David Jason: Planes, Trains & Automobiles (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - Episode #1.3 - full transcript

DAVID: 'I'm David Jason
and I'm on a journey

'to discover the machines
that made America

'and changed the world.'

- You know you're mad?
- All the best people are.

'I'm travelling by plane,
train and automobile

'in the footsteps
of pioneers and inventors

'down the west coast of America.'

- And you... Yes!
- Yes!

Oh... I really, really enjoyed that.

'I will take in some of the best
all-American scenery.'

Good lord! Look at that.



That is just wonderful.

'And reveal
how this part of the world

'has led the way in adventure
and enterprise.'

Look where she's going!

'I will discover the stories

'behind some of the world's
most legendary machines.'

You're responsible
for the nation's treasure.

Exactly.

Come along, James! Off we go!

'At last, Del Boy makes it
to Hollywood.'

You can't get much closer than that.

'Join me
on my big American adventure.'

'Over five weeks,

'I'm travelling 1,200 miles
from Seattle to Los Angeles.



'I'm now on the third week
of my epic journey.

'Starting in Madras,
in central Oregon,

'I'll be going 600 miles
to San Francisco.

'On this leg of the trip,

'I earn my crust on the Golden
City's famous cable cars.'

There's no such thing
as a free ride.

'I hit the fast lane with
a unique American motorcycle club.'

I shall have to watch my Ps and Qs!
Won't I?

'And I take to the skies
in a legendary American chopper.'

CROY: This helicopter burns
so much fuel.

Bloody hell!
Good job I'm not paying for it.

'Today, my crew have dumped me
in a used car lot.'

They've told me
that they're going to provide

a nice vehicle to travel south

'cause it's a long journey by road.

So I'm just having a little look
round at the one I might choose.

1972 Buick. Very nice.

I fancy this one, look.

Plymouth. Yeah, lovely.

'Hey, what are you doing
parking here?

'Hang on.
This is not my lift, is it?

'It is, you know.'

Hello, Sir David.
It's nice to meet you.

I'm Sean,
and welcome to central Oregon.

Hello, Sean.

Are you supposed to be
driving me south in this?

Yes!

It's not quite what I was expecting,
to be honest.

But, having said that,
it's in beautiful condition.

'This 1945 Chevy school bus
was in a very sorry state

'when Sean discovered it
in the backwoods of Idaho in 2010.

'He then spent five years
restoring it

'and now uses it
to give guided tours of Oregon.

'There's no doubt he's done
a great job on the bus,

'but I can't help but think

'there's one important detail
that's not quite right.'

Correct me when I'm wrong,

but school buses are suppose
to be yellow in America?

They are.

As a matter of fact, they actually
are called school bus yellow.

- Right.
- But once a bus is decommissioned,

you're not allowed
to use school bus yellow

from that point on.

If you like, why don't you go ahead
and get on and we'll head on out?

OK.

Oh, just my size, this!
SEAN LAUGHS

- Well, it was a kids' school bus.
- Of course, yes.

'Whilst we're on the road,

'Sean's enthusiasm
for all things volcanic

'comes bubbling to the surface.'

Well, where you're going,
down to Crater Lake,

is actually pretty amazing.

It's what's called a stratovolcano.

What we are is in an area
that's all volcanic,

so we're travelling on top
of old lava flows even as we speak.

'Sean's bus is bouncing along
at quite a lick

'over Oregon's lava landscape.'

It's not the quietest vehicle,
but it certainly bats along.

It goes quite fast, doesn't it?

I thought it was going
to be much slower than this.

I've actually set
a land speed record in this thing.

I've done 90 miles an hour
down in Utah.

'I'm perfectly happy to stick
within the speed limit today,

'but just in case Sean puts
his foot down,

'I'm taking refuge
in the back of the bus.'

Ooh.

It's very nice back here.

I try to make it nice everywhere.

So, anyway, now I've got you
as a captive audience.

