Wings in the Dark

Sheila Mason, Myrna Loy, is a skywriter and stunt pilot who works as a barnstormer because women are not allowed in other aviation fields. She is drawn to ace pilot Ken Gordon, Cary Grant, a man who is trying to perfect instrument flying—flying blind—with his own design of an autopilot. He has devoted four years to perfecting the system and mortgaged his aircraft to finance his experiments. Before he can prove that his invention works, a stove accident blinds him.

After the accident, Mac, Hobart Cavanaugh, his friend and partner, brings him Lightning, a seeing-eye dog. With Lightning’s help, Ken learns to move around his home and keeps busy by writing aviation articles. Sheila, who has fallen in love with Ken, does not tell him that the articles are being rejected. She supports him in another way: she gives him money to survive by taking on dangerous stunts arranged by her manager, Nick Williams, Roscoe Karns.

Ken regains his confidence and resumes work on the autopilot, but Rockwell Aviation Company repossesses his aircraft. Distraught, Ken accuses Sheila of falling for him out of pity and sends her away. She pursues a high-stakes dream: a solo flight from Moscow to New York to win a $25,000 prize that could secure their future together and let them marry.

Her final leg, from Boston to New York, is fraught with peril as she runs dangerously low on fuel and battles thick weather. She navigates by glancing downward to judge her position, a risky habit that becomes pivotal near Roosevelt Field, where the fog threatens a landing. Mac coordinates ground support while Ken secretly climbs into his old aircraft and takes off, using his autopilot to guide Sheila toward a safer descent and a possible reunion.

In the air, Ken speaks candidly about his fear of blindness and the bleak future he faces without sight. His plan turns starkly tragic: land, then fly until he runs out of fuel, choosing death rather than a life shadowed by disability. Sheila refuses to accept that ending. She refuses to abandon him and, in a desperate moment, deliberately crashes into Ken’s plane to prevent him from harming himself.

A huge crowd gathers at the airport, lights from flashbulbs painting the scene as the two pilots—now united in purpose—greet the public and press. Ken and Sheila share a meaningful embrace, their car winding through the throng as the crowd’s cheers swell, signaling a hard-won hope and a new start together.

Last Updated: October 05, 2025 at 12:33