Scene-By-Scene Synopsis + Descriptions of Songs Needing To Be Composed
Our show opens in the year 1983 with an aerial view of Austin Mueller Airport in Austin, Texas
Our heroine, MONA abandons her overheating truck and begins walking - financially broke, but not broken - and sings "Song #1" - a song of determination...refusing to quit, to continue the fight towards her dream. This song is our main theme.
She enters an old concrete brick building which is Browning Aviation where she applies for a flight instructor job. We learn that Mona is a newly licensed flight instructor, but she has no work experience. The manager, Mr. Fisher hires her despite her lack of experience, providing she is willing to serve as a "ramp hostess" - parking big corporate jets, hustling ice and water to the male crews, and cleaning planes when she isn't flight instructing (which is most of the time). He insists that she wear a skimpy outfit to help lure the male pilots into fueling their big corporate jets at Browning Aviation rather than going next door. She takes the job.
It isn't long until one of Mr. Fisher's regular "overnight" pilots doesn't show up, and the manager is forced to let her fly a small freighter aircraft on a night run to Dallas. It is a dark, stormy night filled with dangerous thunderstorms, but this is her big break - the first time she is being paid as a Pilot-In-Command on an actual freight run.
Before she takes off, Mr. Fisher gives her a quick lesson in the operation of airborne radar (something she's never used before). He says just "avoid the red, and you'll be fine." As she rolls down the runway and lifts off into the deadly skies, she begins to sing "Song #2" - expressing the emotion that she is in her element...she belongs in the sky.
Mona barely survives a harrowing flight through a major thunderstorm and lands in Dallas terribly shaken. In the pilot lounge, she meets a young 747 freighter First Officer, Will Wright. He tries to calm her down, explaining that "sometimes the rain is so intense, it absorbs the radar beam and you end up flying into the worst part of the storm - the tiger's mouth" (this is a true event). He tells her "you're not a real pilot until you've been scared 'shirtless' at least 3 times. She replies "Tonight ought to count for 2." He tells her being scared comes with the territory, but he offers her a good luck totem - his lucky Ace Of Spades playing card his father gave him many years ago. He says it will keep her safe. Will then sings "Song #3" with the message flying, like life, is a gamble and it helps to keep luck on your side. He offers to drop in on her in Austin later in the week as Mona gets ready for her return flight.
A week passes, with Mona settling into the routine of working the ramp by day, and making the flight each night to Dallas, but Will never shows up.
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One morning Mona returns to the small travel trailer she shares with her invalid Mom for a quick shower.
Her Mom, who is a French native, asks Mona if the pilot she met in Dallas ever showed up, and Mona says he didn't. As Mona showers, her Mom says that "Zee right man is nice to have around," while Mona reminds her of all the trouble they can cause. Mona's Mom sings "Song #4" with the message love will find you.
​After dressing quickly, Mona is back on the ramp at the airport in her skimpy "jet bait" outfit when she leads a small fighter jet to a parking spot.
The canopy rises, revealing Will Wright is the pilot. He explains that he was delayed a week with a blown fuel pump on the small jet he is moving across the country for an air show, and suggests they take the jet up for a quick flight. Soon they are skimming over the Texas hill country, and doing aerobatics to the pounding beat of "Song #5" - a duet that captures the big thrills of aerobatics...and meeting somebody new.
The afternoon of aerobatics ends in a passionate embrace in a hotel bed.
