Original subtitles

♪ I know for me ♪

♪ I can't be rooted like a tree ♪

♪ I've got to fly ♪

♪ Catch the suns and rolling round the sky ♪

♪ Like a sainted angel ♪

♪ I'm gonna soar ♪

♪ Gonna take my freedom ♪

♪ To Heaven's door ♪

♪ Like a newborn eagle ♪

♪ I'm gonna fly ♪

♪ To the ends of heaven ♪

♪ And the stars up high ♪

Over your head now is Brad Randolph,

one of the greatest flyers in the world.

This veteran is a phenomenon,

five times United States aerobatic champion

and the present world aerobatic title holder.

Leading the United States team to an entrepreneurial

His plane was, well it's special.

It was built like a racing car, the Ferrari of the sky.

It was designed and handcrafted especially for him

by world famous Meredith Pence.

- Look at that! - That there he goes,

firing straight up the perfect vertical line,

the mark of a true champion.

Rotating the hammerhead,

inside spiral for the perfect vertical down line.

See that?

♪ Up there alone ♪

♪ Suspended like a star in space ♪

♪ I'll turn the world ♪

♪ Sweep the clouds and give the wind a chase ♪

♪ Like a sainted angel ♪

♪ I'm gonna soar ♪

♪ Gonna take my freedom ♪

♪ To Heaven's door ♪

♪ Like a newborn eagle ♪

♪ I'm gonna fly ♪

♪ To the ends of Heaven ♪

♪ And the stars up high ♪

Perfect.

Perfect.

Sometimes in high speed maneuvers,

these pilots scream out loud

to tighten the muscles in their neck

to keep the blood from rushing from their head.

If too much blood goes toward their feet,

they can black out and lose consciousness.

These guys pull as many as eight Gs,

eight times the force of gravity.

Eight Gs means that during a maneuver,

a pilot's body is eight times its own weight.

Imagine yourself in the cockpit.

Just to hold your hand on a throttle,

your arm would to lift over 100 pounds.

Here comes Brad Randolph in now for a tail slide.

He's going to get about 220 miles per hour hard to the side.

Right there, a 16 pull at six times the force of gravity

crushing him down in that seat.

Going straight up now for one and a half vertical rolls,

coming exactly to the point.

Now for the rolling tail slide.

Let's see if we falls the right way.

Hold it, hold it.

Back, back.

Back, back, back.

Now push.

Yeah.

All right, score there.

- Beautiful tail. - Yeah.

Flipped the right way.

Give him a 9.5.

There's a perfect vertical downline

and an outside push under to inverted.

Okay.

He's upside down.

Let's see what the maneuver's going to be.

It looks like an octagon loop.

Excited me.

There's the push for the first side.

Push.

Push.

Number two going straight up.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Number three on the 45 degree line.

Number four up on top.

He's right side up, only one G right there.

Here comes number five.

Number six going.

Take care.

And number eight.

It looks like Brad Randolph is going out the box.

The box.

The yellow box.

He's okay.

Okay, score it.

I don't know how he does it.

He's a machine.

Snap.

There it is, the wing leg right there.

That's the signal that Brad has completed

his ignition sequence.

He'll be coming on down and landing shortly

after an almost perfect routine.

Brad Randolph now touching down at runway 23.

Here he comes, right over here.

Give him a nice hand.

He's still the champion of champions now here today.

Brad Randolph from Palm Springs, California.

Give 'em a nice champion wave, ladies and gentlemen.

Give him a nice wave now, big wave now.

He can see you but he can't hear ya with the engine running.

Give him a nice, big hand, ladies and gentlemen.

Big wave.

Brad Randolph from Palm Springs, California.

Nice ride, eh.

That's hot, man.

That's hot.

Hey, did you know your nose is bleeding?

Huh?

Oh, I bumped it on the canopy.

Sure you did, pal.

Sure you did.

Come on, I only have 30 minutes

to get this plane ready for your free sequence.

You're busting blood vessels like Chinese firecrackers.

Any sign while I'm celebrating?

Are you tightening your neck on the high G maneuvers?

Huh?

I'm making so much noise,

I'm making the pit sound like it's got two engines.

You better do it on negative Gs too.

You can't jam all that blood up into your head at five Gs.

Not at your age.

You know, your arteries are supposed to get harder

as you got older.

Glass is hard too.

What about your father and mother?

Father living?

No.

How did he die?

Heart.

But all the exercise he ever got was playing the cello.

What about your mother?

She died having me.

I'm sorry.

It was a long time ago.

Any sisters or brothers?

Yeah, I have two sisters.

And then there's Ozzie.

Ozzie has a handicap.

What type?

You gimme that.

