Airwolf (1984) s01e03 Episode Script
Daddy's Gone a Hunt'n
[people chattering.]
[man shouting.]
[car honking.]
[metal clanging.]
[grunts.]
[ambulance siren wailing.]
How would you like to see your father? Huh? Come on.
l know they taught you English before they shut down the orphanage.
And l speak lousy Vietnamese.
[laughs.]
You are Ho Minh Truong, right? Huh? My father is in America.
He's a pilot.
He's gone.
My mother, too.
Answer my question.
How would you like to see your father? [plane engine running.]
Want to try it again, Dom? What would you do if I was paid overtime? [engine revving powerfully.]
(Hawke) Nine-eight.
Mach point nine-nine.
Mach 1.
Prepare to retrograde in 10 seconds.
(Dominic) Do I have a choice? Eight seconds.
Six.
Why can't we hover like regular helicopter people? Four seconds.
This is a hell of a way to stop a-- Two.
Now.
(Dominic) Turbos off.
[helicopter decelerating.]
I need more power.
Engaging rotors.
[continues decelerating.]
I need more power.
You've got it all.
Abort! Give me back the turbos.
[engines revving.]
I was lousy, huh? We're alive.
Yeah, but I was lousy.
Need a little more practice.
Yeah, maybe tomorrow, String.
I'll be on straight time then.
[screeching.]
¢Ã¢Ã[cello playing.]
(Archangel) lt shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks.
lt's not like you'd be missing anything.
Well, maybe some cello music and the mellow mating tones of the red-tipped sparrow, but l can always send you a cassette of that.
You can't send me pure, fresh air.
You'll be flying radar officer on a high-altitude recon jet.
You'll be on oxygen most of the time.
What's purer than oxygen? Forget the view.
Forget fresh air.
l'm talking about an American pilot who's going to steal our hottest tactical aircraft and deliver it to the Russians.
Somebody's got to stop him.
We don't know who he is.
We only know that the plan is to steal one when we deploy the first planes next week.
He could be any one of those pilots.
Replace them.
We can't.
The ferry pilots are also the training officers after delivery.
Replacing them could slow everything down by at least six months.
[stops playing.]
What a shame.
A multi-million dollar plane is about to be handed over to the Russians and your classification of the problem is ''shame.
'' l compliment you.
Your mastery of silence is exceeded only by your facility at understatement.
But measuring this with the word ''shame'' surpasses all your previous achievements in articulation.
Why, thank you.
Since you seem to be removed from the problems of the world today, perhaps we should bring you up-to-date.
You see, there are these bad guys.
They're called the Russians.
l think l've heard of them.
And then there's us.
What do they call us? lt varies in different parts of the world, but for the sake of this conversation, we'll call ourselves the ''good guys.
'' So how do you tell them from us? That's easy.
We wear white hats.
You'd look good in a white hat, Mr.
Hawke.
Very good.
Well, l guess we'd better get one for Dominic, too.
(Archangel) Dominic will never pass as a military pilot.
We'll work somethin' out.
[airplane engines whirring.]
They're great, huh? Yeah.
Sure glad they're ours.
(Winner) Hey, if you're going for a tan, l'd suggest you slip out of that flight suit.
What are you starin' at? You remember an Army captain in Nam by the name of Stringfellow Hawke? Yeah.
Flew Hueys.
He pulled me out of lndian territory once.
Good reason to remember.
Who could forget a name like Stringfellow Hawke? Said he was gonna fly civilian.
Been assigned here.
On the Army exchange program.
(Winner) No kiddin'.
He probably couldn't make it on the outside.
Some of us just make lousy civilians, you know what l mean? [laughing.]
See you later, chief.
Do you still expect people to read your silences? Only if l don't know what to say.
lt's been 10 years, Nhi Huong.
A little over 1 1 .
Did you look for me? By the time l got out of the hospital, Saigon had fallen.
Did you try? Does it matter? No.
What are you doing here? Trying to bring my family together.
(Dominic) l've been hanging around here waiting for you for 10 minutes.
You know what they call guys that hang around men's rooms? What do you want? A tip? Look, l said l'd be your cover, but you could have made me a pilot or a mechanic, but no.
l told you, l need you on and off the base.
Nobody notices a guy with a mop.
They do in a room like this.
Ah, just a minute, we want privacy.
Hold the-- hold the flying pattern for a minute, will you? Uh, we're changin' the ice in the head.
We've got privacy.
There's a Nhi Huong Truong on the base.
l want to know her status and reason for being here.
Personal or business? Personal.
Don't press it.
What did you learn from those guys out there? That their capacity for alcohol hasn't diminished.
You better duck in a stall before l let this guy in or you're gonna get some funny looks.
For what? l'm an officer and a gentlemen.
[Quoc speaking Vietnamese.]
(Ho Minh) Nhi Huong Truong.
lf his mother was still in Vietnam, you think he'd tell you where? [speaking Vietnamese.]
[speaking Vietnamese.]
(Zimmer) He's never even seen his father.
Uh, um, all this is unnecessary.
Look, you're supposed to be helping me, not holding an interrogation.
Would you please just sign the visa form? Mr.
Zimmer, this is my country, not yours.
l decide what is necessary here or not.
As long as it doesn't take more than 20 minutes.
My country runs on a precise schedule.
Hmm.
[Quoc continues speaking Vietnamese.]
