This episode of “Flight,” titled “The Dart,” originally aired on November 11, 1958, and focuses on “the dart” supersonic aerial gunnery target and the stress of supersonic flight. (“Flight” was an anthology series featuring the importance of aviation that aired in syndication for one season. It was created with the assistance of the United States Air Force and featured retired General George C. Kenney as the host and opening narrator.) Co-starring Herbert Rudley, Mike Road, and Wesley Lau, the episode follows General Kenney’s traditional opening (at mark 01:25) with a flight surgeon examining a pilot while discussing his upcoming supersonic flight. Sensing something is wrong with the pilot emotionally, the doctor allows him to go on his way. While on a training mission the pilot accidentally fires on his tow plane (mark 06:18) forcing him to eject while the F-100 crashes. In the hospital at mark 07:24, the pilots explain what occurred during the mission and the flight surgeon confronts the pilot to ask why he fired on another pilot. Refusing to answer, the surgeon goes on to meet with the commanding officer and theorize that stress may have been to blame (mark 11:40). A lieutenant explains that the pilot had been spending a lot of time in Las Vegas with a showgirl and the film cuts to Fremont Street at mark 13:46 where the surgeon questions her and learns the two pilots fought over her the night before — leading to speculation that he deliberately tried to kill the other officer. After taking a look at the pilots’ mission and discussing the effects of negative gravity (mark 18:15) the surgeon speculates that may have been to blame — speculation that’s later proven true.

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