It's nothing to do with me.

Not unless he has hypertension too.

Oh, Ozzie's very calm.

Yeah.

Look, Brad, the best advice I can give you

is to stop flying for a while.

Now, I know you're not gonna do that.

So the next best thing is to limit yourself

to no more than six Gs.

What?

You're supposed to be able to do everything

in the book with a six G limit.

Sure.

If I execute every maneuver perfectly

and sprout feathers and a tail.

Second place with 42,720 points,

Walt Lawson.

First of all, I'd like a recount.

Got the first class duds on, come in second place.

Must be a mistake.

A new man once told me he'd trade his soul to the devil,

he never had to refuel and could stay up in the air forever.

Now that's a high.

And that's about as high as you've made me feel.

Thank you very much.

Good proof we've had some pretty big time flying

around this little old Texas town.

The spread between first and eighth place

was just 600 points,

and it took the champion aerobatic flyer of the world,

Brad Randolph, to win.

Thank you.

Thanks a lot.

I keep telling you guys,

I'm getting tired of winning these things,

but nobody seems to take me seriously.

I was out in the hangar, I was down on my knees

when I thought I heard an airplane sneeze.

I looked around, it was a good looking woman.

A lady flyer.

Alright.

She was built for comfort.

She was built for speed.

She had everything that a mechanic can need.

I just wanted to go flying.

- Hey there. - Work on her motor.

Quit singing that dirty song.

That's not a dirty song.

Alright, we gonna play something?

Drinks?

- I don't drink. - You don't drink?

- No sir. - Hey Brad.

Brad, do man.

- Huh? - Do man.

Oh sure.

♪ There's nothing special ♪

♪ Unless he knows we're all the same ♪

♪ A man has nothing till he learns ♪

♪ That all he gets is what he earns ♪

♪ There's no holding his head up high ♪

♪ Until he eats his humble pie ♪

♪ Tied to the ground by his own fears ♪

♪ A man will sadly waste his years ♪

♪ Before he can rise up and fly ♪

♪ He's got to be prepared to die ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ Poor man through it all ♪

♪ He tried hard to stand tall ♪

♪ Doing his silly dance ♪

♪ Born with only half a chance ♪

♪ Flying, moving on the earth and never knowing ♪

♪ Happy worth ♪

♪ wearing all his battle scars ♪

♪ Reaching blindly for the stars ♪

♪ You know, he's got to see it through ♪

♪ He does the best he can ♪

♪ Proud, humble, dumb, wise ♪

♪ Tough tin man ♪

♪ Come on everybody, give a old man a hand ♪

♪ Hot hand ♪

I got the last notes right.

Yeah, I did, I know I got those right.

Yeah, right, you did.

Listen now, take the guitar.

Yeah right, guys.

You know I'll do it.

You sure would.

Let's play.

You guys, what?

I like that thing in G, let's do that.

You know that?

All my songs are in G.

One, two, three, four.

♪ In dreams ♪

♪ My memory's round ♪

It's okay.

♪ Out where my heart cannot go ♪

♪ Back to the love and the laughter ♪

♪ Love what he barges in for ♪

♪ And how many nights did I want you ♪

♪ How many times did I try ♪

I don't believe in ghosts.

Brad.

What's the matter, baby?

Couldn't you get enough in New York?

Where the hell were you this last year?

Staying away from you.

Take it easy, slim.

Don't tell me to take it easy.

There were times I couldn't remember your face.

♪ How many nights did I want you ♪

Nice.

Mouth.

I missed you so goddamn much.

Sit down.

You were going home with that girl, weren't you?

Well, no.

I probably would've just been taking her for a ride.

Maybe had a bite to eat,

perhaps watched a little television

and told her the story of my life.

It's not like I knew you were coming.

I don't care.

I just don't wanna see it.

Pushup bras.

I thought they were out.

I'm surprised she wasn't wearing go go boots.

You are the only woman I could ever love.

Hey Brad, where'd you disappear to last night?

Hey Sean, what are you doing here?

Thought I just saw you take off.

Yeah, it was Jim Hawley flyin' her back home for me.

Marge is sick again.

I gotta drive back home.

Take care of the kids.

I'm gonna miss the southern regionals.

Oh yeah.

It's gonna be too bad.

Hell, it isn't much of a meet anyhow.

I wouldn't go myself if I didn't have to drink champagne

with the air show team.

Hey!

Get away from that.

What the hell you doing?

Hey, don't get frizzy.

I'm a customer.

Huh?

I hear you're asking 20.

Well, I got 15,000 cash right there.

I'll get the rest of you by the end of next week.

Who are you?

Tom Loomis.

Go ahead, count it.

It's all there.