His father is whoever l say he is.
Now you just sign the visa and say goodbye, because l know what your orders are.
(Roper) We're on our fifth bottle here and we have yet to have a legitimate toast.
(Simms) Not enough booze in us to get that silly.
lt's not silly, it's a responsibility to the champagne.
lt's a-- it's a formality.
lt's not like we're drinkin' a case of beer here.
Okay, okay, that's enough.
Who has anything nice to say about Stringfellow Hawke? He's quiet.
That's good.
He's quiet.
That's good.
He's pretty.
[chuckling.]
He's pretty.
That's good.
(Roper) He looks nice in that new uniform, too.
Uh, not that nice.
l think you're right about that.
Maybe we ought to stick with, uh, ''He's pretty quiet.
'' Here's to Hawke.
Welcome home.
Wait a minute.
Hold it.
There's more to the ceremony.
You've got to make a speech, Hawke.
Stand up and be a fool, or all this don't count.
[laughs.]
l got to go to the bathroom.
[all laughing.]
(Roper) Okay, Josh, my boy, why don't you give me a little port rudder and pull your nose up about 5 degrees.
Can't you just say take a left turn and don't fall? That wouldn't be military, would it? Right.
Right.
And we're not fit for the world of civilians and humans, right? lt's different.
Different.
Different.
You know, for guys like us, it's like a, it's a ballpark with no fences.
There's no way to hit a home run.
But if you don't get a hit once in a while, they're--they're just waiting to beat on you and tell you you're not fit for anything besides burnin' out villages.
Tried his luck as a civilian a couple of years ago.
lt kicked him around pretty good.
Don't talk for me, Sam.
You know, l've been wearing blue uniforms since--since my first shave.
Yeah, l, l've been into this wave the flag and go for broke business since l, since l traded in my virginity for a pair of wings and a, and a fancy football helmet with a microphone in it.
And you want to know something? Huh? You want to know something? You know, it all don't mean nothin' outside of this prefabricated world that we live in here.
[laughs.]
[airplane engines running.]
Could be bull! lt is.
Uh, uh, l--l went out into the world of worsteds and attache cases and l was introduced around as the resident freak.
Oh, l mean, they--they treat you nice and all that kind of social puke and then they, they wanted to see my medals.
And then they asked me how many people l figured l--l burned to death at 4,000 feet.
'Cause they don't know.
They don't care.
l spent three years of my life in hell.
And they don't give a damn.
lt don't have nothing to do with them.
Then who the hell are we doing it for? l do it for myself.
Let go of me, Sam.
l can stagger without any help at all How long has he been like that? Since they passed him over for promotion.
When was that? Over a year ago.
And before? What in the hell are you up to? My job.
Which is? Working with you as an exchange pilot.
That's what your orders say.
You have as much business doing that as l do shuttlin' a Huey.
They brought you back, recalled you for this one mission.
How do you know? My wife is Gen.
Masello's secretary.
l also know your orders didn't come from Air Force HQ.
They came from Washington.
Langley, to be exact.
She can lose her job digging into things like that.
l don't think so.
You and Nhi Huong were too close for you to do something like that to her.
You've got a check ride at 07:00 hours.
Be on time.
l understand your lP is real tough.
[airplane taking off.]
You'll have to move that jeep.
You can't leave it there, l'm sorry.
Hey, you know where l can find a Capt.
Hawke? What'd he do, make a mess in the officers' club, or something? [laughs.]
He's the Army exchange pilot.
Who's he up with? An instructor pilot.
Does he have a name? Maj.
Roper.
Oh.
(Roper) High-frequency recorders? (Hawke) Functioning.
High-speed surveillance? I can't reach it.
Loosen your shoulder straps and check the negative displacer.
MiGs on our six.
Something just ain't right up there.
I got both of 'em.
(Hawke) And me.
[engine decelerating.]
[tires screeching.]
You're grounded.
What are you talking about? You can't ground me.
The hell l can't.
l was right! You're not here as an exchange pilot, are you? Hawke, l have to make that ferry flight.
Why? 'Cause it's my job! All right, there's more.
What? l can't tell you, Hawke.
Then you're grounded.
l'm callin' in all favors.
Whatever you figure, you owe me for old times' sake.
l think you're askin' me to overpay.
lf you won't do it for me, do it for Nhi Huong.
(Archangel) l asked for a meeting, but why here? (Dominic) l thought you'd like my office.
[chuckling.]
You assigned me.
l'm sorry l don't have time to discuss your choice of furnishings.
lt's not my choice.
Watch your feet.
What did you want to tell me? That now we both know Roper is our man.
Don't tell me what l know.
How about telling me something l don't know? Will you have your gladiator sheath his sword first? (Archangel) Thank you.
Roper is married to a Vietnamese national.
Not out of the ordinary.
But when you requested information on her through your janitor, l had her checked into more thoroughly.
l guess that means l talked too much.
Rare, but a fact.
Mrs.
Roper has a child, an Amerasian son.
She's been trying to get him to the States ever since you first arrived here.
Mothers have been known to do that.
So l've heard.
We checked and found that the boy [coughs.]
The kid got a name? Ho Minh.
He was housed at an orphanage till the government closed it.
Then he managed to survive in the streets for a while.
The kid doesn't have half a chance.
Can't you get him out of there? lt seems he is now a ward of the U.
S.
S.
R.
With the cooperation of the VC government.
