"Walk a Deadly Wing"

(Original air date 01/01/78)
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Steve poses as a stuntman to get his hands on a deadly device
designed by a Russian who’s defected to the US
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Writers: Terrence McDonald & Jim Carlson

Director: Herb Wallerstein

In his office Oscar briefs Steve on a powerful new war device designed to stun soldiers on the battlefield in order to disable them. Only the Russian government intends to use it as an anti-aircraft weapon, a decision that didn’t sit too well with the inventor Victor Cheraskin (Eric Braeden) who defected to the US with his contraption. After all attempts by the American government to obtain the device from Cheraskin failed, Steve is assigned to try to convince the inventor to side with the US.
Steve takes off to New Mexico in a small aircraft to do aerobatics in order to impress Cheraskin and his boss Frank Sullivan (Eddie Fontaine). Once on the ground, Steve steps into the role Steve Wilson, a down-on-his-luck pilot looking for work. Unfortunately Frank has no use for a one but is willing to hire him as a wing-walker to fill in for his ailing stuntman.


Sullivan and Cheraskin give Steve last-minute instructions on how to perform the stunt. Once airborne, he climbs onto the wing, straps himself to the metal beam and rides the wind.


Later at night Steve goes into phase two of his assignment, which is to befriend Cheraskin by using flattery, but the man is suspicious. Moments later, two men irrupt in Cheraskin’s caravan and threaten him to follow them. Outside Steve thwarts their kidnapping attempt by hurling a packsack at them.


To prove his gratitude at Steve’s quick intervention Cheraskin offers him a place to stay and agrees to teach him everything he wishes to know about the business.
Steve contacts Oscar to report his progress, adding that the two agents he sent to act as kidnappers worked like a charm. He has now gained Victor’s trust and intends to play that ace in his favour.
In view of the arrival on US grounds of Dimitri (John Devlin), a famous Soviet agent sent on Cheraskin’s trail, Oscar urges Steve to speed things along before they lose their chance of getting their hands on the device.


Following another successful wing-walker stunt with Steve, Cheraskin gets a call from his frantic wife Vera (Lanna Saunders), whom Dimitri snuck into the US to ensure himself Victor’s cooperation.
Dimitri’s henchman, Ritter (Steve Castin), informs his boss that Cheraskin’s new partner is an undercover government agent. Eager to get the OSI operative from under foot, Dimitri requests of Cheraskin to instruct Steve to fly to a deserted airfield while he brings the device over to them to make the exchange with his wife.


Steve obeys and flies to the location. There Dimitri’s men force him off a steep hill. Satisfied with the results they fly back to the rendezvous location, unaware that the bionic man survived the fall.


Steve jumps out of the ditch and after contacting Oscar with the latest developments he flies back to Cheraskin’s caravan where he begs him to accept his help. Cheraskin has no other alternative but to stun Steve long enough to get on a plane with the device and go meet with Dimitri to save his wife.


Dimitri takes Vera along for the ride as an extra insurance that the husband won’t try anything foolish as to use his paralysing ray to disable the plane.
Steve regains his bearings and goes after Cheraskin’s plane. Positioning his aircraft just above Cheraskin’s he manages to rip the device off the metal beam attached on top of the wing.


Once arrived at his destination, Cheraskin is reunited with his wife. However he cannot deliver the goods on account of the little incident involving Steve’s plane. Dimitri orders his men to put the couple on ice while he arranges for transportation out of the country.
Steve is quick to spot them and after disposing of a guard at the door, he sneaks inside to reassure the couple of his willingness to help them escape.


He then sends a phoney radio call to Oscar for the bad guys’ benefit. Believing Austin has the device that he intends to bring to his boss, Dimitri and Ritter take off, leaving only a few men on the premises.


The goons are no match for Steve who easily neutralizes them to then hop on the plane with Cheraskin and his wife.


Dimitri is informed of the hoax and plans to crash Cheraskin’s plane. Steve gets on the wing and once securely strapped to the beam, he throws a rope ladder over the engine’s rotor blade, instantly disabling the enemy’s aircraft.
Dimitri and his gang are soon apprehended. Cheraskin is now willing to cooperate with the US in building a contraption that will counteract the effect of his first device in the event that someone should replicate the model.


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