It's a deal, huh?

I guess so.

I just wanna try it out.

Hey!

Hey, wait a minute.

Hey, stop that plane.

Okay, out.

What's the matter?

- Out.

Just get out.

- What's the matter with you? - Out!

I just want to try it out.

You can't try it out, you idiot.

Hey, I got plenty of tail wheel time.

Not in a pit.

You wouldn't be able to fly it, you can't even taxi it.

There's no insurance or anything.

You can try it out when you finish paying for it.

Until then, just stay out of it.

Yeah, well I oughta get something for my 15 grand.

I tell you what,

I'll let you push it back to the flight line.

Hey.

Hi.

How's my boy?

You didn't tell him, did you?

Of course I did.

What did he say?

Nothing, he was asleep.

I swear, you say he loves you.

You come all the way from New York

to tell him about the baby.

Then you stay out all night with him,

and then you chicken out.

Waiting for the right moment.

It just didn't feel right.

You hungry?

You haven't done these kind of things since we were kids.

I know.

Remember when you couldn't tell mom and dad

that the dog had puppies?

Because you were afraid they were gonna take 'em away.

They did.

I should have told him a year ago.

But he's so tiny.

There's something about Brad that makes me feel uncertain.

Like if he knew we had a baby, I'd never see him again.

- Hey Terry. - Hey, Brad.

How you doin'?

There she is.

Almost ready to go.

Ah, it's a beauty.

How did you get the 260 into this cowling?

Well, it's a 200, Brad.

200?

But,

my single had a 1.8.

Don't get excited.

So sudden, your phone call and money,

I didn't have time to get the mount ready.

Curtis, you knew six months ago

I wanted the bigger engine in this plane.

I think you'll find 200 is enough for you.

What do you mean For me?

Anyone having nosebleeds.

Well,

that's why I need more power.

I won't have to take so many Gs.

Let the engine do the work for me.

Brad, you never got to be champ

by being easy on yourself.

You're gonna pull even harder than you do now.

You know that.

Curtis, I've invented a new maneuver

and I need the power to do it.

Oh, hell.

Look, have you got anything

with two engines out there?

Yeah, I got the Navajo.

Well look, lemme take it to Sacramento.

I wanna see the family.

- Bradley! - Hi, sis.

Bradley!

Bradley.

Bradley is here!

Come on and eat before the food gets cold.

She made the roast beef you like.

Uh huh.

Presents before or after?

Now.

Now, now the presents.

Oh!

Oh, wonderful!

You.

You

Ozzie!

It's terrific.

Terrific.

I shined them up.

You remember Walt?

Walt?

You really do a job.

They're your trophies.

Your trophies.

I gave them to you.

They belong to you.

Bradley, are you ever going to take me up flying?

Sure, Ozzie.

Sometime soon.

Oh, jeez!

Uh huh, all right.

Dammit.

It's in the middle of nowhere.

I don't even know if I can get in there.

That bastard.

- Hello? - Hey champ.

This is Tom.

Did you get your two seater yet?

Yeah, I just flew it in here.

Well, I got the rest of your money right here.

Um,

you wanna come get it?

I'm down near the border.

Route 80, just east of Sierra Blanca.

What are you doing down there?

I got forced down.

These guys, they've got a a Mustang.

Are you drunk?

No, I'm really very tired.

I've been walking all night.

I didn't know who else to call, man.

I got your money.

You could land that plane out here on the road.

Hey, wait a minute.

Yeah, all right.

I've got your money.

Car coming.

I can't get off this road.

Get on.

Here they come!

Shit!

A plane?

Hi.

Howdy.

- Howdy, partner. - Howdy.

So these guys got this old Mustang

and they picked up some surplus guns somewhere.

So this maniac flies all along the border

just forcing people down.

For kicks?

No, for the dope.

The dope.

I had over half a million dollar's worth in there.

He had his buddies waiting on the ground

to hijack this stuff.

I will take another beer.

You better put that away, man.

I don't want the money.

There's no place in this sport for that kind of stuff.

What?

It was only grass.

I'm sorry, but I just can't do a lot of dangerous flying

in a plane that I bought with that kind of money.

Are you telling me that this deal is off?

I dunno.

I already gave Curtis that $15,000.

At least I didn't know about it then.

Now, I don't think you understand.

You see, it's, it's either this

or I can work as a stockbroker for my father.

You know, I hated being chained to the guy.

I make one drop, four times a year.

Takes me three hours, and I made myself five grand.

Airplanes bite fools.

The best way to stay alive is not to do anything

you have to punish yourself for.

How long does it take you to make $5,000?

I do all right, boy.

For an old man.

Look, I know another old man's building up a B-17,

and he could use some help.