Ho Minh has been transported to a Russian air base at Omrylkot, Russia.
(Dominic) So what? Omrylkot is only 180 miles from Alaska.
One of the planes is scheduled to be delivered to Shemya Air Force Base in Alaska.
And Roper is the pilot? Not yet.
But since he's the commander, he makes out the duty chart.
You've done quite well, Hawke.
By intuition, you've managed to open the latch that opened the door for us.
What about Roper? He's a traitor.
Not yet, he's not.
Well, the Firm is not going to wait till he is.
And the boy? A 1 2-year-old waif is no trade for a newly designed, multi-million dollar plane.
Depends on who does the trading, doesn't it? l do.
When is Ho Minh's birthday? He's 1 2 years old.
Don't let your imagination run away with you.
l don't want you to do anything about Roper.
Let him be.
You expect me to just sit back and let him-- l'll guarantee no plane will be turned over to the Russians.
You're not co-signing an auto loan.
Your guarantee is not enough.
lt'll have to be.
And if it's not? [sighs.]
l'll trade Airwolf for the boy.
[tires screeching.]
[birds chirping.]
What do you want? You knew that was comin'.
l know l deserved it, too.
Get up.
[grunts.]
What was that one for, interest? That was instead of a firin' squad.
They don't shoot you for makin' a fool of yourself on a check ride.
They do for turnin' aircraft over to the Russians.
l don't know what you're talking about.
You'd better start rememberin'.
Because l'm the only thing standing between you and a blindfold.
[Zimmer speaking Russian.]
[speaking Russian.]
[jeep engine running.]
[speaking Russian.]
[people chattering in Russian.]
[phone ringing.]
Hey, mister, could you tell me something? Are you hungry again? Yeah, that, too.
But it's about this picture.
Yeah.
What about it? Could you tell me which one is my father? Which one would you like it to be? Any one of them is okay.
[sighs.]
Damn it, Sam.
You're too smart to think you could get away with this.
l'm not a traitor.
Before l'd turn that plane over to anybody, l'd ditch with it in the Bering Sea.
Yeah, and freeze to death in 1 1 minutes.
lt'd be worth the gamble.
You've never been an idiot before.
l've never been a father before either.
l have a son, Hawke.
A son l've never seen before.
A son who doesn't even know who l am.
Why didn't he come out with Nhi Huong? They were separated.
He was in the Swiss Hospital there.
He was due to come on the next flight, but he never made it.
Nhi wanted to stay.
l convinced her he'd be all right.
That was the only way.
How did the Russians contact you? Hanoi contacted Nhi first.
They strung us out for over a year, finally turned us over to a Russian.
You really think you can pull this off? l figured l'd make a navigational error and be forced down in their territory.
ln time l'd be exchanged.
You said you'd ditch the plane before you'd turn it over.
That's exactly what l was going to do.
Call an emergency and ditch before l get to the island.
l figured they'd give me my boy just for tryin'.
You really believe that? (Nhi) lt will work.
lf you'd just stay out of it, Hawke.
(Hawke) l can't stay out of it.
What would you do if it was your son? You owe it to Sam.
He saved your life when it still meant something to you.
l never told you that.
What about it, Hawke? Pay Sam back.
A man has a right to see his son.
(Dominic) No! Not a chance! (Hawke) Just hold on, Dom.
l can't have an excitable man making precision adjustments on it.
You see what l mean? You're not even thinking straight.
Look, you can't say a thing about it on the phone.
Archangel probably has it tapped.
That only saves me from havin' to make a direct call to Michael.
Just don't you pick up a tail.
Me? Nobody tails me.
Then I can trust you to handle everything.
Doesn't my saying no mean anything to you? Only when you mean it.
See you later.
[sighs.]
[airplane engines whirring.]
Oh, Michael, you'll find that if you add some pine-scented detergent to your scrub water, you'll give your bathrooms that fresh outdoor aroma.
[laughing.]
All, right, we're takin' off in three sections.
Winner and Jones to Corpus Christi, Simms and Lewis to Orlando, and l'm taking the Alaska run with Hawke.
These flight plans and re-fueling points read like a crossword puzzle, Sam.
That's how they read the foreign satellite radar.
l want to use low-level flying whenever possible.
Desert and water.
Let's make this as difficult as we can.
For who? l didn't think this was still a secret.
Maybe not, we're not advertisin' either.
Any further questions? All right then, good luck to you all.
Hawke, l'd like to see you for a second.
[sighs.]
Everything going the way you want it so far? Uh, well, the flight plan ought to put enough gaps in radar to keep Air Defense busy.
Unless we messed them up too much and they call the flight back.
Once you take off, there's no turnin' back.
You just go deaf and dumb and you do just what l tell you.
Thank you.
You want to tell me now how you're going to do it? With a helicopter.
Eagle flight, you're cleared for take off.
(Roper) Eagle flight rolling.
(Hawke) We've just passed the point of no return.
Roger.
[tires skidding.]
(controller) Sir, l've lost contact with Eagle Three.
Give him a call.
lt could be atmospheric.
[airplane engine turning off.]
You're a janitor.
You see how clean that desert is? [laughs.]
You'll get a radio signal when it's time to take off.
Resume your present flight plan.
How am l gonna explain you're not with me? You won't have to.
(Hawke) Sure is cold out here.
