WRITE A STORY

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Here's a few thoughts for storys from me thinking about some old movies. Times are rough guesses.

A plane trip going wrong, where we are crew or passengers??1966
The day electricity died? 2028
The day of the great tide? 2034
Finding the Lost Island. 1924
Exploring a vast river like the Amozon, in an early steam boot. 1876
Murder mystery on a long train journey, like Australia's Ghan in 1890.
Discovering a secret valley in the Himalayas in say 1906.
 
A plane trip going wrong, where we are crew or passengers in 1966.

I think it would be simpler than the Lost Island in 1924.

In 1966 the world was listening to the Beatles and doing long air hauls in Boeing 707's like from say Singapore to Darwin. 5 crew and 5 stewards and 130 passengers in 2 classes, first and second.

300px-Boeing_707-321B_Pan_Am_Freer-1.jpg

How does that sound?
 
Grier said:
A plane trip going wrong, where we are crew or passengers in 1966.

I think it would be simpler than the Lost Island in 1924.

In 1966 the world was listening to the Beatles and doing long air hauls in Boeing 707's like from say Singapore to Darwin. 5 crew and 5 stewards and 130 passengers in 2 classes, first and second.

View attachment 1603

How does that sound?
Click to expand...
Plot sounds close to the Dolly Parton one we did a while back. Skip the Beatles. Yes on the crew and prob less passengers. Are we part of the missing or the seeking.
 
No Beatles, less passengers, long flight, ...no worries Craig.
As for the central theme, I've got a few ideas like:

Lightning strike with loss of navigation,
Hi-jacking of plane by terrorists,
Crash landing,
Flock of birds crashing into cockpit,
Medical emergency of a passenger,
Fight with drunken brawling passengers,...

...still thinking. Any thoughts?
 
Grier said:
No Beatles, less passengers, long flight, ...no worries Craig.
As for the central theme, I've got a few ideas like:

Lightning strike with loss of navigation,
Hi-jacking of plane by terrorists,
Crash landing,
Flock of birds crashing into cockpit,
Medical emergency of a passenger,
Fight with drunken brawling passengers,...

...still thinking. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Jessica and Terry, say we make the reason for an empty plane a supernatural one. I dont mean ghosts.. but something mysterious. Recall a Twilight Zone episode when a plane returned empty after 100 crew/passengers boarded. Dont recall exact reason but it was bizarre.
Plenty of ideas we can kick around.

Passengers/crew teleported by aliens.
A mass hallucination by the ground crew and air safety people.
Plane forced down by something unknown.
Plane flies into a time warp or another dimension.
 
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Perfect Jessica. Chief Air Hostess with 4 staff under you. Duty free gin and other spirits. Chairs also had ashtrays for the smokers.

Other roles could be one of the crew of: Pilot/Captain, Co Pilot, Navigator/Radio and Radar operator, or an Engineer/cargo chief, or a key passenger?

How about this as a passenger list to colour and inspire sub plots :

Passengers like: 1 Doctor with 2 Patients and 3 Nurses, 2 Army officers, 1 Scientist, 1 Diplomat with 1 functionary, 2 Richh business men and 3 functionaries, 1 Priest, 1 Nun, 1 English Gentleman, Wife with 3 children, 6 Australian Soldiers returning home, 3 Singaporean people travelling to Australia, 12 returning tourists, 12 workers, 6 Immigrants, 2 Police officers, 4 Rugby players, 2 Cricket players, 2 Musicians, 3 Reporters, ...and some others too. About 80 all up.

I'd be happy to play the plane's Engineer I'd call Grier Ironsmith.

What about you Ritchie? Captain/Pilot?

And if you play Chief Steward Jessica, by what name would you fly by?

The flight from Singapore to Darwin in 1966 was 3350km (same today actually) over many tropical islands covered in jungles and seas full of deadly sharks, poisoness sea snakes and stinging jellyfish that paralyze. Uninhabited jungle islands, some with Komodo Dragon massive Lizards that eat goats, pigs and humans!
Not as dangerous as the giant salt water crocodiles and Great White Sharks up to 20' all about.
The jungles are as bad with deadly poisonous leaping Taipan snakes, venomous spiders, Head Hunters, huge wild Boars, giant Apes.. Mosquitoes, ... Pirates, Waring Tribes, Political turmoil in the region, ... and the weird Airplane Cult of the New Guinea Highlander tribes...