He can pay.

Yeah, well he can't pay my price.

I don't work peasant wages.

Why doesn't he get a Mexican?

You learn that in prep school?

Where's your car?

Casa Grande.

I guess we can get there before dark.

You mind?

No, I don't mind.

I got a girlfriend in Phoenix.

Haven't seen her for a while.

Girl in every year?

Don't pull it by the can.

Why don't you come to Palm Springs?

See if you wanna work for this guy.

Would I get to fly my plane?

Never flown a 54, have you?

No, but I, I'm sure I can.

Well, you're flying one now.

Wow, this is hot.

You're pulling six Gs.

How do you feel?

Well, it took me by surprise.

Ya gotta build a tolerance to high Gs

before you're safe in a pitch.

No, I never black out.

Well, I'm glad to see you know your own limitation.

How'd you get out of your crib?

I think it's time for new sleeping arrangements.

Your flying cowboy's on the phone.

If I were you, I'd tell him to call back.

No, no, I'll take that.

Hey.

Woo!

Fly voice.

All those vibrations, makes it sexy.

Wait a minute.

You put it in a new cockpit.

That's a whole new plane.

It's incredible.

Yeah, it's two feet longer and a lot more powerful.

Am I going up?

Yeah, you're going up.

This is incredible.

Brad, loop me.

- Well. - Oh, come on.

I want you to.

I wanna do what you do.

Maybe you can take an easy one.

Okay?

Tough as nails.

I'm fine.

You're terrific.

Do some of your sequence.

Well, here's one you'll like.

I'll turn on the smoke just for fun.

Okay?

It's called a hammerhead.

When you get to the top here,

curve over like the claw of a hammer.

The idea is to go absolutely straight up

and absolutely straight down.

Oh my God.

Pretty neat, huh?

This is a hesitation roll.

One, two, three

roll.

That's different from a snap roll.

See, in a snap roll, you stall slightly,

then kick the rudder.

Oh!

Oh, and then there's a spin.

Fun way to go down.

Then you just straighten her out.

Pull up.

You okay?

Yeah, I'm fine.

Just dizzy.

But I'm fine.

I'm fine.

♪ Oh, it's so easy ♪

♪ When I'm here with you ♪

♪ Never gonna get better tonight ♪

♪ See it through ♪

♪ Yes, it's so easy ♪

♪ Being here with you ♪

♪ If we get another chance, let's take it ♪

♪ Because I know we'll find a way to make it ♪

♪ If we do ♪

Incredible.

Thank you.

It was a very unique and interesting experience.

Hey.

Helen?

Helen?

Somebody.

Oh, hell.

Hey?

Anybody?

Anybody here?

Okay.

Honey, okay.

There anything I need?

Brad?

They don't have anything you need.

Brad?

Huh?

Okay.

Come here.

- What? - Those photographs you take.

- Mm hm. - Mm hm.

The articles you write, they're like you.

Beautiful.

They make me go away from you.

I have to go away tomorrow.

You understand about that, don't you?

I dunno.

You make everything seem so simple.

There's up there and down here.

There's.

Nobody can get their hands on you up there in the sky.

Damn.

Why won't you marry me?

I can't.

Why?

I don't understand.

Look, you say you love me.

Well, that's me.

That's what I'm like.

I do crazy things in airplanes.

I don't get hitched.

And I certainly don't have kids.

It doesn't even sound like you.

I'm sorry.

- Hey. - Here.

Your first week's pay.

Honest money.

Well, it better be with prints like this on it.

Listen, I'm beginning to feel better

about my new plane already.

But the fact that I live on drug money

while earning your clean money bother you somehow?

Yeah, but I don't know what to do about it.

Oh, you'll think of something.

Go on, take me to prison.

Have me work there instead.

Go on, take me.

Listen, you wanna practice?

You mean it?

Okay, dive now.

We're going about 200.

Now.

Know where to look!

Look at the wings!

Look at the wings.

They're not vertical, look at 'em.

You gotta roll, like this.

Now, kick it over.

Let it come back on us,

try to catch it right at the top.

Now look at your wing.

Look!

You gotta watch to catch us up to blue.

That went a lot better!

Try it again, turn it around.

Ah.

You're not ending maneuvers the same place you start.

You should feel a whump as you come across your own way.

That way, you know you're stopping right where you begin.

Hey, Brad.

New student's really doing great.

He's not really my student, I'm just giving him some tips.

Yeah, well he's telling people

you're teaching him everything.

Huh.

How's the work going?

Oh, pretty slow.

I can't get Tom to work much for me anymore.

He's practicing all the time.

Runnin' off for your little meets.

I just got back from Fresno.