(Dominic) Cold? You call this cold? Ha.
l remember the time your dad and me were ferrying planes from Thule to England.
We had to stop over in lceland.
lt got so cold on that one flight that the engines froze right in the middle of the air and we couldn't come down.
[laughing.]
[both laughing.]
Ah.
That ought to warm you up.
Yeah.
[clanging.]
[beeping.]
[ignition blasting.]
[engine accelerating.]
[Airwolf revving.]
There he is.
Eagle Three.
Base.
(Hawke) Eagle Three to Base.
Three, we've have been unable to read you for the past 20 minutes.
Over.
Sorry, Base.
I had a pressurization leak indicated, I dropped to below Angel's ten to check it out.
an emergency? Negative.
Negative.
It's a malfunctioning light.
I'm climbing back to Angel's thirty.
Roger, Eagle Three.
Cleared 300.
Keep an eye on him, if he drops off again, l want to know.
Yes, sir.
We got away with it so far.
(Dominic) Sure.
Now all we have to do is attack Russia, steal a kid, and try not to get caught by our own government.
In the meantime, I still don't know what all these knobs and--and--and buttons are for.
I wouldn't sweat it, Dom.
If you touch that eject button, you'll be the first to know.
Oh.
[beeping.]
Hey, what's that? Put on the descrambler.
Oh, sure.
That's not the one.
Okay, which one is it? Upper left.
Right next to the Shrike missile.
Be careful.
(Archangel) Good afternoon, Stringfellow.
I don't suppose you'd consider giving me your coordinates? Dom's the navigator here.
Oh, good.
Then at least the cockpit has been freshly scrubbed.
(Hawke) How long did it take you to figure out what I was going to do? (Archangel) When you disappeared on the radar screen.
Hawke, l'd like to see you bring the boy back.
But we've got to keep the plane.
Amazing! Behind that impeccable white suit beats a heart-- of recyclable plastic.
That's very good, Dominic.
Hawke, please give him a sugar cube and a pat on the neck for me.
(Archangel) I may not be accurate about your location, but I can sure make an educated guess as to your destination.
Can I assist? Yeah, you can feed my dog.
[laughs.]
How did you know l was Sometimes, Hawke, you amaze even me.
Good luck.
[phone beeping.]
(Dominic) How come Archangel's ''good luck'' always sounds like ''goodbye?'' Turn on the radar scanner.
Um, do I guess, or will you give me a hint? It's the green light next to the chain gun power.
(Dominic) Oh.
Says here we're 2.
5 miles from Nome, Alaska.
Whatever happened to that ''flying by the seat of your pants'' stuff? Oh, it went out when designers started to write their names on your behind.
Ferry Three to Control.
Eagle Three.
Go.
Ferry Three.
I'll be dropping altitude and altering directions.
This is not an emergency.
I repeat, this is not an emergency.
Negative Eagle Three! Maintain your present heading and altitude.
You are not authorized to deviate from the flight plan.
Over.
Strap her down, Dom.
Why not let those people mow their own lawns, huh? Increasing speed.
[accelerating.]
l can't think of any way to help him.
(Archangel) Short of an invasion of Russia, all we can do is be restrained spectators.
Too bad.
He's a very capable man.
Hawke or Dominic? l never met Dominic Santini.
Well, he's not nearly as attractive as Stringfellow.
Well, l hope both of them make it.
For professional reasons, l'm sure.
Of course.
[speaking Russian.]
[speaking Russian.]
String, it's time for some serious thoughts on religion.
We just crossed our protective zone.
We're approaching foreign territory.
I'm slowing.
I'm going to match Ferry Three's air speed.
Hey, you invite anyone else on this trip? How many? Four.
The readout says MiG-23, Now will you act a little worried? Check the ground scanner and see what's at the airstrip.
Three low buildings, some equipment, and a radar trailer.
Which one shows the most heat on the scanner? The one on the west end is giving off the hottest signals.
That's where Ho Minh will be.
I'll blind them, you make them deaf.
You're forgetting the MiGs.
We'll send 'em a decoy missile to chase.
You ready? Will you take no for an answer? Sure.
[missile whizzing.]
[beeping.]
[static sound screeching.]
[grunting.]
(Dominic) They're deaf, but they're not blind.
(Hawke) We're coming in like a jet.
You know the procedure.
I know we never did it right once! There's always a first time.
[beeping.]
Targeting countdown.
Yeah, yeah, all right, I'm ready.
You've got all the firepower.
Be ready to cut turbos.
Come on, kid.
We're headin' back for the land of hamburgers and heartburn.
[laughs.]
Are you my father? You'll know him when you see him.
(Roper) Get the ball now, boy.
(Archangel) You're going to receive a reprimand on your service record for not arriving in Alaska with Roper.
Does that mean l'm not gonna make General? l certainly hope so.
Have you considered a career in airplane theft? l still haven't quite figured out how you managed to keep switching planes and still keep our radar in the dark.
You have to ask Dominic about that.
Dominic's not talking to me.
l'd like to keep it that way.
Well, if you'll excuse me, l think l'll just go stare at the lake.
Looking at them, l know it was all worth it.
Maybe it's about time for some truth about Ho Minh? Ho Minh's last name is Roper.
lt always has been.
l guess l gotta live with that answer.
lt's the only answer l'll ever give.
Fair enough.
But if your son ever needs me, l'll be there.
You'll have to be.
We're giving him an American name.
