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pg.42

can we help them if they couldn't stay on the runway once they were down... We aren't magicians... This couldn't keep up much longer... One of those planes is going to come right into the trailer...Must be getting jittery...Made one pass with the first plane that called in... Right over the center of the runway, perfect... He still couldn't see the ground... Two feet above the ground and he still couldn't see [[strikethrough]] the [[/strikethrough]] to land...What the hell do they think we are... They should be able to see once they are over the beginning of the airstrip, fifty feet above the ground... Yeah, that's what they told us back in school... Once they are over the beginning of the runway they are supposed to be on their own... Yeah, that's the theory...Two of the planes were running out of gas."Darkie, how about getting us down. We can't stay up here much longer," said the pilot of one plane."Darkie, how about it. We're running out of gas. Please bring us in", said the  pilot of the other...What can you tell them? Sorry, the weather is too bad? Stay up for awhile? On what? We must bail them out... That's it... We directed the first one over the island, flying straight up the middle..We want to be sure they land on the island and not in the ocean. If they go in the ocean, the heaving, black, straining ocean, they're as good as lost... They must land on the island... Got the wind direction right?... Okay, bail out!.. Thirty seconds go by... Call the plane.. Make sure the three men jumped...Make sure no one stayed in the plane... How would you feel