Minute 002: All the Way to the Nationals

Summary

The Gee Bee Model Z continues to roll out of the hangar.

Title: “JENNIFER CONNELLY”

The port side of the Gee Bee is framed against the blue sky.

Title: “PAUL SORVINO”

An overhead view of the Gee Bee, displaying the number 4 on the left wing, and the aircraft’s identification, “NR77V” on the right wing. Skeets is pushing the left wing,  Another person is pushing the right wing. Malcolm is behind Skeets, and Goose has the tail. They pivot the Gee Bee to the right.

Title: “TERRY O’QUINN”

The view shifts in front of the port side of the Gee Bee. Behind the plane is the Bigelow Aeronautical Corp hangar, with an aircraft beacon on the roof. On the left side of the Bigelow Aeronautical Corp sign is the log for Curtiss Electric Propellers (“Feathering, Constant Speed, Selective Pitch” is the motto on the logo) and to the right of the sign is the logo of Pratt & Whitney’s “Dependable Engines.”

Parked to the left of the hangar is the 1929 Travel Air Model R “Mystery Ship.” To the right of the Gee Bee is the Brown Aircraft Company’s B-2 Racer “Miss Los Angeles” #33, seen in Minute 001.

Title: “ED LAUTER, JAMES HANDY”

Peevy is talking to pilot Cliff Secord: “Well, it’s your first time up, so don’t do anything interesting.”

“Who, me?” asks Cliff.

“Yeah, you!” replies Peevy, “And remember, she’s stalls out at about a hundred, so keep the airspeed up or else you’re going to be drifting around all over the sky.”

Title: “AND TIMOTHY DALTON”

The scene shifts to the front of Peevy and Secord.

“…and if the aileron starts to shimmy–” begins Peevy.

“Peevy,” says Cliff, “I have flown a plane or two in my life –”

“Not like this one, you haven’t!” replies Peevy. “This one, this one’s a handful! You sneeze in this thing, and you’ll end up upside-down in the bean field.” Cliff begins his pre-flight walk around, pausing at the tail to dig a piece of gum out of his mouth. He puts the chewed gum on the top of his tail rudder.

“That’s fresh paint, dammit!” shouts Peevy.

“Do you want me to crash?” asks Cliff.

“Chewing gum ain’t going to keep your butt up in the air,” replies Peevy. Cliff climbs into the cockpit, while Goose begins to attach the canopy to the Gee Bee. Peevy helps Secord strap himself in.

“You treat her nice, Clifford,” says Peevy, holding the canopy open, “she’s gonna take us all the way to the Nationals.”

In This Minute

William Sanderson as Skeets
Don Pugsley as Goose
Eddie Jones as Malcolm
Alan Arkin as Peevy
Bill Campbell as Cliff Secord