What's that? Guess? Stringfellow's no name for a kid like that.
[man shouting.]
[car honking.]
[metal clanging.]
[grunts.]
[ambulance siren wailing.]
How would you like to see your father? Huh? Come on.
l know they taught you English before they shut down the orphanage.
And l speak lousy Vietnamese.
[laughs.]
You are Ho Minh Truong, right? Huh? My father is in America.
He's a pilot.
He's gone.
My mother, too.
Answer my question.
How would you like to see your father? [plane engine running.]
Want to try it again, Dom? What would you do if I was paid overtime? [engine revving powerfully.]
(Hawke) Nine-eight.
Mach point nine-nine.
Mach 1.
Prepare to retrograde in 10 seconds.
(Dominic) Do I have a choice? Eight seconds.
Six.
Why can't we hover like regular helicopter people? Four seconds.
This is a hell of a way to stop a-- Two.
Now.
(Dominic) Turbos off.
[helicopter decelerating.]
I need more power.
Engaging rotors.
[continues decelerating.]
I need more power.
You've got it all.
Abort! Give me back the turbos.
[engines revving.]
I was lousy, huh? We're alive.
Yeah, but I was lousy.
Need a little more practice.
Yeah, maybe tomorrow, String.
I'll be on straight time then.
[screeching.]
¢Ã¢Ã[cello playing.]
(Archangel) lt shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks.
lt's not like you'd be missing anything.
Well, maybe some cello music and the mellow mating tones of the red-tipped sparrow, but l can always send you a cassette of that.
You can't send me pure, fresh air.
You'll be flying radar officer on a high-altitude recon jet.
You'll be on oxygen most of the time.
What's purer than oxygen? Forget the view.
Forget fresh air.
l'm talking about an American pilot who's going to steal our hottest tactical aircraft and deliver it to the Russians.
Somebody's got to stop him.
We don't know who he is.
We only know that the plan is to steal one when we deploy the first planes next week.
He could be any one of those pilots.
Replace them.
We can't.
The ferry pilots are also the training officers after delivery.
Replacing them could slow everything down by at least six months.
[stops playing.]
What a shame.
A multi-million dollar plane is about to be handed over to the Russians and your classification of the problem is ''shame.
'' l compliment you.
Your mastery of silence is exceeded only by your facility at understatement.
But measuring this with the word ''shame'' surpasses all your previous achievements in articulation.
Why, thank you.
Since you seem to be removed from the problems of the world today, perhaps we should bring you up-to-date.
You see, there are these bad guys.
They're called the Russians.
l think l've heard of them.
And then there's us.
What do they call us? lt varies in different parts of the world, but for the sake of this conversation, we'll call ourselves the ''good guys.
'' So how do you tell them from us? That's easy.
We wear white hats.
You'd look good in a white hat, Mr.
Hawke.
Very good.
Well, l guess we'd better get one for Dominic, too.
(Archangel) Dominic will never pass as a military pilot.
We'll work somethin' out.
[airplane engines whirring.]
They're great, huh? Yeah.
Sure glad they're ours.
(Winner) Hey, if you're going for a tan, l'd suggest you slip out of that flight suit.
What are you starin' at? You remember an Army captain in Nam by the name of Stringfellow Hawke? Yeah.
Flew Hueys.
He pulled me out of lndian territory once.
Good reason to remember.
Who could forget a name like Stringfellow Hawke? Said he was gonna fly civilian.
Been assigned here.
On the Army exchange program.
(Winner) No kiddin'.
He probably couldn't make it on the outside.
Some of us just make lousy civilians, you know what l mean? [laughing.]
See you later, chief.
Do you still expect people to read your silences? Only if l don't know what to say.
lt's been 10 years, Nhi Huong.
A little over 1 1 .
Did you look for me? By the time l got out of the hospital, Saigon had fallen.
Did you try? Does it matter? No.
What are you doing here? Trying to bring my family together.
(Dominic) l've been hanging around here waiting for you for 10 minutes.
You know what they call guys that hang around men's rooms? What do you want? A tip? Look, l said l'd be your cover, but you could have made me a pilot or a mechanic, but no.
l told you, l need you on and off the base.
Nobody notices a guy with a mop.
They do in a room like this.
Ah, just a minute, we want privacy.
Hold the-- hold the flying pattern for a minute, will you? Uh, we're changin' the ice in the head.
We've got privacy.
There's a Nhi Huong Truong on the base.
l want to know her status and reason for being here.
Personal or business? Personal.
Don't press it.
What did you learn from those guys out there? That their capacity for alcohol hasn't diminished.
You better duck in a stall before l let this guy in or you're gonna get some funny looks.
For what? l'm an officer and a gentlemen.
[Quoc speaking Vietnamese.]
(Ho Minh) Nhi Huong Truong.
lf his mother was still in Vietnam, you think he'd tell you where? [speaking Vietnamese.]
[speaking Vietnamese.]
(Zimmer) He's never even seen his father.
Uh, um, all this is unnecessary.
Look, you're supposed to be helping me, not holding an interrogation.
Would you please just sign the visa form? Mr.
Zimmer, this is my country, not yours.
l decide what is necessary here or not.
As long as it doesn't take more than 20 minutes.
My country runs on a precise schedule.
Hmm.
[Quoc continues speaking Vietnamese.]
His father is whoever l say he is.
Now you just sign the visa and say goodbye, because l know what your orders are.