So if you start flatlining,

I've got a defibrillator
and we can shock you back to life.

I tell that to everyone.

'I'm hoping there's no need
for that, Sean.

'However, I might need a sick bag
if we stay on this bumpy road.'

I think if we carry on like this

you'll be able to see
what I had for breakfast.

I don't know about anything else.

Cor blimey!

- When are we there?
- We are almost there.

We will be there shortly.
We don't have far to go.

SEAN: Are you always this grumpy?

I tell you, I've never had
anybody grumpier than you.

'Cheeky devil! Cor!

'Even after two hours
on a rickety bus,

'it's hard to stay grumpy
with views like this.

'The Oregon landscape
we're driving through

'has been shaped by eruptions
from volcanoes

'over thousands of years.

'Some are still active
and will erupt again in the future.'

So we've got a little ways to go
and then we'll get up there

and even though you haven't
been happy with the bus,

I think you'll be happy
with Crater Lake.

No, I'm happy with the driver.

It's just that the bus is showing
it's age, that's all.

Excuse me? My bus looks beautiful.

It has character and it has style.

I have to agree with you there.

'Another thing I have to agree
with Sean about, is that up here,

'at 6,000 feet,
the view really is awe-inspiring.

'And it's about to get even better.'

SEAN: Oh, my gosh. There it is.

Wow!

OK, here we are.

DAVID: Good grief!

You certainly don't see a view
like that every day of the week.

No.

Let's go ahead and step out
and check this out.

Oh...

Good lord!

- It's stunning.
- It is.

It's an amazing volcano.
I mean, look how big this is.

This is like six miles wide
by five miles wide.

I mean, it's huge.

Yeah.

One of the great natural wonders
certainly of America,

if not the world, eh?

'This crater was formed
over 7,500 years ago

'when the volcano erupted
and collapsed in on itself.

'It was such a huge explosion
that ash reached 30 miles high

'and travelled 700 miles
to the Canadian border.

'No rivers flow in or out
of Crater Lake.

'It's simply topped up by rain
and melting snow.'

So when this thing blew up,
sort of as a last gasp

we still had one vent that
was coming up through the bottom.

And that's what Wizard Island is
right there.

I wonder
if it's called Wizard Island

because it looks a bit
like a wizard's hat?

- I know, it sort of does.
- Yeah.

It sort of does.

Well, that's absolutely stunning.

I must say thank you
very much, Sean,

for taking me here
and showing me it.

- And my journey.
- I'm really glad you enjoyed it.

And I do think
this is a nice way to end

- the Oregon portion of your trip.
- Yeah.

How wonderful.

'I'm continuing
my west coast adventure

'by leaving Crater Lake in Oregon

'and travelling over 400 miles south
through the state of California.

'My first stop in the Golden State

'is its fourth-largest city,
San Francisco.

'It's home to the notorious
Alcatraz prison

'and the breathtaking
Golden Gate Bridge.

'It's also famous
for a unique form of transport

'that's been around since 1873.'

- Good morning, sir.
- Good morning!

- My name's Rob.
- Rob, hi. David Jason.

'I've come to the beating heart

'of the San Francisco
Municipal Railway

'to find out more.'

One of the things that is so iconic
to San Francisco

is the tram.
You call it the tram? What is it?

- We call it the cable car.
- Cable cars.

'Well, I stand corrected,

'but so far in San Francisco
I haven't seen any cables.'

So it's similar
to what you would call a ski lift,

when you see the cable
over your head

- and the cars are travelling.
- Yeah.

It's inverted.

So the cable is now
down in the slot, in the street,

and the cars have
what's called a grip

that fits through that slot
and grabs on to the cable.

'Underground pulleys guide
over ten miles of steel cable

'beneath the streets
of San Francisco.

'The cables alone weigh
over 72 tonnes.

'And that's before any cars
or passengers are added.

'As a lover
of all things mechanical,

'I'm keen to find out

'what's powerful enough to shift
such an incredible weight.'

