 Proudly we hail! New York City, where the American stage begins, here is another program with a cast of outstanding players. Public service time has been made available by this station for your Army and your Air Force to bring you this story as Proudly we hail the United States Air Force. Our story is entitled Triple Threat Team. This is the story of a team of aircraft observers, three highly skilled officers sent to investigate a strange occurrence high in the skies over the frozen wastelands far to the north. Our first act curtain will rise in just a moment. But first, want a job? A big job? A job with the biggest future of them all? If you're single between the ages of 19 and 26 and a half, you may qualify. Naturally, you must be in top mental and physical condition. Training isn't easy, but it's the best. And when you've completed training, you'll graduate as an aircraft observer, win your silver wings, and be earning more than $5,000 a year as an Air Force Lieutenant. You'll know aerial navigation, radar, the theory of gunnery and bombing, many other highly specialized subjects. If you qualify, you can begin classes within two weeks. Approximately 14 months later, you'll be in the sky with your teammates, a crew aboard one of Uncle Sam's finest airplanes. For full information, visit your local U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force recruiting station. And now your Army and your Air Force present the Proudly we hail production, Triple Threat Team. Take an average American between the ages of 19 and 26 and a half. Give him normal intelligence, a yen for adventure, ambition, and the capacity to work. In 14 months, the Air Force will develop him into a triple threat officer, a highly skilled aircraft observer trained in electronics, navigation, bombardment, and radar. Hugh McTague, Hank Wadilla, and Herb Leight are three average young Americans when they enter training as aviation cadets. Equal to most young people their ages, equal to each other. Only Herb thinks he's a little more equal than anyone else. It starts to come out during classroom work, and there are 1,350 classroom hours in the training of an aircraft observer. Gentlemen, gentlemen, I have distributed among you photos of Bridgeport, Connecticut as it looks on the radar scope. From an examination of this photo, what would you say is the primary target in the area? Take? The shipyard, sir. Water's always the easiest thing to spot on the scope, and it outlines the shipyard very clearly. That's right, McTague. Of course, if the scope happened to be an AFC manual, what is it, Leight? Have you something to add? Yes, sir. McTague is wrong. That character. I wish he'd go hide under a bush. Why do you think McTague's answer is wrong, Leight? Well, I happen to go to college near Bridgeport, sir, and I know there's a big machine tool plant located here on the northwest corner of the photo. We can barely see the plant there. It's hardly called that a primary target. Yeah, well, that's my point, sir. Although you can't see it on the picture very well, I happen to know the plant is surrounded by an electrified fence. Now, assuming that that fence was turned on at this time... Mr. Leight, assuming that we must stay on schedule, can you turn yourself off at this time? You may have a point, but I think it's much better taken. How about we get to another subject later on? I took a minute, gentlemen. I... Yes, Herb Leight has put in his place every once in a while by a harassed instructor, but his classmates can't do much about him. The trouble is, he's one of those know-it-alls who really does know a great deal. He's as hard to take in the air as on the ground, and the aircraft observer gets over a hundred hours of actual flight training. Pilot from First Student Navigator, Wadilla, change course eight degrees right. Repeat, zero, eight, right. Navigator from Pilot, course altered, out. Hey, Wadilla, you're wrong. Oh, shut up, Leight. I'm First Navigator on this trip. I know, but you tell him he's overcorrected. Wadilla is First Navigator. Our only job is to follow. You cross-check by doing map reading with dead reckoning navigation. Listen, I got a heavy day tonight, and he's going to get us lost. He's be doing your girl a favor. Oh, yeah? Listen to me, Wadilla, you shouldn't correct more than two degrees. You must be wrong. Look, quit trying to man every position in the ship. When you're First Navigator, Leight, you can strap the motors to your chest and fly around by yourself for all I care, but until then, stick to your own job. That's the way you want it. Wadilla. Yes, Lieutenant? You're overcorrected slightly. Your change, of course, should have been six degrees to the right. See? What I tell you, you were wrong. Well, so were you, Leight. You said two degrees. Look, you men are being trained as triple threats to function as a team. When an error is made, you're all wrong and no passing the buck. The error started with McTague's DR wind, which you should have caught 20 minutes ago, Leight. You men have a lot to learn about teamwork. I want to see the three of you when we land. Teamwork, the essence of the Air Force, and nowhere more important than among triple threat aircraft observers. Hank and Hugh learned about it, all about it. So did Herb Leight. He could learn anything, but he didn't really believe in it. Even in advanced training, Herb thinks of himself