The Twilight Zone: Season 1 Episode 18 The Last Flight
A Royal Flying Corps airman lands on a 1959 American air base in France.
Series Index
Characters/Groups
Lt. William Terrance Decker - Kenneth Haigh
Maj. Gen. George Harper - Alexander Scourby
A.V.M. Alexander Mackaye - Robert Warwick
Technical Sergeant - Harry Raybould
Character thumbnails with links to profiles
Detailed Synopsis
Lt. William Terrance Decker is flying his plane over France when he lands at the nearest air base, Lafayette Air Base in Reims, France. A jeep drives next to him and Maj. Wilson motions for him to stop his plane. Wilson orders Decker out of the plane and asks him where he is from. Decker is surprised to see how advanced the American military is and Wilson takes Decker to the Administration Building. A Technical Sergeant tells Maj. Gen. George Harper that Wilson is there to see him and Wilson brings Decker into Harper's office. Harper asks Decker who he is and then asks what he is doing on the base and why he is dressed the way he is. Harper calls Decker's uniform a costume and Decker tells him that he thought he was landing at 56th Squadron Royal Flying Corps. Wilson asks Decker what the date is and Decker believes it is 1917. Wilson tells him it is 1959 which shocks Decker. Decker describes how he passed through a white cloud which engulfed his plane. He says there was no sound and the same thing happened to the French pilot Guimerd. Decker brings up the name A.V.M. Alexander Mackaye and Harper tells him that Mackaye is on his way to the base, but Decker thinks it is impossible as he thought Mackaye was dead. Harper and Wilson look through Decker's things and Wilson tells Harper, he's not sure that Decker is lying.
Decker is placed under arrest and an MP Guard lets Wilson into the room. Wilson questions Decker and Decker tells Wilson how Mackaye got the nickname Leadbottom and tells Wilson that he believes Mackaye was dead, because the last time he saw him, Mackaye was surrounded by German planes. Decker tries to escape, but is grabbed by the MP Guard and Wilson. Decker admits to Wilson that he is a coward and that Mackaye and him would go out on patrols together. He tells Wilson that normally he would just fly back and forth in the clouds until some time had passed. He continues that he was fleeing from the Germans and led them straight to Mackaye shortly before he flew into the white cloud. Wilson tells him that maybe someone helped Mackaye and Decker thinks that maybe it was him that saved him and time gave him a second chance to help Mackaye. Decker punches Wilson and then the MP Guard and escapes. He runs to the flight line and finds his plane. As he is about to fly away, Wilson catches up to him and points a gun at his head. Wilson lets Decker go and Decker flies into the air. Back in Harper's office, Harper tells Wilson that he is in trouble and the Technical Sergeant tells Harper that Mackaye is there to see him. Wilson asks Mackaye if he ever knew someone named Decker. Mackaye tells him that Decker saved his life when he was surrounded by German planes. Harper asks if Decker's personal effects were returned, but Mackaye tells him that they weren't. Harper pulls out the items they took from Decker and shows them to Mackaye and Wilson calls Mackaye his old nickname.