Uncle Ned (16:06)
This is the story of Jim Bolsom, the kidnapped pilot. Jim Bolsom stood beside his airplane admiring its new red paint job. The sound of running feet caused him to turn around and when he did, he stared at the cold barrel of a.38 that was being pushed into his chest. The man on the other end of the.38 told Jim to get in the plane and fly him and his friend to Kansas City. Don't ask any questions, just move and move fast. Jim glanced down at the glittering gun, then turned and crawled into the plane. The two men were close behind him. Jim hit the starter button, turned his radio on and taxied out to the Runway. Wild thoughts ran through Jim's mind. Who were these mean looking men? Why did they have a gun? Why were they in a hurry to get to Kansas City? Jim's questions were answered when the radio broadcast a general alarm to all planes on the airport. Two men had just held up a bank downtown. They headed toward the airport and it was believed they'd try to make a getaway in a plane. Jim went pale. The two men sitting in the seat behind him were the bank robbers. The robbers heard the broadcast and the one with the.38 pressed it against the back of Jim's neck and told him to hurry. No stalling. Get the plane in the air and head for Kansas City. Jim checked the engine at the end of the Runway. It sounded perfect. Too perfect. He Wished with all his might that the engine would backfire and stop. The gun pressed harder into his neck. He quickly squared the plane away with the Runway and pushed the throttle in. Jim's hands were crumbling so badly he could hardly hold the stick. The gun moved away from his neck as he banked the plane in the direction of Kansas City. Jim squirmed in the seat. What did the men have in mind for him? Would they let him go free when he got them to Kansas City? Surely they wouldn't let him land at the airport. They'd make him land in the country outside a town, perhaps in some farmer's field. Then what would they do? Shoot him and leave him? The man with the.38 was like a mind reader. He gave Jim the answers just as though he'd asked the questions out loud. Jim was to pick out a smooth field on the edge of town land and let the men out. They hadn't decided yet what they'd do with him. The men were silent as the miles skimmed by underneath them. Jim's mind was turning over as fast as the propeller. He'd been in tight spots before, but never in a mess like this. The more he thought, the braver he got. He had it figured out. Neither of the men knew how to fly. They planned to shoot him once they were on the ground, but they wouldn't dare shoot him in the air. If they did, the plane would crash and they'd be just as bad off as he was. Why couldn't he pick up the microphone when he got close to Kansas City and tell the tower he had two bank robbers in his plane? Tell them to have a squad of policemen beside the Runway when he landed. He didn't think they'd dare shoot him if they were surrounded by policemen. On the other hand, maybe they'd hold him as hostage. The police wouldn't dare try to capture the men if they had a gun in Jim's back and threatened to shoot him if the police came nearer. The men could make another getaway, then take care of Jim whenever they felt like it. He threw the idea away as he mopped the sweat off his forehead. He might as well get to Kansas City as fast as he could and get it over with. He pushed the throttle all the way in. Far ahead, Jim could see the smoke of Kansas City. His time was almost up unless he could think of something drastic. The man with the gun leaned forward and told Jim to start looking for a smooth field and not to try any funny business. Jim turned sideways, looked directly into the muzzle of the gun and told the man he had no intention of landing in a field. He was going to fly into the airport. And what's more, he was going to call on the radio and tell them to have the police at the Runway waiting for them. The man's cold eyes held Jim in a deadly stare. The gun moved up. The barrel looked as big as a wash tub. Jim saw the man's finger tighten on the trigger. The barrel wiggled. Then a shot grazed Jim's arm and plowed into the door. Through clenched teeth, the robber told Jim that was only a warning shot. The next one would be closer. Jim was mad. He jerked around and told the men to hand over the gun or he'd crash the plane and they'd all be dead. The men sneered. That made Jim really mad. He pushed the stick forward and pointed the nose for the ground. The plane picked up speed and soon was in a screaming dive straight for the ground. Jim held the stick with both hands. He'd come as close to the ground as he could, then pull up sharply. Maybe he could scare them into handing over the gun. Closer and closer he came to the ground. He looked around. The men were white and trembling, but they still held a gun on him. The ground was only 50ft away when Jim came back on the stick. He climbed sharply, then pulled the plane on its back in a loop and dived again for the ground. He yelled over the roar of the engine for the men to shoot him if they were going to. He dared them to shoot. He pointed his plane at the side of a hill and bore down on it. The hill loomed big. Jim saw the men cover their faces. He skimmed over the top of the hill, just missing it by inches. He held the plane steady for a minute, turned to the men and told them to hand over the gun again. They sneered, and the gun was pushed deep into the back of his neck. Another dive, this time for a clump of trees. The plane was going at full speed and the bushy treetops were just ahead. This should do it. He'd fly the plane right through the leafy branches. And if the men didn't toss the gun over to him, then they never would. The plane screamed, then lurched as the prop cut leaves and small branches off the top of the tree. Jim started to pull up and the gun landed in his lap. His sweaty hands grabbed the gun and he pushed it into his belt. He shot a glance back at the men and they were frozen with fright. Two tough bank robbers, so scared they couldn't even talk. Jim called Kansas City on his radio and told them to have a squad car at the airport when he landed. He was bringing in a couple of fellows who, like all bad men, were tough and brave only when they had a gun and had someone else at a disadvantage. Jim made a smooth three point landing and taxied over to the waiting squad car where he unloaded the whimpering robbers. Jim pointed the nose of his plane down the Runway and the kidnapped pilot took off for home.
