“Sidney Dansitt! Calling Sidney Dansitt! You have been ordered by the Air Patrol to return to this field at once. And don’t attempt to land without being cleared!”
There was no answer. The dispatcher repeated his message. Still no reply.
With a gesture of disgust, he switched off the mike.
“Who is this Dansitt fellow?” Tom asked him.
“He’s a graduate science student at the University. A wise guy. I’ve been told he has no regard whatsoever for other people’s rights.”
“That’s pretty obvious,” Tom said. “This is only a semipublic field. Any more stunts like that and he’ll be barred from here altogether. Do you know anything else about Dansitt?”
“Not much. He owns the plane he’s in. He flies a lot and he’s been making several long-distance trips lately.” Suddenly the dispatcher pointed and said: “Here he comes now.”
Tom peered out the green-tinted glass windows and spotted Dansitt’s plane approaching the field.
“I’m going to talk to him,” Tom told the dispatcher.
A BRAZEN DENIAL 17
As Tom left the tower, Dansitt was banking his plane sharply and coming down for a landing without bothering to fly the prescribed traffic pattern.
“A real hotrock!” Tom exclaimed angrily.
Dansitt sped his plane down the runway, then turned to taxi slowly back to the parking apron. Tom stood waiting as Dansitt stepped out. The young inventor was surprised to discover that the pilot was alone.
“What was the idea of that show you put on? You almost killed three people!”
Tom cried.
The cocky stranger’s thin lips curled into a sneer.