We're going to go ahead and go down
and watch the propulsion system.

This is the heart.
This is what moves all the cars.

It's all from this powerhouse
right here.

Oh, my gawd!

'14 powerhouses once served

'all the cable car lines
in San Francisco,

'but most were destroyed
by an earthquake in 1906.

'Now the only surviving network
is powered from here

'and I can't wait
to have a closer look.'

We use electricity
to power the system.

In the old days, it was steam.

On the outside of the building,
you'll see the old steam chimney

still standing today, even though
we don't use steam power.

So where now
where's our electric motors?

See this big square motor
right here?

This electric motor is
a 600-volt DC electric motor.

500 horse power.

'There are four motors.

'Each one is capable
of shifting more than 18 cable cars,

'fully loaded with passengers,
at any one time.

'I've done my sums.

'And that's the weight equivalent
of nearly 50 adult elephants.

'It's time for me
to put those cables to the test

'with my own private cable car.'

They've allotted me this

to go for a ride
to see what it's actually like.

And I've got two of the stars
of this vehicle

- and here is Willa.
- Hi.

- Hello, love. Lovely to see you.
- Welcome.

- And this is Dwayne.
- Hello.

And Dwayne is my conductor

and he will be taking the tickets
and you will be wanting money

- for those tickets.
- Absolutely.

Seven dollars. A very small pay.

I'll see you later!
DWAYNE LAUGHS

Willa, come on. You and I will go.

- We don't need Dwayne, do we?
- We don't.

'I'm on the Powell-Hyde Line,

'which goes from Fisherman's Wharf
to downtown Union Square.'

Toot.

'Passing through, you won't
believe this, but it's true

'uptown Nob Hill.

'At two miles long,

'it takes in some
of the city's best views

'in a rattly 20-minute trip.'

Willa, what is your official title?

Are you the driver
or the handbraker or?

I am the grip person.

So, for sure,
you're the gripper, are you?

I am for sure the gripper. Oh, yes.

DAVID: Oh.

Traffic jam.

Mmm, a traffic jam.
Do you want to sit?

You want to walk around
or are you OK with that?

I'm OK like this?

You know, stuff like that
when people do that

we get really angry with them.
SHE LAUGHS

Oh, well,
you should have told me first!

OK, OK.

'Back in 1869,

'people used horse-drawn streetcars
to get around.

'But the steep hills
of San Francisco

'caused many animals
to slip and get injured.

'So London-born
Andrew Smith Hallidie

'invented the cable car

'to make getting round
easier and safer.

'Today, only three lines
of the original 23 remain,

'but little else has changed,

'from the design of the cars

'to the technology
which drives them.'

So in a minute
you're going to pull the lever,

which will grip the cable
and off we go, yeah?

- Yep. Hold on.
- OK.

Hold on.

'The cable might only be moving
at nine-and-a-half miles an hour...'

Blimey. Now we're going up.

'..but I'm starting to wish
San Francisco was a bit flatter.'

It's quite unbelievable

that the cable that we've seen
in the machine house

is going all the way up here,

right the way round
and back to the motor house

and that is what's pulling us along.

'Each year, about 25 million people
visit San Francisco

'with six million of them choosing

'to take in the sights
from an iconic cable car.'

This is the end of the line,
where all the cable cars bank.

We have to throw out the cable

- and get behind the cable cars,
- Yeah.

and wait to turn around to go back.

'It looks like
we're in for a long wait,

'but the crews have their own
special way of staying entertained.'

Now, Dwayne, I understand
you're pretty cool at bell ringing.

- I try. I try.
- You try.

You're going to give us now

a demonstration
of your skills of bell ringing.

- Sure.
- Go on.

BELL RINGS

TINKLES A TUNE

- How about you ring the bell?
- I can't ring it like that!

I think you can ring it.
Come on. Step inside here.

TUNELESS TINKLING

'I tell you what,
it's harder than you think, though.'

