18. The Odyssey of Flight 33

Global Airlines Flight 33 is en route from London to New York City. About 55 minutes from Idlewild Airport, Captain Farver and his crew notice that the ground speed of their Boeing 707 is rapidly increasing beyond all reason. Their true airspeed remains constant, so there is no risk of the plane breaking up. They can no longer contact anyone by radio.

The plane travels through a flash of light and severe turbulence; the captain wonders if they have gone through the sound barrier. No damage to the aircraft is apparent. Still unable to contact anyone on the ground, and at the risk of potential collision with other aircraft, Farver finally decides to descend below the clouds. The crew is able to identify the coastline of Manhattan Island and other geographic landmarks, but there is no city. The crew realizes that they have traveled far back in time when they see a grazing dinosaur.

Their only hope of returning to the present day is to increase altitude and speed in an attempt to catch the same "jet stream". After another flash of light and violent shaking, New York City is once again visible, and although they still cannot contact Idlewild, they are able to reach LaGuardia Airport. However, the air traffic controller on the radio does not understand their technological references. The controller eventually clears the aircraft to land at LaGuardia, but orders the captain to report to the CAA office afterward; the captain remarks that they have not called the Federal Aviation Agency by that name in years. The copilot spots the buildings and structures from the New York World's Fair of 1939 below, making the crew realize that they did come back, but "not far enough".

The captain attempts one more ascent before the fuel runs out, in an effort to return the plane to 1961. He addresses the passengers, explaining that they have traveled back in time. "All I ask of you is that you remain calm," he tells the passengers over the public address system, "...and pray."