Read Online The Sky Phantom by Carolyn G. Keene - Free Book Online
Authors: Carolyn G. Keene
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wobbling badly, making a forward and backward rocking motion. Nancy began to feel a little squeamish.
“We must get out of here!” Bruce said, his jaw set grimly.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Nancy asked presently.
He did not reply for several seconds. Then he said, “Yes, I want you to work on something. You take the stick and follow my directions while I try to find out what’s wrong with our flight instruments and the lights.”
“Okay.”
“Try to keep her straight and level!” he said.
Nancy did her best, but the magnetic influence from the inner cloud continued to toss the plane about like a balloon.
Two dreadful thoughts came to the young sleuth’s mind. Had the sky phantom deliberately lured them into the great cloud with the thought of causing them to crash? Or was it possible that they would remain prisoners of the magnetic mass until they died? The latter possibility made her wince, but she kept her mind on what she was doing
Nancy tried to remain at the same speed and stay straight and level. She seemed to be standing still alongside the black formation.
“Anyway, that’s better than falling out of the sky,” she thought, trying to keep up her own spirits.
Meanwhile, Bruce frantically tapped the instrument panel with his fist in an effort to unstick the indicator needles.
“Any luck?” Nancy asked.
“No,” Bruce replied.
“I’m beginning to lose control of the plane!” the girl detective warned. “You’d better take over and do it fast!”
“Try to hold on for just a bit longer,” Bruce pleaded. “I have an idea. Most of our instruments are electrically operated. The magnetic force of this cloud must be interfering with the circuitry.”
“What can we do?” Nancy asked.
“A couple of our flight-altitude instruments have an alternate source for operation,” the apparently calm instructor declared. “It works on a vacuum system rather than an electric one.”
Bruce leaned forward and located the selector switch. He quickly turned it clockwise to where the selector dial was marked “vacuum.”
Nancy watched the panel with relief as the gyro compass and artificial horizon suddenly came to life and then stabilized. A second later her instructor took over the controls.
“We’re out of the cloud!” Nancy cried gleefully. “To tell you the truth, Bruce, I was never more frightened in my life! I really thought this would be the end for both of us.”
Her teacher looked at the girl and said, “One thing you must never do in a plane when you’re in a tight spot is to panic. Instead, assume that you are master of the situation and that you’ll get out of your predicament all right.”
Nancy nodded. “I’ll try to remember that, but you have to admit this was really scary.”
“Yes,” Bruce conceded, “but during the years you’ll be flying you’ll be in many ticklish situations. You must be ready for every one as it comes along.”
As they flew toward the Excello School, Nancy wondered whether or not she had actually learned more about flying or about the attitude one should have in order to be a good pilot.
After she taxied to the main building to report on her lesson, Nancy told everyone about the magnetic black cloud inside the great white one. Everybody standing around was amazed to hear of the vapory giant and lion that had nearly devoured the pair.
One of the pilots chuckled and said, “It sounds like a fairy tale.”
“But it’s true!” Nancy said.
Others in the room began to tease Bruce and his pupil, admitting that they thought the couple were trying to spoof them.
An Indian mechanic at the field, who had been seated in a corner of the room, now got up from his chair and walked forward.
“Bruce is telling the truth,” he said. “My grandfather said that the big cloud is bewitched. Sometimes fire shoots out of it!”
All eyes turned in the Indian’s direction. The pilots agreed that perhaps there was something to the story
“We must get out of here!” Bruce said, his jaw set grimly.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Nancy asked presently.
He did not reply for several seconds. Then he said, “Yes, I want you to work on something. You take the stick and follow my directions while I try to find out what’s wrong with our flight instruments and the lights.”
“Okay.”
“Try to keep her straight and level!” he said.
Nancy did her best, but the magnetic influence from the inner cloud continued to toss the plane about like a balloon.
Two dreadful thoughts came to the young sleuth’s mind. Had the sky phantom deliberately lured them into the great cloud with the thought of causing them to crash? Or was it possible that they would remain prisoners of the magnetic mass until they died? The latter possibility made her wince, but she kept her mind on what she was doing
Nancy tried to remain at the same speed and stay straight and level. She seemed to be standing still alongside the black formation.
“Anyway, that’s better than falling out of the sky,” she thought, trying to keep up her own spirits.
Meanwhile, Bruce frantically tapped the instrument panel with his fist in an effort to unstick the indicator needles.
“Any luck?” Nancy asked.
“No,” Bruce replied.
“I’m beginning to lose control of the plane!” the girl detective warned. “You’d better take over and do it fast!”
“Try to hold on for just a bit longer,” Bruce pleaded. “I have an idea. Most of our instruments are electrically operated. The magnetic force of this cloud must be interfering with the circuitry.”
“What can we do?” Nancy asked.
“A couple of our flight-altitude instruments have an alternate source for operation,” the apparently calm instructor declared. “It works on a vacuum system rather than an electric one.”
Bruce leaned forward and located the selector switch. He quickly turned it clockwise to where the selector dial was marked “vacuum.”
Nancy watched the panel with relief as the gyro compass and artificial horizon suddenly came to life and then stabilized. A second later her instructor took over the controls.
“We’re out of the cloud!” Nancy cried gleefully. “To tell you the truth, Bruce, I was never more frightened in my life! I really thought this would be the end for both of us.”
Her teacher looked at the girl and said, “One thing you must never do in a plane when you’re in a tight spot is to panic. Instead, assume that you are master of the situation and that you’ll get out of your predicament all right.”
Nancy nodded. “I’ll try to remember that, but you have to admit this was really scary.”
“Yes,” Bruce conceded, “but during the years you’ll be flying you’ll be in many ticklish situations. You must be ready for every one as it comes along.”
As they flew toward the Excello School, Nancy wondered whether or not she had actually learned more about flying or about the attitude one should have in order to be a good pilot.
After she taxied to the main building to report on her lesson, Nancy told everyone about the magnetic black cloud inside the great white one. Everybody standing around was amazed to hear of the vapory giant and lion that had nearly devoured the pair.
One of the pilots chuckled and said, “It sounds like a fairy tale.”
“But it’s true!” Nancy said.
Others in the room began to tease Bruce and his pupil, admitting that they thought the couple were trying to spoof them.
An Indian mechanic at the field, who had been seated in a corner of the room, now got up from his chair and walked forward.
“Bruce is telling the truth,” he said. “My grandfather said that the big cloud is bewitched. Sometimes fire shoots out of it!”
All eyes turned in the Indian’s direction. The pilots agreed that perhaps there was something to the story
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