(Roper) We're on our fifth bottle here and we have yet to have a legitimate toast.
(Simms) Not enough booze in us to get that silly.
lt's not silly, it's a responsibility to the champagne.
lt's a-- it's a formality.
lt's not like we're drinkin' a case of beer here.
Okay, okay, that's enough.
Who has anything nice to say about Stringfellow Hawke? He's quiet.
That's good.
He's quiet.
That's good.
He's pretty.
[chuckling.]
He's pretty.
That's good.
(Roper) He looks nice in that new uniform, too.
Uh, not that nice.
l think you're right about that.
Maybe we ought to stick with, uh, ''He's pretty quiet.
'' Here's to Hawke.
Welcome home.
Wait a minute.
Hold it.
There's more to the ceremony.
You've got to make a speech, Hawke.
Stand up and be a fool, or all this don't count.
[laughs.]
l got to go to the bathroom.
[all laughing.]
(Roper) Okay, Josh, my boy, why don't you give me a little port rudder and pull your nose up about 5 degrees.
Can't you just say take a left turn and don't fall? That wouldn't be military, would it? Right.
Right.
And we're not fit for the world of civilians and humans, right? lt's different.
Different.
Different.
You know, for guys like us, it's like a, it's a ballpark with no fences.
There's no way to hit a home run.
But if you don't get a hit once in a while, they're--they're just waiting to beat on you and tell you you're not fit for anything besides burnin' out villages.
Tried his luck as a civilian a couple of years ago.
lt kicked him around pretty good.
Don't talk for me, Sam.
You know, l've been wearing blue uniforms since--since my first shave.
Yeah, l, l've been into this wave the flag and go for broke business since l, since l traded in my virginity for a pair of wings and a, and a fancy football helmet with a microphone in it.
And you want to know something? Huh? You want to know something? You know, it all don't mean nothin' outside of this prefabricated world that we live in here.
[laughs.]
[airplane engines running.]
Could be bull! lt is.
Uh, uh, l--l went out into the world of worsteds and attache cases and l was introduced around as the resident freak.
Oh, l mean, they--they treat you nice and all that kind of social puke and then they, they wanted to see my medals.
And then they asked me how many people l figured l--l burned to death at 4,000 feet.
'Cause they don't know.
They don't care.
l spent three years of my life in hell.
And they don't give a damn.
lt don't have nothing to do with them.
Then who the hell are we doing it for? l do it for myself.
Let go of me, Sam.
l can stagger without any help at all How long has he been like that? Since they passed him over for promotion.
When was that? Over a year ago.
And before? What in the hell are you up to? My job.
Which is? Working with you as an exchange pilot.
That's what your orders say.
You have as much business doing that as l do shuttlin' a Huey.
They brought you back, recalled you for this one mission.
How do you know? My wife is Gen.
Masello's secretary.
l also know your orders didn't come from Air Force HQ.
They came from Washington.
Langley, to be exact.
She can lose her job digging into things like that.
l don't think so.
You and Nhi Huong were too close for you to do something like that to her.
You've got a check ride at 07:00 hours.
Be on time.
l understand your lP is real tough.
[airplane taking off.]
You'll have to move that jeep.
You can't leave it there, l'm sorry.
Hey, you know where l can find a Capt.
Hawke? What'd he do, make a mess in the officers' club, or something? [laughs.]
He's the Army exchange pilot.
Who's he up with? An instructor pilot.
Does he have a name? Maj.
Roper.
Oh.
(Roper) High-frequency recorders? (Hawke) Functioning.
High-speed surveillance? I can't reach it.
Loosen your shoulder straps and check the negative displacer.
MiGs on our six.
Something just ain't right up there.
I got both of 'em.
(Hawke) And me.
[engine decelerating.]
[tires screeching.]
You're grounded.
What are you talking about? You can't ground me.
The hell l can't.
l was right! You're not here as an exchange pilot, are you? Hawke, l have to make that ferry flight.
Why? 'Cause it's my job! All right, there's more.
What? l can't tell you, Hawke.
Then you're grounded.
l'm callin' in all favors.
Whatever you figure, you owe me for old times' sake.
l think you're askin' me to overpay.
lf you won't do it for me, do it for Nhi Huong.
(Archangel) l asked for a meeting, but why here? (Dominic) l thought you'd like my office.
[chuckling.]
You assigned me.
l'm sorry l don't have time to discuss your choice of furnishings.
lt's not my choice.
Watch your feet.
What did you want to tell me? That now we both know Roper is our man.
Don't tell me what l know.
How about telling me something l don't know? Will you have your gladiator sheath his sword first? (Archangel) Thank you.
Roper is married to a Vietnamese national.
Not out of the ordinary.
But when you requested information on her through your janitor, l had her checked into more thoroughly.
l guess that means l talked too much.
Rare, but a fact.
Mrs.
Roper has a child, an Amerasian son.
She's been trying to get him to the States ever since you first arrived here.
Mothers have been known to do that.
So l've heard.
We checked and found that the boy [coughs.]
The kid got a name? Ho Minh.
He was housed at an orphanage till the government closed it.
Then he managed to survive in the streets for a while.
The kid doesn't have half a chance.
Can't you get him out of there? lt seems he is now a ward of the U.
S.
S.
R.
With the cooperation of the VC government.
Ho Minh has been transported to a Russian air base at Omrylkot, Russia.