as something apart. He's hard to argue with because he's number one in the class, but considerably lower in the private personal rating of his classmates. Hey, look, here we made it. We're on the same group. Oh, good deal. Uh-oh. What? We've also got Leight, boy wonder of the airlines. I hear my name mentioned. You did, and for once, you weren't mentioning it. Well, well, glad to see you boys have been assigned to my team. Your team? Look, get one thing straight, Leight, and get it straight now. It isn't your team, it's our team. We have a job to do, and we can only do it by pulling together on an equal basis. Better drum that simple thought into your superior brain before it's too late. Come on, Hank. Hey, wake up, Hugh. Wake up out of the sack. What's the matter? What's up, Leight? Star class. Get on the ball. Hey, Hank, Hank, get up. Get up. Oh, man. Go, Hank. Come on. Come on. Star class. Get on the ball. Star class. Oh, cow, it's 3 a.m. Hey, what have they got that planetarium for? You won't have a planetarium in the plane. Come on, let's go. Wait a second. Let me get my pants on. Oh, boy, it's cold, huh? I read somewhere that more people die at 3 a.m. than at any other time. They just give up hope. This part here will do. For a start, I want you to point out all navigational stars of the first magnitude. Where are the others? Where's the instructor? What goes on? We're the only ones. I thought it'd be a good idea if I gave you... What? You mean this is your own screwball idea? Your idea? Well, sure it's my idea. I intend to check you guys on various things every once in a while. I want to make sure I'm backed up by the best team in the Air Force. We ought to back you against the barracks and brain you. 3 a.m. Oh, now wait a second. I'll give you 3 to beat it. 1. You see my point, don't you, Hank? 2. All right, you guys. But you're making a mistake. I was just trying to help you. Oh, brother, to think of the thousands of people in the Air Force, and we had to get him on the team. Oh, we could do worse. He's very sharp and extremely conscientious. That's such a pain in the neck. Oh, hey, hey, hey. I want to tell you something before we hit the sack again. I, uh, phoned Nora last night. She's some girl from that picture. Yeah, you'll see her. We're, uh, we're gonna be married. Hey, swell boy, congratulations. Yeah, we're taking a big step. She's coming down next week for graduation, and the chaplain's gonna tie the knot right after we get the old wings. Uh, I want you to be the best man. Gee, thanks a lot to you. It's sure nice of you to ask me. And I'll help all I can with the arrangements. Where the deuce have you been, Hank? What's happened to your arrangements? I've been waiting with the chaplain 30 minutes. He's still waiting. Where's Nora? That's the trouble. I don't know. She was supposed to meet me here on the lobby of the Reddington right after we got our wings. I can't figure out what's keeping her. Oh, what a mess. You and your superstitions. You wouldn't let me see the bride on the day of the wedding. Oh, no, you had to escort her over to the chapel. Now where is she? Take it easy, boy. Take it easy. Everything will work out. Well, hello, man. Why the worried faces? The Stafford. Who says so? I do. I took her there. You what? Sure. When I found out the bridal suite was unavailable here, quick like a bunny, I shipped her over to the Stafford. It's a better hotel anyhow. Who gave you permission to stick your nose in my wedding? But I'm the best man. I'm the best man, you knucklehead. You? Oh, hey, don't be silly. Naturally, I'm best man when any member of our team gets married. There isn't time to kill him now, Hank. Nora's waiting. Let's go. It was a lovely wedding, darling. That's wedding supper isn't too hard to take either. I ordered it myself. You don't have to try eating it all by yourself, like past the olives, huh? Hank, that isn't nice. Well, it's just the one he eats. He reminds me of a concrete mixer. Hank, I think it's awful the way you two pick on poor Herbert after he's been so sweet. Yeah. Um... I hear the orders are coming through anytime. I wonder where we'll be sent. I hope it's Ramier Air Force Base. That Puerto Rico was supposed to be nice duty. Now, well, so long as we get to use the case system, I don't care where it is. Right now, I'll admit, all I can think of is the 30-day leave coming up. And don't anyone ask where we're going to spend our honeymoon. Hey, you! Congratulations, fella. Thanks. Nice going. Some trick to win your wife and your wings on the same day. Thanks, Mike. Nora, this is Mike Sweeney, a classmate. Hello, Mike. All the luck in the world, Mrs. McTague. You know you're the first person to call me that. Sounds so funny. You'll get used to it. Hey, you fellas seen the orders? They're out, you know. No, no, we've been very busy getting these two married. Well, what's the poop? Well, you're going to Travis Air Force Base on some special deal. You're the only team assigned there. It sounds very special. You're to report in three days. Can't tell you any more than that. Well, so long. So long. Three days. Hey, this sounds hot. Gee, I'm terribly sorry I bought the honeymoon. Don't be silly, Hugh. You have an important job to do. I'm proud to make some sacrifices. So it's Travis, eh? And they're rushing us there right away. This could be big. Very big. You are listening to the