You've been pushing yourself too hard.

Yeah, well I won the advanced class there.

You did?

Hey, great.

And I signed up for the unlimited class

at the Fort Worth meet.

Looks like we're gonna be competing.

Hardly.

Well, I'm gonna start practicing

the required sequence right now.

It's gonna be hard on ya, you know?

Look, I can help you design a sequence

that won't stress you so much.

You'll lose a lot of points, but what the hell?

You're gonna come in last the first time out anyhow.

I'm not gonna come in last.

Look, you'll be lucky to finish at all.

First time you flew unlimited, were you last?

No, I was seventh, but I had a lot more time to practice.

You're rushing things too much.

Oh yeah, I saw that girl of yours in Fresno.

Walt introduced me.

Yeah?

We got stoned together.

What?

I'm just kidding.

But she was there.

What's she doing down there?

She knows I don't go to those little meets.

Making out with another guy, looked like to me.

Afternoon and welcome, ladies and gentlemen,

to Oak Grove Field here in Fort Worth, Texas,

the birthplace of modern competition aerobatics in America.

Overhead now, a rising cumulus cover

presenting a challenge in unlimited class competition.

Young Paolo is from Palm Springs, California.

Why the hell you coaching that kid?

You nuts?

He's moved up to sixth place.

I just don't want him to wreck my old plane.

Yeah, well, sooner or later he's gonna wreck ol' you.

Hey.

Here's aerobatic champion Brad Randolph

flying his new two seat, super pitch special.

The cockpit has been covered over for aerobatic assistance.

You know, the better I get,

the more I realize how fantastic you are.

What's the matter?

Oh Jesus, they come out of the air so quick.

You want me to do the fly by for you?

Maybe you'd better.

She's supposed to come out of nowhere,

so circle around out there

and then make a low pass over the crowd.

♪ The heart you break ♪

♪ May be your own ♪

I thought this was going to be a bigger airplane.

This is just a little bitty thing.

Well, it's a very powerful plane.

What are you doing?

Well, I gotta strap you in.

Wouldn't want you to fall out.

There's no roof.

That's okay, miss, what did you say your name was?

Miss Fort Worth Jaycee.

Stop that.

I gotta that center strap up, hon.

This holds everything together.

Just watch your hands, Jasper.

Look. I was just--

Can you just fly the airplane?

Go drool on somebody else.

♪ I respect your independence ♪

♪ You don't need to go over any door ♪

♪ That's for sure ♪

Okay, sweetheart.

Oh my God.

♪ Just depends on how ♪

♪ You make me feel alone ♪

♪ Kinda sad to hear him say ♪

This part wasn't.

I'm, uh.

I'm sorry.

Oh no.

What?

Hey, hey, hey!

I didn't hit him, you jerk.

I didn't hit him!

He didn't, I hit him on my canopy.

In other words, you're in the spin,

you're in the spin, right?

Outside the spin, you push.

Now, that's what they call a flat inverted spin.

Right, but look.

Theoretically, if you.

Wait.

Hey Brad, good seein' ya here.

I just came back for an opportunity to apologize.

I think that can be arranged.

Come on.

Not here, okay?

What were you doing in Fresno with some guy

at some rinky dink meet?

You don't deserve someone who loves you.

Love.

Bull, who was that guy?

I bet your protege told you that.

Is that what they call psyching you out

so you do something stupid?

I just wanna know what you were doing

rubbing up against him.

Right in front of all the people I know.

That was my publisher,

the publisher of my book on death wish sports.

You know, neurotic men who take foolish risks.

Then I met you.

Tired of being a

goddmamn revolving door.

Why don't you just go chase someone else?

I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you.

But you're not grown up enough.

You're not fit to be a father.

You tell me you're pregnant

and I'll laugh right in your face.

Go to hell.

Go to hell and stay there!

Do you mind telling me where Tom is?

How would I know?

When you see him,

will you tell him Wells has got a job for him?

Look, Tom's gonna be too busy to work for you guys.

Now, how do you know that?

I just know.

Go to hell.

Come on, we'll go find Tom.

We know that boy needs some money.

Wait a minute.

Ask him.

The boy blue over there.

His wife is sick.

But look, Tom is gonna be too busy.

- Excuse me. - From now on for you guys.

So don't bother him.

Sure.

Tom Green.

My pal and I have a business proposition for you.

Why not?

Why don't you tell me about it?

I understand you could use a little help.

Hey, where's our roadmap?

I wanna mark this for Cindy.

Is she coming to El Paso?

Hey, she loved my apology.

♪ Cloud dancer ♪

♪ High above it all ♪

♪ Doin' a dance great without ya ♪

♪ Even though he's a bore ♪

♪ But if you ♪

Yeah.