(Dominic) So what? Omrylkot is only 180 miles from Alaska.
One of the planes is scheduled to be delivered to Shemya Air Force Base in Alaska.
And Roper is the pilot? Not yet.
But since he's the commander, he makes out the duty chart.
You've done quite well, Hawke.
By intuition, you've managed to open the latch that opened the door for us.
What about Roper? He's a traitor.
Not yet, he's not.
Well, the Firm is not going to wait till he is.
And the boy? A 1 2-year-old waif is no trade for a newly designed, multi-million dollar plane.
Depends on who does the trading, doesn't it? l do.
When is Ho Minh's birthday? He's 1 2 years old.
Don't let your imagination run away with you.
l don't want you to do anything about Roper.
Let him be.
You expect me to just sit back and let him-- l'll guarantee no plane will be turned over to the Russians.
You're not co-signing an auto loan.
Your guarantee is not enough.
lt'll have to be.
And if it's not? [sighs.]
l'll trade Airwolf for the boy.
[tires screeching.]
[birds chirping.]
What do you want? You knew that was comin'.
l know l deserved it, too.
Get up.
[grunts.]
What was that one for, interest? That was instead of a firin' squad.
They don't shoot you for makin' a fool of yourself on a check ride.
They do for turnin' aircraft over to the Russians.
l don't know what you're talking about.
You'd better start rememberin'.
Because l'm the only thing standing between you and a blindfold.
[Zimmer speaking Russian.]
[speaking Russian.]
[jeep engine running.]
[speaking Russian.]
[people chattering in Russian.]
[phone ringing.]
Hey, mister, could you tell me something? Are you hungry again? Yeah, that, too.
But it's about this picture.
Yeah.
What about it? Could you tell me which one is my father? Which one would you like it to be? Any one of them is okay.
[sighs.]
Damn it, Sam.
You're too smart to think you could get away with this.
l'm not a traitor.
Before l'd turn that plane over to anybody, l'd ditch with it in the Bering Sea.
Yeah, and freeze to death in 1 1 minutes.
lt'd be worth the gamble.
You've never been an idiot before.
l've never been a father before either.
l have a son, Hawke.
A son l've never seen before.
A son who doesn't even know who l am.
Why didn't he come out with Nhi Huong? They were separated.
He was in the Swiss Hospital there.
He was due to come on the next flight, but he never made it.
Nhi wanted to stay.
l convinced her he'd be all right.
That was the only way.
How did the Russians contact you? Hanoi contacted Nhi first.
They strung us out for over a year, finally turned us over to a Russian.
You really think you can pull this off? l figured l'd make a navigational error and be forced down in their territory.
ln time l'd be exchanged.
You said you'd ditch the plane before you'd turn it over.
That's exactly what l was going to do.
Call an emergency and ditch before l get to the island.
l figured they'd give me my boy just for tryin'.
You really believe that? (Nhi) lt will work.
lf you'd just stay out of it, Hawke.
(Hawke) l can't stay out of it.
What would you do if it was your son? You owe it to Sam.
He saved your life when it still meant something to you.
l never told you that.
What about it, Hawke? Pay Sam back.
A man has a right to see his son.
(Dominic) No! Not a chance! (Hawke) Just hold on, Dom.
l can't have an excitable man making precision adjustments on it.
You see what l mean? You're not even thinking straight.
Look, you can't say a thing about it on the phone.
Archangel probably has it tapped.
That only saves me from havin' to make a direct call to Michael.
Just don't you pick up a tail.
Me? Nobody tails me.
Then I can trust you to handle everything.
Doesn't my saying no mean anything to you? Only when you mean it.
See you later.
[sighs.]
[airplane engines whirring.]
Oh, Michael, you'll find that if you add some pine-scented detergent to your scrub water, you'll give your bathrooms that fresh outdoor aroma.
[laughing.]
All, right, we're takin' off in three sections.
Winner and Jones to Corpus Christi, Simms and Lewis to Orlando, and l'm taking the Alaska run with Hawke.
These flight plans and re-fueling points read like a crossword puzzle, Sam.
That's how they read the foreign satellite radar.
l want to use low-level flying whenever possible.
Desert and water.
Let's make this as difficult as we can.
For who? l didn't think this was still a secret.
Maybe not, we're not advertisin' either.
Any further questions? All right then, good luck to you all.
Hawke, l'd like to see you for a second.
[sighs.]
Everything going the way you want it so far? Uh, well, the flight plan ought to put enough gaps in radar to keep Air Defense busy.
Unless we messed them up too much and they call the flight back.
Once you take off, there's no turnin' back.
You just go deaf and dumb and you do just what l tell you.
Thank you.
You want to tell me now how you're going to do it? With a helicopter.
Eagle flight, you're cleared for take off.
(Roper) Eagle flight rolling.
(Hawke) We've just passed the point of no return.
Roger.
[tires skidding.]
(controller) Sir, l've lost contact with Eagle Three.
Give him a call.
lt could be atmospheric.
[airplane engine turning off.]
You're a janitor.
You see how clean that desert is? [laughs.]
You'll get a radio signal when it's time to take off.
Resume your present flight plan.
How am l gonna explain you're not with me? You won't have to.
(Hawke) Sure is cold out here.
(Dominic) Cold? You call this cold? Ha.
l remember the time your dad and me were ferrying planes from Thule to England.