proudly-we-held production Triple Threat Team. We'll return in just a moment for the second act. If you're a young man with ambition to get ahead, then you want to get in on the ground floor of something big, then here's your chance. Set your sights on becoming an aircraft observer at the United States Air Force. You must be a single American citizen. Between 19 and 26 and a half years old, have had two years of college and be otherwise qualified. Then you can join the ranks of some of America's finest young men, the aviation cadets. You'll take advanced courses in electronics and navigation. And when you win your wings as an aircraft observer, you'll be one of the Air Force officers who keep American planes in the air. If you think you can qualify, now's your chance to find out. Get all the details at your local US Army recruiting station. You are listening to Proudly We Hail, and now we present the second act of Triple Threat Team. The Triple Threat Team of Hugh McTague, Hank Wadilla and Herb Light reports to Travis Air Force Base. It is all the earmarks of a special deal. Leave canceled, rush orders, and they're the only team sent to Travis. They go to the adjutant. The adjutant passes them along to the executive officer. Gentlemen, we're happy to have you with us. Because of your fine records and particular qualifications, you've been assigned to this command. We have a special job for you to do. What kind of a job, sir? All in good time, Lieutenant. You'll be given your check out in RB-36 as soon as possible. Perhaps later today. After that, well, all in good time, gentlemen. All in good time. At dawn, two days later, they're on their way to the briefing room. Even Herb is strangely quiet as they pass the flight line. They see the big RB-36 being run up by the mechanics, looming huge and somehow lonely in the early morning mists. They enter operations. They walk through to the briefing room. It's a large room, and their crew is the only one present. The operations officer stands in front of a map, tapping on the floor with a pointer. Don't anyone say this is it. Well, isn't it? Well, guess we might as well begin. All right, you men are going to fly to the Arctic Circle, possibly to the North Pole in exploration of jet streams. All right, now, we know jet streams are narrow currents of very strong winds found between 20,000 and 40,000 feet above sea level, but we still have a lot to learn about them. A week ago, we were startled to receive a report about a jet stream in the vicinity of the pole. They don't usually wander that far north. We thought. So, all your jobs to locate this jet stream, chart it and bring back as much information as you can. And we've got certain reports for you observers to fill out. Remember, this information is of vital importance to us. Vital in designing safer planes and correlating the upper air chart, well, for many reasons. Jet streams. Ooh, I thought this was going to be something hot. Quiet, Herbert. I'm trying to listen. Now, men, you can see on the map here the route we've laid out for you. Travis to Anchorage, Alaska. Now, you should find the stream around 36,000 feet. However, it might blow at an almost vertical angle. That's, uh, one of the things you'll have to find out. Now, a word of warning, men. This jet stream is reported to have a speed well in excess of 200 knots. Shout. Uh-huh. It does sound incredible. Captain Stokes, you'll have to keep a particularly close check on fuel consumption. On the way out, you'll be bucking it. Yes, sir. That baby's libel-hab is going backwards. Oh, there's one other dangerous element about the stream. Reports indicate a violent turbulence within it. Aircraft in this stream might be susceptible to wallowing, uncontrolled roll, and momentary upsets. So stay in it as long as you can, Stokes, but don't take unnecessary chances. We'll bring back the information. Still bored, Lyon? I'm trying to hear the man. After base operations, a weather officer talks about technical data required. And then the executive says a word himself. Finally, briefing is over. Next stop, the equipment room for parachute, Maywest, oxygen mask, and Arctic survival kit. Then out to the plane. Each man takes his position. There's that tense moment of waking before the first huge engine is struck. Herb sits at the spacious desktop, the office, they call it, and spreads his maps and charts in front of him. He's first navigator, responsible for the final plot from which the plane is directed. Hank sets up the astro compass in the astrodome. An ordinary compass is useless in polar regions. Hugh switches on the K system. K system is the Air Force's fantastic new development. An electronic computer, radar instrument, and mechanical brain all rolled into one. The big plane taxis to the end of the strip, halts for clearance from the tower, and then roars down the runway. A slight downward pressure in the stomach and their airborne, the monster plane lives with surprising grace. San Francisco dwindles to a dot below and behind them. Ahead, Anchorage, Alaska, 1786 nautical miles. From Anchorage to the north pole, 1706 nautical miles through some of the worst flying weather in the world. And in between Anchorage and the pole, a ghostly target which can be neither seen nor heard. A dangerous target, the jet stream. No flak to stop them, no fighters. Only the forces of nature at their most violent. The