Whoa.

♪ Light keep him down, cloud dancer ♪

♪ I know you've been down on the ground ♪

♪ Cloud dancer ♪

♪ Up there in the sky ♪

♪ Moving your limbs like bird creatures ♪

♪ So high upon your high life ♪

♪ And I want you to know ♪

♪ I know you've been down, cloud dancer ♪

♪ I know you've been down on the ground ♪

♪ I know you've been down, cloud dancer ♪

♪ I know you've been down on the ground ♪

Whoa!

Whoa.

♪ Take your time ♪

♪ Soon you'll begin to think ♪

Yeah.

♪ To the sky ♪

♪ Cloud dancer ♪

♪ Up there in the clouds ♪

Hey.

♪ And these are the clouds ♪

♪ What we do ♪

♪ Stuck in a loop ♪

♪ I always come down, cloud dancer ♪

♪ I know you're back down on the ground ♪

Take it off!

♪ Are you on your way back down, cloud dancer ♪

Woo!

Take it off!

Woo!

It's a beautiful day here at Sunland Airport,

home of the El Paso Regional Aerobatic Competition,

the big contest on an escalated aerobatic circuit.

Overhead, young Tom Loomis,

flying a single place pit special,

fomerly owned by air aerobatic champion Brad Randolph.

Now!

Yeah.

Score that.

- Beautiful. - 9.5.

It just quit.

Quit.

Looks like you ran outta gas, huh?

Yeah.

And now here's Walt Lawson,

a veteran international competitor

and member of the United States Aerobatic Team.

Setting your fuel supply too short.

Hey, six pounds a gallon, man.

You know how much a dead Tom Loomis weighs?

Here comes his inverted flat spin.

Hey Brad, how long can he hold that spin?

He's gotta come out of it now.

Pull it, Walt!

Hey, what's the matter with him?

He's hitting the floor.

I'm a doctor, let me go with you.

Come on quick.

Walt.

Gotta get outta the plane.

Don't talk.

Remember that Mig I shot down?

In 'Nam?

We got outta there.

Sure you did.

We saw you shoot him.

Yeah.

Okay.

I'm glad you're here.

It don't hurt.

Not all that.

The ambulance is here.

Once after a late party,

Walt and I were walking back to the motel.

It was a beautiful, clear night.

And as we looked up into the billions of stars,

Walt asked me if I believed in reincarnation.

I said, well over the ages,

so many people have believed in it

that I couldn't very well completely dismiss it.

And she said, I believe we lived before.

I believe we were flying people.

He said, that's why we're so crazy about flying.

'Cause we remember a time

when we flew

without wings or planes.

Just flew.

Maybe that isn't me.

I'm not gonna mourn over Walt.

I know he's somewhere, flying.

Really unlimited.

Come on.

What happened to Walt?

The usual thing.

He pushed himself too hard.

Tom was gonna beat him and he knew it.

I didn't realize Tom was such a threat.

He's moving up fast.

Walt was my wingman.

I'll tell ya now.

A snake.

That's what we used to call him, a snake.

No matter what I'd do in the air,

I'd look back and there he'd be, covering my ass.

I've seen so many people die.

And it never bothered me.

War.

I want to quit.

No, you just think that now.

But in two months you'll get that old feeling again

keeping you up at night.

My dad was the same way.

Every Sunday, he would promise my mother

that he wouldn't go out in his sports car anymore.

Did he ever do it?

Quit?

No, he,

he just went off the road and ran 130 miles an hour.

I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry.

I'm not gonna leave you.

Promise.

I'm not going anywhere.

Let's get married.

I mean it,

we'll get married.

No.

What do you mean no?

You're real scared.

I won't take advantage of that.

Don't stop flying.

Don't.

When these guys find out,

they're gonna need another funeral.

What do you mean?

Sean Burney, just heard the Mustang pattern.

You know, it's funny, he didn't strike me as that kind guy.

Check it out.

Yeah, I think I met him when he was in Phoenix last year.

Look who's back.

You got Sean Burney killed.

I don't wanna lose any more of my friends.

I'll take out the Mustang

and you leave Tom and all the other pilots alone.

How are you gonna do it, man?

Well, I used a trick in 'Nam against a fast plane.

Turn inside it, slow him down.

Get him so crazy to kill, he'll do something stupid.

Tease him into it,

then sucker him into a tight turn at slow speed.

Just outta the sky like a stone.

Now you got it.

Let's get this guy down.

That's it, lower your flaps.

I'll catch him.

Ah!

Oh, jeez.

Hey, the plane's over there.

Come on.

Let's get outta here!

I've never seen a bullet wound before.

