Boy's Cinema (1939-40)

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BOY'S CINEMA TEST FLIGHT THE small, powci fuMookiiig plane stood in front of the liaugars, its engine tick- ing over gently. It was a monoplane, with a short wing-span and ri'tractahle landing-gear. Two mechanics stood guard over it. They looked bored. Tliey wore always standing guard over planes like this, and nothing ever happened. They were both smoking cigarettes. Sud- denly they threw tlio cigarettes to the ground and stamped on them as two men came out of an office shed nearby and walked over to the machine. One of tliem was dressed in flying clothes, the other in old flannel bags and a pullover. The man in flying kit was Thurloe, tlie test pilot'. He said as lie neared the machine: ■'Well, wish mo luck. I'm going to hit the roof this time, if I bust." The other grinned. He was Houghton, the designer, and he was reckoned to be the cleverest man at his job in the whole of Great Britain. "Hitting the roof isn't enough," he replied in his slow drawl. "You've got to go through it. And there isn't anytliing to stop you. I'd swear by that new supercharger on my death- bed." He climbed on to one wing and put a locked ca-c of instruments into the cockpit. Then lie jtunped down again. "Don't forget, .lim," he said, "everything depends on you. I want a climb test to 25,000 feet, and a limit power-dive. You ought to touch 550 miles an hour on your way down." .Jim Thurloe chuckled. "I ought to, and I will," he answorecl. "'J'lie great thing is, will I pull out of it before I hit .something?" Houghton rlumped him bolween the shoulders as he climbed into the machine. Then he gave the mechanics the signal to pull away the chocks, and eased open the throttle. The plane moved away across the field to the point where it was due to take olf. Houghton ran back to the drawing office. Af^ainst one wall of it was a crude wireless set, and across the; huge windows were desks. Awaiting him was his assistant Madi.son. Madison had a round face and a pcr))etuul grin, as though he enjoyed life. "Will,"" he said as Houghton entered. "How's the suicide stiuad?" "Ready to go up," Houghton answered briskly. He took a stop watch from his December 30th, 1939. pocket and leaned out of one of the windows. " Here goes !" He pres.sed the starter of the stop-watcli, and at the same time waved to the tiny plane. Instantly there was a roar as Thurloe opened the throttle wide. The machine seemed to leap forward. It ran forward a short way, gathering terrific speed as it went, and then began to climb. And what a climb it was! The machine's nose just tilted towards the clouds, ancl it shot upwards like a bullet. It was amazing, incredible—and not a little terrifying. "Pliew!" Madison muttered. "The human bullet ! If the darned thing doesn't fall to bits, it's going to give old Britain the fastest fighting plane in the world. There isn't any- thing to beat it." The plane quickly becanie a tiny speck in tlie distance, then disappeared above cloud. Oidy the sound of its engine remained. Houghton turned away from the window, and started up the generator of the wireless transmitter. He slammed in a switch and picked up a microphone. "Hey, Jim. are you all in one piece?" he called out. " How are things going ! Over to you !" He pulled the change-over switch to a new position, and the faint hum of the plane's engine came through the loudspeaker. "I'm just about in one piece," it answered. "but I cati't answer the second question until I get my breath back. Over to you !" Houghton operated the change-over switcli again. " I'll come through again in about a minute," he said. He sat in front of the transmitter, counting the seconds impatiently. Then he said : " You ought to be somewhere near the top of your climb now, Jim. I'm leaving myself switched over to you." He operated the switch once more, and waited. Presently he heard Thurloe say " Twont\-five thousand !" Houghton glanced at his stop-watch and put it away. He Itirnod excitedly to Madison. "Four miiuitcs and twenty seconds !" he ex- claimed. "It's the fastest time yet! The supercharger is a success !" He turned back to the transmilter. "Start your dive now, Jim. And let Iter have all she can take." He switched over, but there was no reply. He switched back again," and said: "Hey, you, up there! Why don't you say something? What's gone wrong?" Every Tuesday Working in a mystery factory somewhere in England is a group of men who make fast aero- planes go faster. But their secrets are getting into the hands of the enemy. How? The answer is in this baffling story from the Associated British Picture Corporation, featuring Barry K. Barnes and Roger Livesey Still lie got no reply. He tried for another couple of minutes, but the loudspeaker was silent. Finally, with fear getting hold of him, he shouted : "You big idiot! If you don't say some- thing, I'll come up there and do something about you. Stop playing the fool, Jim, and answer. Over to you !" "Hallo, everybody!" the loudspeaker sud- denly answered. "Everything is fine up here, and I'm enjoying myself." His voice went falsetto, in imitation of a lift-girl. "Going down !" Five minutes later lie settled his plane for landing, and his wheels touched at eighty miles an hour. He slowed and brought the machine to a stop, and Hougluon and Madi- son rushed across the field to greet him. "Splendid work!" Houghton said to Thur- loe, and reached into the cockpit for the case of instruments. "How did she behave in the dive ?" "The air speed was a little over 520 miles an, hour," Thurloe answered. "I couldn't push her to any more because the engine began to splutter. I tliink the high speed of the air past, the intakes must have created a vacuum, making the mixture too rich. The engine seemed to get darned hot, anyway." Houghton nodded, his mind instantly grap- pling with details for overcoming the trouble. "I'll work on it to-night," he said. "We simply must have the defect made good before the Air Ministry blokes come down here for the trials." The three of them walked back to the draw- ing office. As Houghton pitshed open the door a woman came forward to meet flieni. She was Dorothy. Houghton's wife. "I thought Id call for you, Dick," she said to Houghton. "I felt bored, and wondered if you'd take me into town to-night —we could have dinner somewhere and do a. show." Houghton shook hjs head. "Sorry," he said. "Madison and I aro working men, and we're going to be at it late. Get Jim to take you." She looked at him disappointedly, and he was careful not to meet her eyes. She was very pretty, and he adored her—wliich was why, had he looked at her just then, he would have relented. He would have given anything to do what she wanted, but time was getting short, and he had to work all hours for he wanted to have his supercharger ready for demonstra- tion to the Air Ministry officials. "Do you think you could put up with mo?" she asked, turning to Thurloe: "I'll try very hard," ho answered, and he, too, did not meet her eyes. " Meet you at the house in half an hour. Yes?" "Yes," she said, and went over to the safe in which she kept her pearl necklace. Houghton and Madison were bent over the drawings of the supercharger. 'Ihurloc went to the door. As he reached it, Houghton said without looking up: "Tell Porter I want to see him, will you?" "All right," Thurloe answered, and went out. Presently Porter came in. He was Hough- ton's cliief mechanic, and was clever at his jol). But, somehow, in his eyes there was a sliifty expression, as though he was not to be trusted—as though he would do anyone a dirty trick if it was for his own profit. "Porter," Houghton said briskly, "I'm afraid I'll have to keep you and one of the m.achine-shop men on duty to-night. There are some alterations to be made."