- How's that, Will?
- That's good, that's good!

If she likes it, I like it.

Is your arm tired?

I'm exhausted! It's not easy,
this bell-ringing lark!

'Our cable car has finally reached
the front of the queue,

'ready to return to the depot.

'Or as these guys call it,
the de-pot!

'But first, all seven tonnes of it
needs to be facing the other way,

'which is where this giant turntable
comes in.'

Go on, then.
They get you working, don't they?

No such thing as a free ride.

WILLA: OK?

- We gotta push now!
- Oh, blimey!

You've got me doing that as well.

Watch your step, watch your step,
watch your step.

- You're good now.
- Now you're good.

I'm gonna be a gripper,
don't you worry.

Now you can't be a gripper
if you can't run to get the car.

SHE LAUGHS

'As we set off, I can't help

'but think how impressive
this 19th-century network

'of cables and tracks are,
even by today's standards.

'San Francisco had
the first cable car system

'and now it's the only one
left in the world.

'And long may it last.'

Cable cars are synonymous
with San Francisco.

Yeah.

They're the only national,
rolling, moving monument.

When people come to San Francisco,
they want to eat crab,

they want
to see the Golden Gate Bridge,

walk it, ride it,

they wanna go down Lombard Street
and they wanna ride on a cable car.

'You can't put it
much better than that.

'From one national,
moving monument to another.

'I've always loved motorbikes

'and over here the Harley Davidson
is the classic American easy rider.'

There's some
pretty smart bikes there.

'I've arranged
to meet the local president

'of a unique motorcycle club.

'They ride Harleys and call
themselves the Buffalo Soldiers,

'a name with a powerful legacy
in black American history.'

Good morning, all!

- Morning.
- How you doing, Dave?

- You're Gene.
- I'm Gene.

- Yeah.
- They call me Old School.

I'm President of the Oakland Chapter
of the Buffalo Soldiers.

What we do is, we represent

the long history
of the African Americans

in the military.

So could you just tell me

the role of the original
black soldier back in the history?

OK, so in 1866,
when Congress actually signed us in,

we were actually former slaves

and people that came out
of prison camps and stuff.

- Right.
- OK.

We became known as
the Buffalo Soldiers by the Indians.

The hair on top of our head,
which is a woolly patch,

reminded them of the woolly patches
on top of the buffalo.

Oh, I see.

But the most important thing
is the fierce fighting that we did.

So they worshipped the buffalo,

so they worshipped
the black African American troops

at the same time.

So they nicknamed us
Buffalo Soldiers.

So that's how the name
Buffalo Soldiers came along

for the coloured troopers.

So they were tough.

- They were tough. We have...
- Nothing's changed then, has it?

THEY LAUGH

Look at this lot here.

Careful! I shall have to watch
my Ps and Qs, won't I?

So this group
are the Buffalo Soldiers

and you are motorcycle... what?
Fanatics? What are you?

- Well...
- Eh? You look like it! Eh?

Well, we're a motorcycle club.

We ride these motorcycles

in respect of the horses
that the Buffalo Soldiers rode.

So we call these our iron horses.

Plus it would be kind of hard here
in the United States

to clean up behind our horses
roll them all over the place.

Yeah, of course!

'Whenever these Buffalo Soldiers
set out to ride their iron horses,

'they do so with pride
and a prayer.'

We're going to mount up now
and head out to Oakland, OK?

- We're going to roll it out. Ready?
- Ready!

- Buffalo!
- ALL: Soldiers!

- Buffalo!
- ALL: Soldiers!

- Buffalo!
- ALL: Soldiers!

- And?
- ALL: It's all good!

It's all good!

All right.

'To help me better understand

'the story of the Buffalo Soldiers
of past and present,

'Gene has offered little old me
a ride in today's convoy.'

- OK, so here's a safety jacket.
- Yeah.

'But first,
I've got to get the look.'