It sure looks like what the literature shows.

Mean looking.

Yeah, well, you slide 20 feet down the ladder.

See what'd you look like?

That's it.

Okay.

The pain will go away in a week or so.

It doesn't mean that your ribs are healed.

Any stress or jolts, you'll crack 'em open again.

Nothing strenuous for at least two months.

Great.

That just rules out my work and my love life.

Well, there's always television.

What'd they say?

Ah, just some bruises.

Lucky those guys just grazed me, huh?

You'll be able to fly the nationals?

Oh, sure.

That's great.

I was afraid I wouldn't get to beat you.

Don't talk like that, huh?

It hurts when I laugh.

Bradley.

Bradley.

Um, does dad know you're here?

Dad's been dead for 30 years.

Oh.

That's right, I forgot it.

All right, here.

Brought you some new ones.

Huh?

Wow.

Okay.

Bradley.

That's beautiful, Bradley.

It's first place.

Sure.

Hey, Ozzie.

Hmm?

Forgot, I've invented a new maneuver.

Nobody knows about it.

I don't know what to call it.

But look, I bring the nose up,

then I go inverted 45 degrees and then I kick it.

And it's gonna just cart me up just like that.

Right across the sky.

I'm gonna win the nationals with it.

What do you think?

You look funny.

What do you mean?

You don't look like yourself.

You don't look like my Bradley.

And that's you.

How much do I owe you?

Let me see now.

What about marriage?

Down here, you're pretty young chickens.

We're doing just fine.

And I met Tom.

Do you know that Jean is beginning

to get herself a reputation?

What about you?

You know, sometimes it's good,

sometimes it's not.

People get lonely anyway, you know?

Yeah, I know that.

Sometimes I feel like I got off so easy.

I don't know about that.

Some things are just a matter of time.

I'll see you soon.

I got myself a two seater plane now.

Next time, we'll go up together, just you and me.

What's the matter?

It's just I'm afraid you're going to die.

Don't worry, Ozzie.

Don't worry.

Hi there.

Hi.

Oh look, here they come.

Oh, hey!

Hey!

Look at that!

Oh look, look, see that?

They're jus flyin' right in together.

Just like two little birds.

Tom!

Tommy!

I'll tell you later.

It's a long story.

Got our old room back.

Eh.

Why can't we call a doctor?

'Cause he'd ground me in a minute.

It's illegal to fly like this.

Nobody knows.

Not even Tom.

I shouldn't have told you.

Hmm.

I would've found out anyway.

Oh yeah. I forgot to tell you.

Listen, I hate to break this to you,

but you're sleeping in the cot in the hallway.

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

Welcome to Scottsdale, Arizona

and the United States National Aerobatic Championship.

The final event capping off the national aerobatic season.

It's a beautiful day here in the Valley of the Sun.

And you're going see some the of the finest

aerobatic flying in the world.

They come from the east, they come from the west,

they come from the north and south,

the greatest aerobatic pilots in North America

have gathered here in the Phoenix area

for this, the 17th annual National Aerobatic Championship.

By the end of this two day event,

a new national aerobatic champion will be crowned.

And now entering the air by day ballistic student

is a young fella from Palm Springs, California,

23-year-old Tom Loomis.

What a trip.

All the old fighters here, the national gang.

You know it, Jasper.

Look at him, isn't he doing good?

Brad Randolph, world aerobatic champion.

Look, when you see me taxi in,

drive out to the end of the runway.

Help me get outta the cockpit.

Okay,

They're sad, Randolph's a super pick

since his several out of the loops.

What's he got now, tail slide?

Here's the tail slide.

He's gonna flip over backwards.

Score that.

- 10. - 9.5.

What a fantastic flight.

There's the wave flag.

Skilled by Brad Randolph,

the current world aerobatic champion.

You all right?

Brace yourself.

Brad!

- Brad! - Yeah?

Come on.

There's Charlie Hiller,

starting his sequence with a triple snap roll.

Well, the first time we flew was just awful.

I'm sure Tom will tell you what happened.

I'm not one of those guys that meet and flooz.

You were on the edge of blacking out.

30 minutes consciousness.

Yeah.

Keep come right back.

Harvey Jager was blacked out and went go to stick,

but he had a little water on,

and the plane kept going around in little circles by itself.

So he came to, and he was still in the box.

So he finished his sequence.

And when he came down, we all said,

"What were all those circles?"

And he said, "What circles?"

What?

- Oh. - Ow.

Are you all right?

I'm sorry.

I gotta get up.

Where are you going?

Today is the day they impound airplanes.

I gotta get out there, practice my cartwheel.

It's my last chance.

In the dark?

It's even better.

I don't want them watching.