Singapore had just achieved independence from Britain and Malaysia led by a benevolent Prime Minister in Lee Kuan Yew.
Darwin in Northern Australia was just a big town in those days, big enough to be bombed in WWII, but often just a stopover to refuel to then fly on to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. An odd flight to Perth and Adelaide even, such were the modern times. 🤪

Flying at about 800km/h at 35,000 feet it took at least 4.5 hours to complete the flight from Singapore to Darwin. Usually longer depending on weather and deviations. The 707 carried enough fuel for such contingencies.

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Re the main plot, I like Ritchie's ideas so happy to play one of them or a mixture.
Minor sides plots could be a drunken soldier in Coach class for example which would be fun. A spy, a thief, a terrorist hi-jacker?,
How about 83 passengers Ritchie with 9 in first class?
I'm happy to dress up the backdrop, (like mostly done here) but leave the play to all, whatever direction it may take.
Even Cyclonic weather, Ducks, Engine failure, Demon seen pulling metal sheets off wing (half joking as I saw that once in a movie), a huge Volcanic ash cloud common to the area with active Volcanoes, Aliens, UFO's, Medical emergency, time dilation and/or travel, ..?

Whatever we fancy.

Sorry for all that window dressing,
I'm happy to sit back in coach for a while with a gin n tonic,
Cheers Terry
 
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You have gotten the whole show covered Terry. Hit off whenever you want. The skipper is fine by me and any other characters you want me to play. Captain Richard Wentworth.. Richie to my friends.
 
The Boeing 707 Aircraft sat in one of the giant hangers in Changi Airport in Singapore with engines purring quietly. Baggage handlers and mechanics were tidying up. A tractor hitched to the plane started to slowly tow it out into the sunlight.

Engineer Ironsmith had checked off all the boxes on the pre flight inspection and overseeing the loading and securing of baggage, containers, Mail with parcels and even two locked boxes of arms belonging to the soldiers on the flight back home from the war in Vietnam. Ironsmith doubled checked the weapon boxes with one of Army Officers signing each others paperwork.

"All good and ready to go!" said Engineer Grier to Captain Richie and Chief Steward Jessica. "Time to let the passengers embark."

boeing20.jpg
 
Wentworth taxied the 707 into take off position, then was asked to wait by air traffic control for the plane ahead of his to be airborn before he was given the go ahead to take off. Once in the air he informed passengers that they were expected to reach Darwin in just under 5 hours, perhaps longer as his flite plan had observed some nasty weather three hours into the journey, but he had kept that small detail to himself so as not to cause panic...
 
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After a smooth and text book take-off it took a while to reach a cruising altitude of 30,000 feet.
Engineer Ironsmith had a little space next to the Radio/Navigator Brown at the back of the cockpit. He had numerous dials and gauges to watch. All readings were as expected and he could smell coffee. Brown sniffed the air too, and winked at Grier.

"I have to go check the cargo Captain and I'll ask our Chief Steward Jessica about our coffees on the way."

Shuffling down the aisle Grier nodded at Jessica making subtle signs about coffees. Grier casually saluted the Army Officer who loaded the locked cache of weapons. The other officer was a Major who looked scary tough. In coach he saw the six soldiers and two looked very tense. Grier thought to mention that to Jessica. 'Poor chaps' he thought, 'Bloody Vietnam war'.
 
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Jessica loved her job, she enjoyed the interaction with the passengers and the banter with her colleagues. She felt proud in her uniform and always smiled as she tottered down the aisle.
She loaded her trolley with tea, coffee, bottles of water and snacks, then started at the cockpit end and made her way down the aisle, she made her way towards the soldiers and noticed how tense they looked.....
 
Wentworth, Ironsmith, Brown and co pilot Henderson enjoyed the warmth of the coffee as it was rather cool in the cockpit. They washed it down with Arnotts biscuits. Iced Vo Vos had been Richie's favorite since he was a kid. He and Henderson then chatted idley about this and that as the 707 sailed across the clear blue sky. Then the peace was broken by....
 
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Radio Operator and Navigator Brown called out "Captain, just heard there's a volcanic eruption in Java spewing huge clouds of ash into the atmosphere which we'll need to fly around. I'll work out a new course to avoid it. Winds are from the North so we should head north to avoid it. Give me 5 min to work out a new course."
 
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