Blimey...
GENE LAUGHS

No, it's not me being small!
It's you being too big!

- Well...
- Cheeky devil!

It's going to keep you safe, though.

That's it,
because you're responsible

- for the nation's treasure.
- Exactly!

GENE LAUGHS

I said that. Nobody else does.

Let's go.

'The first
Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club

'was formed by
a Chicago police officer in 1993.

'Gene Gilliam
started the Oakland Chapter

'after leaving the US Army in 2013.

'Across America,
they now have over 123 chapters

'with 3,000 active members.

'One of the core values
of the Buffalo Soldiers

'is to help those less fortunate
than themselves.'

All right, guys,
let's go on over to them

and start giving this stuff away.
Give them the water and stuff.

'We've stopped at a homeless camp
under a freeway

'to hand out much-needed basics
such as food, water and toiletries.'

So what we do is normally
just walk through the area,

we find people that need stuff

and then find out
what they're in need of.

'With around 3,000 homeless people
in Oakland,

'these people living here
aren't on their own.'

They want some water over there.

DAVID: So how did you get here?

My situation was domestic

and my whole career
went down the drain.

and I just feel so bad.

I was 15 years clean and sober.
Everything went down the drain.

And I was so ashamed.
I felt so bad to go back home.

I think that what's nice is
like these guys,

the Buffalo Soldiers,

there is someone who is caring,
who is thinking about you.

Even to finally just come
and to see about us.

Yeah. Thank you.

It's been very nice meeting you.
And good luck, good luck.

'I'm starting to realise
that the Buffalo Soldiers

'are much more
than the motorcycle fanatics

'that I thought they were.

'Like Gene, many of them
are ex-servicemen or women

'and have faced the same battles
as those they are helping.'

Have you had experience
of being homeless?

Actually, I have had experience.

Back in 1984,
after I got out of the military,

I served two years in the military,

and I decided to get out.
I moved to San Jose, California.

And I actually wasn't able
to sustain in San Jose,

so I ended up living out
on the street.

My main concern was
how to build my life back again,

how to get up off the streets. A lot
of these people want conversation,

they want resources
of where they can go

and get that help to start
building their confidence again

to get up out of these streets.

'It's time to hit the road again.

'We're crossing the Oakland Bridge
into San Francisco

'to discover more about
the original Buffalo Soldiers.

'I have come to an old military fort
under the Golden Gate Bridge

'where two cavalry regiments
of the Buffalo Soldiers

'were permanently stationed

'at the San Francisco Presidio Fort
from 1903.

'Over 450 are now buried here

'in the National Cemetery
at the Presidio.'

Every Buffalo Soldier that you see

and every Buffalo Soldier
that has come to pass,

their parents were slaves.

That's why they joined the military
in 1866, to get out of slavery.

'Gene and the rest
of the club want to ensure

'the courage and pride embodied
in the original Buffalo Soldiers

'is not forgotten.

'Soldiers like
Sergeant William Thompkins.'

He's one
of our Medal of Honor winners

from the Spanish-American War.

Was there a special reason
that he got a medal?

So during that war,
they were actually on a ship.

Several men were on land
that were injured.

Him and another guy got on a boat,

paddled out there
to where those men were at,

while taking on fire
and taking injuries themselves,

and rescued those men
that were out there.

So they were awarded
the Medal of Honor for that fight.

- Justifiably deserved.
- Justifiably deserved.

And it shows the courage
of the Buffalo Soldiers.

Yeah.

'By 1944, all four Buffalo Soldier
regiments had been disbanded.

'And in 1948 the US Government
finally declared an end

'to racial segregation
in the armed forces.

'Gene's mission is to keep

'the memory
of these black soldiers alive.'

Tell us why you think that Buffalo
Soldiers need to be remembered.

Because they are the beginning
of blacks, African Americans,

showing their worth in America.

They showed that blacks
aren't just made for working.

We're made for thinking
and using our heads and becoming

educated the same as everybody else.

