The Great Waldo Pepper

Come on, Mike!

Hello, good people!

Hi, there!

You better all grab your courage, everybody,

'cause this is flyin' weather.

Now, I'm talkin' $5

for the best five minutes of your lives.

And when you die and Saint Peter says to you,

"Hey, when were you happiest down there?"

You're gonna say, "Well it was okay the day I got married,

"and I didn't much mind the day I first fell in love.

"But seein' the sky with the Great Waldo Pepper,

"that beats 'em all."

But first, first, who wants a free ride?

Me! Me!

Well, boy!

Usually I try to pick somebody that shows more enthusiasm.

But in your case, I'll make an exception. What's your name?

Scooter. Scooter!

You look big and strong to me, Scooter and that's the main thing.

I'm gonna need a lot of gas.

I can tell there's a lot of riders here today.

Tell you what, you just take this

to the nearest gas station, every time I need it, when we're all done,

at the end of the day, I'll give you a free ride. How's that?

Okay. Atta boy.

Okay, folks, If you'll just step right up here now...

Praise the Lord.

Go ahead, get in. But what if I don't like it?

If you really hate it, I'll give you a second ride free.

Go on. Go ahead.

Okay.

Attaboy, Scooter. Keep it comin'.

No, no, no. I've changed my mind.

Oh, no. No, it's okay. Now, go ahead.

Yes, sir, now who do we have here?

Okay, Scooter.

Thanks.

What about my free ride?

Oh, I just told you that to get you to work for me.

I never take kids up alone.

You must've done pretty good today,

if what Scooter says is right.

Yes, sir.

Best in over a year.

Right after the war finished,

barnstorming was like this all the time.

I've been flying Nebraska for quite a while now.

Things are sure getting tough.

I guess people are just gettin' used to airplanes.

That all you plan to do the rest of your life,

just cash for rides, that's it?

Oh, no. No, sir.

Every penny I make goes into the building

of a brand new biplane for air acrobatics.

Are you the best flyer in the world?

Hush, Scooter.

Wouldn't I like to be!

But there's so many amazing pilots around

that have done so many feats with their airplanes.

Sorry to disappoint you, Scooter,

but I'm gonna be honest with you.

There's just no way that I could say

I'm the best pilot in the world.

I'm the second best flyer in the world.

Who's better?

In the first place, I'd have to put the German Ace Ernst Kessler.

He shot down 70 planes and lived to tell the tale.

That don't seem right.

Shooting down Americans, that don't make a man a hero to me.

Well, maybe not, but Kessler was special.

An honest day's work, that's what I call special.

Were you in the war?

In the last part of it.

Did you fight Kessler?

Once.

We were flying patrol over the Hurtgen wood.

There were five of us,

and we saw Kessler flying below us with one escort plane.

Now, he didn't see us, and we dove on him.

Now on the first pass, we shot down the escort plane.

But Kessler was too fast.

I followed the escort plane all the way down,

just to make sure he was finished.

As I started climbing back up, well, I said to myself,

with those odds, Kessler'll try to make a run for it, but he didn't.

He took 'em all on. One against four.

And he was doing the attacking!

By the time I got back up,

he had shot down three of 'em.

How?

Well, Landis and Swaab were kids and...

Let's see, Curtin...

Well, Curtin couldn't have been more than 19.

Well, they panicked.

By the time I got back up, he was after McKinnon.

He shot a burst into him, and Mac's plane caught on fire.

Now, Mac said that he would never, ever go down in flames,

so he jumped.

Didn't he have a parachute?

Nobody had parachutes then, Scooter.

No, he just would rather fall to his death

than burn going down.

Then Kessler dove in on me.

Weren't you scared?

Don't be dumb.

Well, it's crazy, but...

I was happy.

It was just me against him.

God, he was all over the sky!

He could snap around the head of a pin.

One minute I'd think I had him,

the next, he's comin' right at me.

And then, I don't know, he was behind me and my guns jammed.

And I pounded on the handles and just pounded on them

until my fists were bleeding but I couldn't unjam 'em.

I was just there. I was helpless.

In his gun sights.

But he didn't fire.

He could see me pounding on my guns,

and he pulls up alongside of me.

Just like... Just as close as you are to me.

And he looks at me.

And he did it. Did what?

Saluted.

Just like that.

Over the Hurtgen wood, Ernst Kessler saluted me.

And then he peeled off

and dove back towards his lines.

I can take you folks high or low, fast or slow,

anyway you want to go.

And I can land you as soft as an old maid

getting into her feather bed.

And I can fly you over your house

so you can see who's visiting your wife.

But first, for the bravest of the brave...

- Look there! - Look at him!

All right, folks, never mind.

He's just passing through. Passing through.

Now, for the bravest of the brave,

I'll do some stunts first for free.

Look!

Excuse me, folks.

A fellow lover of the blue may be in trouble.

I'll be right back.

Hello, good people! Thank you. Thank you.

Before we get started, son, I want you to know

I consider your presence here an act of aggression.

Aggression?

This is my territory.

Smile, son. We don't want to disconcert the masses.

Then fly your crate the hell outta here.

For what conceivable reason?

Nebraska's mine, I've been working it for two years.

Friend, you just got yourself a new partner.

But these people are mine.

Then you're not leavin'?

You grasp things very well, I can see that.

But don't you leave, either.

If you carry my gas can into town for me

I'll give you a free lesson at the end of the day.

Judging from that landing, you need all the help you can get!

Forgive the intrusion, good folks,

now, let's remind ourselves where we were.

Some people would say

that what you're about to see is probably

the greatest exhibition of aeronautical skill in history the world.

I myself wouldn't go that far.

It is probably only the greatest

since the invention of the airplane.

Now, this'll be the order, folks.

First, the falling leaf, then the barrel roll, then an inside loop.

And finally a daring low-level pass.

Huh?

There he goes. Son?

Son?

Oh!

I'd be obliged if you'd prop me, son.

Glad to.

You're a good loser, and I like good losers.

Then again, you've probably had lots of practice.

Contact.

Contact.

Little change in the program, folks.

My partner and I have a little surprise planned for you folks.

How would you all like to see the famous Axel Olsson crash?

The pond! The pond's the safest place, Axel!

That's his signal, folks.

Means he's just rarin' to go.

Everybody down to the pond.

Everybody, everybody, the thing of it is,

it really makes Axel feel appreciated,

if when he's done, assuming he's alive, there's a reward waiting.

In Wichita folks gave $15 to $20

just to see a crash like this, up close.

But you all decide, whatever you like, I'll take it.

Thank you. Thank you.

They love it, Axel! They're good people!

Now, down to the pond, everybody.

That's the best spot to see it from.