Mona suddenly realizes the time and that she is late for her nightly check run to Dallas. Will asks her when she sleeps since she is working night and day. Mona says she puts the plane on autopilot, sets the alarm on her wristwatch, and sleeps on the flight to Dallas, and then does the same on the return flight back to Austin. With that, she's out of bed, and we do a quick montage that covers a few days of time - with Will flying his 747 to the Far East and Mona flying/sleeping at night and working the ramp during the day. The montage ends with Mona asleep at the wheel of the plane headed to Dallas. Her alarm goes off, but she sleeps right through it. The plane drones on, and we fade to black. It is a jolt to the system as the picture comes back, and Mona abruptly wakes up...in complete silence. She grabs a flashlight and peers out the cockpit windows, "Noooo." She quickly climbs out of the plane which is sitting comfortably on its landing gear in a cornfield in Kansas. The plane has run out of gas and landed itself in a cornfield (the plane is equipped with landing gear that deploys automatically at 300 feet elevation - this event actually happened, by the way)
Mona pulls out her old flip phone (no GPS) and calls Will. He advises her to wait for the sun to come up and look for a farm house while he calls the FAA and let's them know what happened to her.
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After she hangs up with Will, she stares at the big full moon and "The Man In The Moon" (Willie Nelson or other legend of the music business) sings to her in "Song #6" with the message - "never give up, believe in yourself."
The sun comes up, Mona finds a farmhouse, and the following day the airport Manager Jim Fisher stands by her as a man from the FAA pulls up in a government sedan. The next scene has Jim driving Mona to a small airport as Mona fumes over the fact that the FAA man has suspended all of her pilot licenses, "Man, you make one little mistake." Jim pulls over and lets her out of the car, telling her that it's only a 6 month suspension and she'll fly again...but when she does, she should stay away from his ramp.
Down, but not defeated, she begins to sing "Song #7 (which may be a repeat of Song #1- a song of determination to carry on as she walks the road leading to the hangars.
Mona rounds the corner of a hangar and approaches a beautiful yellow biplane. She teasingly asks the pilot for "a lift" and we discover that it is Will fueling the plane. He has flown out to pick her up. She informs him that she is suspended - can't fly, and she doesn't know what she's going to do. Will suggests that she return with him to the glider resort his Dad operates in the Napa Valley - he needs help running the place and he'll pay her. Mona accepts and they fly the yellow biplane back to the Napa Valley.
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After Will and Mona land at the resort and Mona gets her first view of the beautiful, wooded resort and vintage buildings, a squad of parachutists land around them, led by a brassy, sexy blonde, Samantha (Sam), leader of the "Flying Merlots." She plants a big kiss on Will and asks if he'd like to buy her a big steak. Will declines, so Sam sings of her need to find a wealthy man to pay for a big steak dinner and maybe her lifestyle in humorous "Song #8
After Will's Dad, Noah Wright, is introduced to Mona, they all sit around a picnic table finishing a wonderful meal and two bottles of wine. The next day Wll gives Mona a tour of the resort ending with a look at Hawk Hill where a pair of hawks circle in the mid-day thermals. Soon, it's Mona and Will that are circling in the thermals in two of the resorts' fiberglass gliders and they sing "Song #9," a duet that captures the freedom of soaring like a hawk over Hawk Hill.
The next day, Mona sees Will off as he boards the 747 he flies around the world.
After he leaves, Mona sings in "Song #10" that she just can't seem to stop falling in love despite her best intentions.
While Will is busy flying around the world, Mona is working the front desk of the resort when the postman brings a certified letter for Noah. She signs for it, and delivers it to him in one of the back hangars she hasn't seen before - the hangar is filled with antique biplanes. Mona opens the certified letter and reads that it is a final notice to Noah - the resort is about to be foreclosed on for non-payment of 7 years back property taxes. Noah admits that the resort has been losing money for years and he's hidden the unpaid taxes from Will. He says that "it's probably time to sell." Later in the day, on a trip to the nearby grocery store, Mona picks up a carton of Red Baron Pizza and has an idea to save the resort. She rushes home to tell Noah her plan - they will change the resort into the Red Baron Inn and offer lazer-tag aerial dog fights in the biplanes Noah has in the back hangar. Further, they'll put on a Red Baron's Birthday Festival to raise some quick cash to pay off the county tax bill. Noah agrees that he and Will will put on an aerial re-enactment of the Red Baron shooting down an enemy plane.
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Following this inspiration, over the next several days, workers put up the new Red Baron Inn signage and prepare for the coming festival.