So that is the legacy
that the Buffalo Soldiers have left.

- Exactly.
- Lovely. Yeah.

'My time with the Buffalo Soldiers
is coming to an end.

'It's been a ride that will stay
with me for years to come.'

What I would just like to say,

I've learnt so much
about the Buffalo Soldiers

and how important they were
at the very beginning,

so thank you one and all...
and I owe you my jacket because...

THEY LAUGH

He lent this to me,
so you better have it back.

You know what, David?

Since you look so good in it,
you're going to keep this jacket

and take it back to the UK with you.

- You're not!
- OK?

- Here's your own motorcycle jacket.
- I've put it back on!

You can put it back on.
THEY LAUGH

He's a gent as well as a Buffalo!

There you go. Thank you once again.

Thank you.
And thank you for my jacket.

- I'll wear it with pride.
- Thank you.

That was quite emotional,
seeing them go.

It just makes you feel good

to meet such a lot
of really, really nice people

who are doing such nice work.

'I learnt to fly a helicopter
about 11 years ago.

'I knew it was difficult,
but I did it to challenge myself.

'Thankfully, I've never had to fly
one into battle under enemy fire.

'The men who restored this machine
did just that.

'I'm in a hangar
in Hayward, California,

'to tell the story of this relic
of the Vietnam War,

'the Bell UH1, more affectionately
known as the Huey.'

A wonderful helicopter.
I'd love to fly it.

- Good morning, sir.
- Pleased to meet you. Peter Olesko.

Peter and... Geoff?

- Geoff. Nice to meet you, sir.
- Hi. Nice to see you.

'I'm meeting the Vietnam vets

'who returned this aircraft
to its former glory.'

We got it from the Sacramento
Sheriff's Office in 2003.

We took her completely apart,
stripped to bare metal

overhauled everything.

When it was all apart in pieces,

Peter and I sat down one day
and decided

we're either going to put
a thermite grenade in it

and burn it up
or we're go on from here.

So it was a very difficult thing
to do, but we got it done.

'Peter and Geoff were both
flight engineer gunners on Hueys

'during the Vietnam War
in 1970 and '71.

'It was their aim to recreate
the machine they flew in,

'down to the smallest detail.

'Everything from
the twin M60 machine guns

'to their old unit's
military insignia.

'But it's a more recent addition
that's caught my eye.'

So what did you need the dice for?

The woolly dice are not even...
I seem to recognise them.

That was a gift
from one of our first pilots.

And he had them in his helicopter
when he was in Vietnam

and they brought him luck,
and he said, "Well,

"we're gonna put them in here."
It's served us well.

We haven't had a single breakdown
in the field for 15 years.

'For veterans like Peter and Geoff,

'luck is something that helped them
both survive combat in Vietnam.'

When we moved up Northwest
of Saigon later in the war,

we were facing
anti-aircraft machine guns.

I got shot a couple of times.
Peter got shot down

I was in the flight and picked him
up after he was shot down.

Mmm-hmm. Yeah, I've been
hearing about it for 45 years!

- Have you?
- Steady.

- Aww.
- Steady.

'Not everyone was as lucky as Peter.

'It's believed
that during the ten years

'that America
was involved in the war,

'over 1,300,000 soldiers
and civilians

'were killed on both sides.

'For Geoff, like many American
servicemen and women,

'surviving the war wasn't the end
of the story.'

When I was in law school,
first or second year, in 1976,

four years after we were over there,
I had an emotional breakdown,

took myself
to the Veterans Administration,

and had what was
ultimately diagnosed as PTSD.

And...

..whatever, I killed a whole bunch
of people in one day.

Just... It was rescuing
a downed crew.

And that stuck with me
for a long, long time.

But they were all armed,
they were all shooting at me

and to save friends that were being
shot at, I had to kill them.

I've felt bad my whole life
about it, I atone for it every day.