On the local sports news,

world champion Brad Randolph leads the field

going into the second day of the two day long

National Aerobatic Competition in Scottsdale.

But young challenger Tom Loomis is closing fast,

and is now only 800 points--

There's somebody up there already.

Pull over.

It's Tom.

He's nuts.

What the hell?

He just did my cartwheel.

No.

He must have seen me practice it someplace.

I didn't think you could do it with the old plane.

If they draw his number before mine,

he'll get to do it before I do.

I'm gonna wanna draw.

I'm just gonna have to do

every maneuver absolutely perfectly.

At what cost?

Let's get out of here.

I don't want him to see me.

Okay, let's hold it down.

Number one, Tom Holgrezny.

Number two, Gene Susie.

Number three, Tom Lomis.

That's Loomis!

You know, I think I'll end my sequence with a torque roll.

Not do a cartwheel at all?

That has no sense now,

knocking myself out at the end of a tough sequence.

I know I'm not up to it.

You know, it's funny.

I feel sort of relieved.

I just climb up as high as she'll go,

and then just hang the prop as many turns as I can get.

And then just all off, gracefully as I can.

Tom Loomis now,

.

Loomis now carting his routine to the devil.

Inside mackerel!

Yeah.

Here comes the torque lock on his final spin.

Watch this, the TV might miss it.

There's the lead line by Loomis

tellin' the judges that he's ready for competition

Watch what?

He didn't do it.

Final wait now until the judges

get all the scores into the computer.

Then we'll display on the TV monitor the round leader.

Why didn't you do the cartwheel?

Why didn't you do the cartwheel?

I saw you practicing it.

Why didn't you do it?

Decided not to.

I didn't wanna do anything I was,

I didn't want to do anything

I was gonna have to punish myself for.

It's yours.

I wanna see you do it.

I want to see you freak 'em out.

Aren't you gonna do it?

Clear prop.

Here comes Brad Randolph,

World Aerobatic champion and the third in the fight line

for his final flight of the competition.

Bradley!

Bradley!

- Excuse me. - Pardon us!

- Excuse us. - Pardon me!

Brad.

You can't catch him now.

He's already passed the safe point.

Where's Bradley?

I'm Helen St. Clair, a friend of Brad's.

He's spoken about you so often.

How nice to meet you.

I'm Jean.

Hi, I'm Edith.

Hi.

Oh, excuse me.

And this is our brother, Ozzie.

Hello, Ozzie.

You say you love me.

Well, that's me.

That's what I'm like.

I don't get hitched.

And I certainly don't have kids.

Hi.

This is our first meet.

Ozzie insisted that we come.

Would you excuse me for a minute?

I'll, um, I'll be right back.

- Nice meeting you. - Stay here.

Okay.

Woo!

Okay, now for the cartwheel.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I have never seen this maneuver before.

You're witnessing something here

that I think has been seen for the first time

in an aerobatic competition.

Is that his wing wave?

No, Brad Randolph is leaving the aerobatic area.

Something must be wrong.

There's a reason for this.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Brad Randolph has left the aerobatic box

without giving the judge the wave flag.

He's sure to be disqualified.

Out of the way!

Brad!

Brad!

Brad!

Brad!

Hey.

I thought you were killed.

Thought you were killed and you wouldd never see him.

See who?

You have a son.

I was afraid to tell you last year.

No, no, no.

He's fine.

Fine, he's healthy.

I've been trying to tell you since I got here.

He's right there in the car.

Wait a minute.

Here.

Go see him.

Hey, doc.

Hey.

His name's Bradley.

Bradley.

Bradley.

♪ When I'm with you ♪

♪ The world is bright ♪

♪ The days go flying by ♪

♪ And everything's fine ♪

♪ I know you can't ♪

♪ If only you had a choice ♪

♪ How much we had a chance ♪

♪ I love you so ♪

♪ And when you go ♪

♪ And that's go on and on ♪

♪ They never end ♪

♪ It wouldn't hurt so much ♪

♪ And we could start again ♪

♪ So come to me ♪

♪ And help me ease the pain ♪

♪ Why can't you see ♪

♪ I love you so ♪

♪ Oh, it's so easy when I'm here with you ♪

♪ Never gonna be a better time ♪

♪ To see it through ♪

♪ Yes, it's so easy being here with you ♪

♪ If we get another chance, let's take it ♪

♪ 'Cause I know we'll find a way to make it if we do ♪

♪ Oh, it's so easy when I'm here with you ♪

♪ Never gonna be a better time to see it through ♪

♪ Yes it's so easy being here with you ♪

♪ If we get another chance, let's take it ♪

♪ 'Cause I know we'll find a way to make it if we do ♪