he gadget they were working on!"

CHAPTER IV

A Haircut and a Wink

Rick held the Sky Wagon at the altitude to which he had been assigned
by the control tower at Anacostia Naval Air Station in Washington. He
was a little nervous because there was more air traffic around him
than he had ever seen before.

Across the Potomac River, so close that the traffic patterns almost
interlocked, was busy Washington National Airport. Below him along the
Anacostia River were two military airports; Anacostia, at which he
would land, and Bolling Air Force Base. And to complicate matters
slightly, Andrews Air Force Base was only a short distance away.

A thousand feet above his head a tremendous Air Force Stratocruiser
circled patiently. A thousand feet below him a flight of Navy Banshee
fighters awaited clearance for landing. And climbing through the
pattern came a division of Air Force F-80's.

Rick's neck ached from swiveling around. Scotty was helping him watch
for other aircraft. But in the rear seat, Hartson Brant and Julius
Weiss talked a steady stream, as they had ever since taking off from
Spindrift. Rick wished he were as oblivious to the traffic. Actually,
he didn't know what they were talking about. Good as his scientific
training was, they were in a realm where his young mind hadn't even
probed.

His earphones gave out: "Tower to Spindrift Flight. You are cleared to
land. Approach from Northeast."

Rick glanced down in time to see the Navy fighters peel off in a
precision maneuver that was lovely to watch. Then, on their heels, he
stood the Sky Wagon up on a wing and slid down toward the muddy river
below.

A short time later Rick called for instructions and was told to beach
at Ramp Three. He located it without difficulty. Scotty climbed out on
the pontoon and caught the rope thrown by a seaman. In a few moments
they were beached.

A stocky young man who might have been a government clerk approached
and introduced himself as Tom Dodd. The identification folder he held
out bore the familiar JANIG imprint. "Steve phoned ahead," he said.
"Do you need anything for your plane?"

"We'd better top off the tank," Rick said. "Everything else is all
right." He described the kind of gas his plane used, fearful that the
Navy might use either a higher or lower octane that would not be
suitable.

Dodd gave instructions to a Navy petty officer, then led the
Spindrifters to a waiting sedan. Rick got into the back