This helicopter may be part
of that atonement,

to tell people about war

and hopefully to make them think
twice about ever doing it again.

'Peter and Geoff regularly display
their restored Huey at air shows.

'They've found the helicopter helps
military veterans to open up

'and talk about
difficult wartime memories.

'Now it's my turn to experience
this incredible aircraft

'up close and personal.'

Is this our number one pilot? Hello.

- This is Croy Pelletier.
- Nice to see you, Dave.

This is Dave.
He's the talent in this operation.

Sorry about that.
You'll have to take a back seat.

They told me you'd teach me
how to fly a helicopter.

Please.

'It's difficult enough
to fly a helicopter,

'but I've never tackled anything
as big and powerful as this Huey.'

Wait a minute.
How do we get in? Oh, I see.

Here you go, through the door.
I know this is complicated.

'I'm sat in the co-pilot's seat

'and Geoff is in one
of the two door gunner seats,

'the same place he sat
while serving in Vietnam.

'Geoff's son, Brandon, is manning
the second door gunner's seat.'

- Dave, are you comfortable? OK.
- Yes, sir. Ready to go.

Good to go. Pathway's clear.

Back around. Clear on your left.

To the south, Dave.
That's a Huey turn.

This helicopter burns so much fuel,
she's burning 90 gallons an hour.

Bloody hell.
Good job I'm not paying for it.

'Vietnam's dense jungles
and paddy fields

'meant many areas were inaccessible.

'The Huey was a game-changer
for American forces

'as it could move in swiftly
and hover close to the ground,

'allowing troops to disembark
whilst providing covering fire.

'Pilot Croy is about
to demonstrate this manoeuvre.'

You're good now. About two feet up.

One foot.

Six inches. I'm good here.

'For combat veterans,
the Huey was both a taxi into hell

'and sometimes
a medivac lifeline out.

'Today the Huey remains the most
potent symbol of the Vietnam War.'

CROY: On to go.

What we did just there,
that was what you'd expect to do

if you were delivering troops
into the war zone, is that correct?

Yes, that's correct.

Very much like what we did,
only nobody shooting at you.

It must be quite emotional for you,
Geoff, right at the back.

It must bring back some memories,
doesn't it?

Oh, yeah. Every time we do it.

It's sometimes nostalgic,
sometimes a pain in the ass.

DAVID LAUGHS
But...

overall, Dave,

overall it's...
Cathartic is the best word for it.

'Sitting up front
in this incredible machine

'is truly
a once-in-a-lifetime experience

'and it's about to get even better.'

David, I'm on the controls with you.

'For a brief few minutes,
Croy lets me take the controls.'

CROY: She's a big girl, isn't she?

She is a big girl

and she's a little bit heavy
to what I'm used to but...

..I'll have to learn her little
foibles, but she's a big girl.

- I like them big, though.
- I like them big, too.

BOTH LAUGHS
Good man!

That's San Francisco right there,

you know that, right?
That's Sutro Tower.

Where the fog's coming in.
Our summertime fog.

DAVID: Yeah, I've got it.

CROY: Isn't that gorgeous?

'One final glimpse
of San Francisco Bay

'and it's time to return to base.'

Thank you, my dear friend.

Thank you, David.
It's been a pleasure.

You really have helped me understand

the situation of what it must
have been like for you

and those guys, and I'm glad
you restored this machine

because it's a constant reminder
of what, in a way, we shouldn't do.

Indeed. In my unit,
we lost 38 guys in four years, dead,

and about three times
that many wounded.

It's a lot of manpower wasted
on a war that ended up

being considered unnecessary
at least, so there you go.

'It's time for me to say farewell
to the city by the bay

'and continue my journey south.

'Next, I'll be sampling
real horse power

'on a Wild West stagecoach...'

- This is under control, OK?
- Yeah.

'I board a locomotive

'that's been blowing off steam
for over a century...'

I like it! Lovely jubbly.

'..and I reach for the stars
in the Mojave Desert.'