Starflight: The Plane That Couldn’t Land 1983

Starflight, the first hypersonic transport, is being prepared for its maiden flight from Los Angeles to Sydney. On board are the pilot, Cody Briggs, who is secretly involved with Erica Hansen, Thornwell Aviation’s media-relations chief. Also aboard are Nancy Gilliam, the designer Josh Gilliam, and satellite TV magnate Freddie Barrett. The plane also carries the gold thief Hal Parisi and his unsuspecting bride, along with Joe Pedowski, Thornwell’s electrical engineer who fears flying. Takeoff is delayed to load the body of the deceased Australian ambassador and his wife, Mrs. Winfield, a move that Del, the first officer, regards as a bad omen.

Cleared by NASA for liftoff, Starflight climbs to 23 miles using its scramjet engines, then levels off as Freddie’s ambitious plan to push ahead without full approval meets mounting weather concerns. A second stage rocket encounters trouble and must be destroyed, sending debris on a collision course with the aircraft. NASA reports the debris and the danger it poses, and Cody seeks guidance from mission control. Debris severs the aircraft’s controls, and despite Cody’s order to shut off the jets, the scramjets keep firing as the damaged power conduit loses its grip. The hydrogen fuel runs dry just as Starflight reaches orbit, leaving the crew with a desperate, high-stakes predicament that hinges on staying aloft long enough for help to arrive.

NASA dispatches the Columbia Space Shuttle to refuel Starflight and to bring Josh Gilliam back to Earth to work the problem. An astronaut advises a bold maneuver: shut down the damaged conduit and put the media off the air, while the crew contends with a fatal accident in the cargo hold when the hatch malfunction claims the life of the flight engineer. Improvising, Cody arranges for Josh Gilliam to travel inside the ambassador’s coffin aboard Columbia, a daring plan that could buy time and options if they can reach a usable docking path. Columbia returns to Thornwell with Josh aboard, where Thornwell’s team unlocks their universal docking tunnel—a flexible conduit that could bridge Starflight and Columbia.

Cody reverses course to restore power, electrifying a damaged section and revealing crates of Parisi’s gold that have damaged seals and spilled into the passenger area. Parisi’s partner, Bud Culver, becomes a point of tension as the plan to use Culver’s tank to carry extra passengers is debated, and Thornwell’s opposition clashes with the misgivings of those who fear industrial espionage. The hinge moment comes when the tunnel is deployed again, and a new wave of passengers—the fifteen who can be moved through—are brought through as the rescue effort expands. After the initial exodus, the remaining nine passengers must wait as the rescue team negotiates the next steps.

Nancy Gilliam exchanges with her husband Josh Gilliam as he weighs a transformative solution: a fuel-tank retrofit from Culver Aviation that could carry dozens more people. The rescue continues as a second shuttle, XU-5, arrives from orbit on a military mission to assist just as Starflight is about to hit the upper atmosphere. Columbia and XU-5 coordinate a daring joint approach, with only Starflight’s wingtips exposed to the heat as the two crafts ride the edge of re-entry. When XU-5 veers away to minimize risk, Cody remains at the controls, piloting Starflight through a harrowing descent that covers sixty-plus miles, enduring minor structural damage, and culminating in a successful landing.