Its speed accelerated at the start by the engine the airplane picked up speed rapidly because its nose was steadily going down.
Jeff tugged madly again.
The stick, part of an installed auxiliary control for instruction work, snapped out of its bed.
Jeff flung it disgustedly out to the side.
Larry sat quietly, knowing well that in no time they would be diving toward a wet, deep bay—and the end!
Sandy, not fully aware of the situation, but tense, thought of his ’chute, in the seat-pack. Would there be time? Could he use it? He waited, watching Jeff and Larry.
None of the three noticed Dick.
Seconds counted, he knew.
If the stick was jammed, it might be possible to get into the fuselage. There he might operate the elevator cable by hand enough to get that nose up more, flatten the glide, maybe enough to enable Larry, who alone had a stick, to swing around and come down on land—somehow.
A crack-up would not be as bad, perhaps, as a plunge, a dive into the bay!