.

Will you contact me?

Yeah, I'll just look for
that mountain hideaway

that a super-spy and his dog might live in.

Hey, I was just kind of blow’n
smoke about that spy stuff.

Yeah, just like you were about that
classified helicopter you fly.