observers bend over their charts and instruments. It's their job to get them there and get them back. From first navigator, we'll be over Anchorage Tower in four minutes, 38 seconds. You want to bet on 10 seconds, either way? The leg from Travis to Anchorage is routine, but from Anchorage to the pole, it's pole navigation all the way. I'm switching charts to polar stereographic. Get me a reading on the astral compass, Hank. I already got one, Herb. One 28 and a half. Will you check it with the sun lines, Hugh? I already did. One 28 and a half, it is. Or do you want us to figure it down to seconds? All crew members from pilot, put on oxygen masks. We are at 20,000 feet and climbing. Dear jet stream, sir. I feel a draft on my neck. Could that be it? Check. We're in the stream. That's for the wind like that. What about you, Hugh? Yeah, I'll be through in a second. Right? Check into pilot as soon as you finish. Down the tunnel, I want to get a good look. What do you expect to see, sanding? You guys haven't any intellectual curiosity. That's your trouble. Maybe it wasn't intellectual curiosity, but it sure killed the cat. Crawls back through the tunnel, big enough for six men to sleep during a long mission. He reaches Eddie, the right gunner, who's scanning the engines through his blister window and plugs into intercom. Hi, gentlemen. What's new? Oh, I just want to take a look at the north pole through your blister. Yeah, we near it. And then it hits them, the dreaded turbulence with all the violence of nature at her meanest. Explosive decompression, a dangerous thing to have happen in any pressurized ship. Trying to maintain his balance in the violent, jarring turbulence, Herb unwittingly grabbed the release lever on the blister window, which can be used as an escape hatch. The window flies out. Result? Explosive decompression as the normal pressure inside the ship explodes into the extremely low pressure on the outside at 38,000 feet. Eddie is half dragged through the window by the suction. Herb dives for him. Hang on, Eddie, hang on! You saved my life. You okay, Lieutenant? Lieutenant? Right, he's unconscious. Wrenching the big ship around like a fighter, pilot and co-pilot finally manage to evade the jet stream. It takes the strength of two athletic men to apply the controls against the vicious air currents. As soon as the ship levels out free of the stream, Hank goes back to see Herb. Eddie has him wrapped in the casualty bag. They carry Herb forward where the ride is smoother. They're from pilot. Pilot from first navigator, Rick Tanks speaking. How bad is light? Can't tell much. It looks like it's back. Are we better? What's the nearest emergency field? It can take 36. Ohio sent out fare bags and has a base hospital. We're heading 326 degrees. Repeat, 326 degrees, ETA 1827. Roger. Yeah, yeah, here it is, Hugh. Well, look, I got a better idea. Let me show you. If we pick up the jet stream again at 32,000 and ride it down, we'll save more than an hour. We better get Herb to a dock fast. Yeah, but what about turbulence? That won't be any, not below 32,000 feet. Look onto the jet stream again. It'll be on a repeat. 1-4-right. Roger. I'll send 17-03. 1-703. Great hospital. Doc says you got me here just in time for him to prevent permanent injury to my back. That extra hour meant a lot. We get all the poop we were supposed to? Uh-huh. Mission completed. We'll be returning to Travis today. Well, save my place for me on the team. I'll be along in a couple of weeks. It was funny. The only way I could learn about teamwork was sitting on the sidelines. I guess I owe you... Oh, skip it, skip it. Look, when you get back, the old triple threat team of McTague, Wadilla and Light will really strut it's stuff. We, uh, we gotta push along now, Herb. We'll be waiting for you at Travis. Well, hold it a second. On that last fix you got, I was conscious then. You know what I would have done? Oh, now, Herb. Yeah, yeah, you're right. I'd have done exactly the same thing. I hope. You know, we were meant to be on the same team, we three. All our first names begin with H. Ever think of that? No. Yeah. Wow. Calibrate that pillow while you can, boy, because there's a lot of work ahead for the flying Hs. Here's a message from your United States Air Force to you. You've a chance to join the key men on the Air Force's flying team as an aircraft observer. Yes, you can be one of the men who plot the sky tracks of the heavy bombers and the big transports if you look ahead now. Here's what you can do. You can take a year's training with pay and after graduation as an aviation cadet become a flying officer team member with the silver wings of an aircraft observer earning more than $5,000 a year. So can you qualify? You can if you're between 19 and 26 and a half. Single are in good physical condition of high moral standards and have had two or more years of college training. For full information visit your nearest U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force Recruiting Station. This has been another program on Proudly We Hail, presented transcribed in cooperation with this station. Proudly We Hail is produced by the Recruiting Publicity Center for the United States Army and United States Air Force Recruiting Service. This is Kenneth Banghart speaking and inviting you to tune in this same station next week for another interesting story on Proudly We Hail.