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When Will returns late at night from the airport in a cab (Mona forgot to pick him up), he scares her when he finds her busily painting his yellow biplane bright red. She reveals to him the financial trouble the resort is in, and her plan to save it. Af first, she thinks he doesn't approve, but he quickly joins in the fun of painting the plane - the first step in getting ready for the Red Baron Birthday Festival - and Will sings to Mona "Song #11 that says "you have to bet big to win big."
It's the day of the festival. As the Flying Merlots exit the jump plane to start their aerial parachute performance for the large crowd milling about the resort, Will and Noah make last minute preparations to their biplanes - Will is dressed as the Red Baron, while Noah plays his English adversary.
Will confides to his Dad that he plans to buy a wedding ring on his next trip to Singapore. His Dad heartily approves of Mona but warns him that being a pilot has always meant flying with a broken heart, because the job ruins relationships. It was true of the Red Baron, and is still true today. With that, it's time for them to get in the air for the aerial dogfight main event.
Later that evening, a boisterous crowd jams the dance floor at the inn as Mona tries to ply Will with drink - to her disappointment, he turns it down as he must fly for the airline early in the morning; but he tells her he's bringing her a surprise on his return.
Days later, as Mona and Samantha are busy answering the phones and taking reservations at the Inn, Will calls from Singapore, and she tells him how great things are going back home, reservations are booked solid for the next 6 months.. After they hang up, Will sings "Song #12 that expresses his love for this crazy girl."
At the end of the song, he stands at a counter in a jewelry store and selects a beautiful diamond wedding ring set, and as an impromptu extra gift, he picks up a new pilot's chronometer for Mona.
When Will's big 747 has parked back in San Francisco, Will and Mona are eagerly reunited. Mona is doubly excited as she shows him a letter she has received from the FAA. Her suspension is lifted and she can return to being a pilot. Furthermore, she has wrangled a co-pilot's job on a small Learjet based in Detroit.
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Will doesn't like it. He tells her that being that far apart will ruin their relationship and urges her not to take the job, but to stay at the resort. Mona says she can't. She's worked too hard to earn her wings, and she has to fly; their relationship will survive because they can cross the country like a big monopoly board. As they walk out of the terminal, Mona reminds him that he had promised to bring her a surprise, so Will digs out of his pocket the pilot's chronometer he bought in Singapore, but he doesn't offer the wedding ring. Mona asks if the watch has an alarm feature on it.
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We then start a montage covering months of time as Mona flies as co-pilot in the little jet with an incompetent, inexperienced Captain named Vic Godwin. The montage shows her dragging herself into and out of cheap hotel rooms, vacuuming the plane, helping load and unload crates into the jet, etc, and then coming home to find a note from Will indicating that she just missed him - he's flying for the airline., and so forth.
The montage ends with the small Learjet approaching SFO (San Francisco International airport) as storm clouds gather.
The ride gets rough prompting Mona to say they need to divert to a different airport to ride out the storm. Vic declines as the radar shows clear air towards the airport. Based on her prior harrowing experience trusting radar, she advises Vic that she's seen this before - the radar is giving them a false reading - the storm is so intense it is actually absorbing the radar beam and they are headed towards disaster. Vic still won't divert as the jet shakes violently and they wrestle for control of the jet throttles. At the last second, to save their lives, Mona pulls out of her pocket, a stun gun and shoves it against Vic's neck knocking him out. She then pulls the throttles back to flight idle.
Back at the Red Baron Inn, Will arrives late at night just as Samantha - the blonde parachutist - has finished adding pictures to the Inn's website. Even though he's exhausted he reluctantly agrees to take a quick look at her work. With her back turned to him, Samantha slips a "date rape" drug into a glass of wine that she intends to give him.
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Upon landing, Vic is furious, accusing Mona of usurping his command. As they argue, a ramp worker makes a mistake in fueling the jet, and it tips backwards, smashing the tail. When Vic insists that they still fly the plane in its damaged condition (another true event), Mona quits the job and walks away.