We had to stop over in lceland.
lt got so cold on that one flight that the engines froze right in the middle of the air and we couldn't come down.
[laughing.]
[both laughing.]
Ah.
That ought to warm you up.
Yeah.
[clanging.]
[beeping.]
[ignition blasting.]
[engine accelerating.]
[Airwolf revving.]
There he is.
Eagle Three.
Base.
(Hawke) Eagle Three to Base.
Three, we've have been unable to read you for the past 20 minutes.
Over.
Sorry, Base.
I had a pressurization leak indicated, I dropped to below Angel's ten to check it out.
an emergency? Negative.
Negative.
It's a malfunctioning light.
I'm climbing back to Angel's thirty.
Roger, Eagle Three.
Cleared 300.
Keep an eye on him, if he drops off again, l want to know.
Yes, sir.
We got away with it so far.
(Dominic) Sure.
Now all we have to do is attack Russia, steal a kid, and try not to get caught by our own government.
In the meantime, I still don't know what all these knobs and--and--and buttons are for.
I wouldn't sweat it, Dom.
If you touch that eject button, you'll be the first to know.
Oh.
[beeping.]
Hey, what's that? Put on the descrambler.
Oh, sure.
That's not the one.
Okay, which one is it? Upper left.
Right next to the Shrike missile.
Be careful.
(Archangel) Good afternoon, Stringfellow.
I don't suppose you'd consider giving me your coordinates? Dom's the navigator here.
Oh, good.
Then at least the cockpit has been freshly scrubbed.
(Hawke) How long did it take you to figure out what I was going to do? (Archangel) When you disappeared on the radar screen.
Hawke, l'd like to see you bring the boy back.
But we've got to keep the plane.
Amazing! Behind that impeccable white suit beats a heart-- of recyclable plastic.
That's very good, Dominic.
Hawke, please give him a sugar cube and a pat on the neck for me.
(Archangel) I may not be accurate about your location, but I can sure make an educated guess as to your destination.
Can I assist? Yeah, you can feed my dog.
[laughs.]
How did you know l was Sometimes, Hawke, you amaze even me.
Good luck.
[phone beeping.]
(Dominic) How come Archangel's ''good luck'' always sounds like ''goodbye?'' Turn on the radar scanner.
Um, do I guess, or will you give me a hint? It's the green light next to the chain gun power.
(Dominic) Oh.
Says here we're 2.
5 miles from Nome, Alaska.
Whatever happened to that ''flying by the seat of your pants'' stuff? Oh, it went out when designers started to write their names on your behind.
Ferry Three to Control.
Eagle Three.
Go.
Ferry Three.
I'll be dropping altitude and altering directions.
This is not an emergency.
I repeat, this is not an emergency.
Negative Eagle Three! Maintain your present heading and altitude.
You are not authorized to deviate from the flight plan.
Over.
Strap her down, Dom.
Why not let those people mow their own lawns, huh? Increasing speed.
[accelerating.]
l can't think of any way to help him.
(Archangel) Short of an invasion of Russia, all we can do is be restrained spectators.
Too bad.
He's a very capable man.
Hawke or Dominic? l never met Dominic Santini.
Well, he's not nearly as attractive as Stringfellow.
Well, l hope both of them make it.
For professional reasons, l'm sure.
Of course.
[speaking Russian.]
[speaking Russian.]
String, it's time for some serious thoughts on religion.
We just crossed our protective zone.
We're approaching foreign territory.
I'm slowing.
I'm going to match Ferry Three's air speed.
Hey, you invite anyone else on this trip? How many? Four.
The readout says MiG-23, Now will you act a little worried? Check the ground scanner and see what's at the airstrip.
Three low buildings, some equipment, and a radar trailer.
Which one shows the most heat on the scanner? The one on the west end is giving off the hottest signals.
That's where Ho Minh will be.
I'll blind them, you make them deaf.
You're forgetting the MiGs.
We'll send 'em a decoy missile to chase.
You ready? Will you take no for an answer? Sure.
[missile whizzing.]
[beeping.]
[static sound screeching.]
[grunting.]
(Dominic) They're deaf, but they're not blind.
(Hawke) We're coming in like a jet.
You know the procedure.
I know we never did it right once! There's always a first time.
[beeping.]
Targeting countdown.
Yeah, yeah, all right, I'm ready.
You've got all the firepower.
Be ready to cut turbos.
Come on, kid.
We're headin' back for the land of hamburgers and heartburn.
[laughs.]
Are you my father? You'll know him when you see him.
(Roper) Get the ball now, boy.
(Archangel) You're going to receive a reprimand on your service record for not arriving in Alaska with Roper.
Does that mean l'm not gonna make General? l certainly hope so.
Have you considered a career in airplane theft? l still haven't quite figured out how you managed to keep switching planes and still keep our radar in the dark.
You have to ask Dominic about that.
Dominic's not talking to me.
l'd like to keep it that way.
Well, if you'll excuse me, l think l'll just go stare at the lake.
Looking at them, l know it was all worth it.
Maybe it's about time for some truth about Ho Minh? Ho Minh's last name is Roper.
lt always has been.
l guess l gotta live with that answer.
lt's the only answer l'll ever give.
Fair enough.
But if your son ever needs me, l'll be there.
You'll have to be.
We're giving him an American name.
What's that? Guess? Stringfellow's no name for a kid like that.