She realizes now what Will warned her about - that being a pilot breaks up relationships - she can't wait to get back to his loving arms and she will never leave them again. As she walks away from Vic and the small jet, she begins to sing "Song #13 that express the emotion that she is going home to love."
Upon arriving unexpectedly back at the Red Baron Inn, Mona sees Will and Samantha together but doesn't know that he has been drugged by Samantha. Devastated, and broken hearted, Mona takes refuge in a small motel and sings "Song#14 that expresses her heartbreak."
Will searches for Mona all morning and finally finds her at the small motel as she prepares to leave forever. He begs forgiveness because he's innocent - Samantha drugged him. Mona doesn't believe him. They both see their relationship has broken apart, and unable to repair it, they both sing in "Song #15" of their heartbreak in a soaring duet.
Just before Mona drives away forever, Will tells her that he is truly sorry - this is all his fault, he should have gone with her to Detroit and he is ready to go where ever she wants now, but it is no good. Mona says she must go away alone. Will begs her not to go, and says he'll be waiting for her when and if she ever decides to come back. After Mona drives off, we begin a montage that covers 10 years of time -showing Mona slowly progressing through a series of flying jobs in different lands and Will working at the resort and flying the 747 freighter. During this montage, they sing another powerful duet together in "Song #16" even though they are not physically in the same place.
As the song ends, Our story advances 10 years to 1993, Our view is of the new Austin, Texas airport seen through the windshield of a corporate jet.
We hear the voice of Mona talking with her fellow pilot. As the jet lands and taxis to a parking spot, we see that it is a really big Gulfstream jet, and we learn that Mona is the Captain of the large plane.
On the ramp, in the background is parked another little fighter jet.
While Mona makes a selection of cookies from a vending machine, a familiar voice calls out to her - it is Will, of course.
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He asks her how she likes flying the "big iron," and she replies that while she's living her dream, flying the big jets just means you fly higher and spend the nights farther from home...sometimes she wishes she was flying something smaller, simpler - like she did when they were first together. They sing "Song #17" - a soaring, bittersweet duet that shows they still care deeply for each other.
After their song ends, Will suggests that she come out to visit his Dad at the Red Baron Inn, which is still going strong - and she could fly a glider. She indicates that she just might do that. After good-bye, Will turns to her and asks her if "she ever became a real pilot...did she ever get that 3rd good scare in the air?" Mona smiles, flashes all the fingers on both hands twice, and then using the same bit of hand magic Will used those many years ago - she magically makes the same lucky Ace Of Spades card he gave her appear out of thin air. Will smiles and is impressed. He gives the sage Captain Mona a little salute and walks away.
After the reunion, Mona pops into the Manager's office and says hello to Jim Fisher - still overweight and still over worked. He's glad to see her and even more glad that she chose to fuel the large jet on his ramp. Mona mentions that she didn't see any ramp hostess when she parked, and Jim confesses that times have changed, he can't get away with that sort of thing anymore since so many of the pilots are now women. After saying good-bye to Jim, Mona walks out the door towards her big corporate jet, and she again sings "Song #1 - but this time as a song of triumph; she's achieved her professional dream"....and she is joined by other pilots and mechanics...ALL WOMEN.
As Mona and the others sing their song, we watch Will in the little fighter jet taxi onto the runway and begin his take-off roll.
Mona watches Will lift off and begin a continuous series of aileron rolls, blowing smoke the whole way - creating a streaming corkscrew effect in the air.
As the small jet flashes by her, Mona reprises "Song #5 - the heart pounding song they sang the first time they went up and she lightly massages the pilot's watch that sits on her wrist (the one that Will gave her years ago).
We watch the small jet grow smaller in the distance as the music cross fades to our main theme, "Song #1 - Mona's song of sheer dogged determination to succeed."
...and we show a series of pictures of pioneering female aviators and give a short written description of each one's accomplishments. Following this, we roll the end credits as the song continues, and then we Fade To Black