High Flying Hi-Jinks

## Stats

**High Flying Hi-Jinks** is the 45th episode of the series *The Country Mouse and the City Mouse Adventures* that aired on October 20, 1999. The setting in this episode is North Carolina.

## Summary

Alexander and Emily ride a pony in North Carolina, which Alexander is not satisfied with because of how bumpy the ride is. Emily reads that according to their cousin Charlotte, the Wright Brothers are testing their first flight today, and Alexander comments that he's heading for a flight himself when he bumps off the horse and swings to two laughing gulls, which literally laugh at Alexander's fall. Fortunately they get to their destination at Kitty Hawk and they meet Charlotte, who tells them they got just in time as the Wright Brothers will attempt their first flight off of Kill Devil Hill soon, Alexander is appalled at how weird these names are. First Charlotte shows the two mice to a plane of her own, as she aims to be the first mouse to fly, but Johnny, her friend, mentions that judging by its smoke, it'll need more than just a little work like she said.

Johnny says that the Wright Brothers are about to take their flight, so they hurry along. Emily says that hot air balloons have flown in the air before them, although frankly, Charlotte states that hot air balloons don't really fly, they float, but the plane will be the first to be flown by someone flying it. There is mild wind blowing which causes Alexander to chase after his hat, when the two laughing gulls take it and toss it around to each other. Alexander jumps up to get it from one's bill but a falcon swoops down. The gulls fly away, with Alexander hanging on. Right at the same time, the plane takes off with Wilbur Wright driving. It's all fine until the plane almost hits the gulls, so they fly through a sail and cause the plane to land down roughly. But fortunately for Alexander, he gets let down and his hat is back on his head.

A man named Jake Richardson says to the brothers that the plane almost hit his birds, as he owns a bird sanctuary nearby. Then he says that they can't fly in the area as it is a winter haven for hundreds of birds, but the brothers say that their flights are short and they'll keep an eye out for birds. Richardson tells them that they'll be "asking for trouble". The Wright Brothers take their plane back to the workshop, and the mice wonder what Jake meant, figuring that he meant that his birds will attack the plane, however Johnny says that birds shouldn't go after planes, that's unless, Richardson commands his birds to do so. Back at Charlotte's garage, her plane is somewhat improved, and she's sure that if the Wright Brothers don't fix their plane in time, she can fly before them. The propeller's wind blows Alexander's hat away, and he hears laughing gulls again when it happens. But, he, along with Johnny, don't see any anywhere. Suddenly they hear Wilbur and Orville in a fix. Their sprocket wheels are now missing. Charlotte shows Emily and Alexander the brothers' blueprint that demonstrates how important sprocket wheels are. A telegram is suddenly delivered to the brothers, which asks them to fly their plane today because people's other attempts at flying all failed. But this is a problem as Wilbur can't make safe sprocket wheels in just a day, although Orville says that they just have to take the risk of the plane falling down. Charlotte assures that the sprocket wheels could've been stolen by someone who didn't want the brothers to fly, of course that being Jake Richardson. Johnny had also found a falcon feather on the ground.

Emily, Alexander, Charlotte, and Johnny head to The Great Dismal Swamp where Richardson's bird sanctuary is, to investigate. They row around the swamp, and Johnny tells the mice the many birds that are in the location, plus other creatures such as fish, snakes, and some others, but there's one creature that he can't remember off the top of his head. When they arrive to the other side, the boat drifts away with Alexander on it, so Johnny uses his stick to catch him, although he falls off and lands on an alligator, which not only does Alexander mistaken for a log, but it's the other creature that Johnny remembers. It tries to get Alexander by chasing its tail. Emily gets on Johnny's stick and manages to save him. Now that is done, they hear Richardson talking to his falcon how foolish it was of the Wright Brothers attempting to fly. They theorize that he took the sprocket wheels after all, and head inside his house for a look. Charlotte slips into a bag of bird seed, and she ends up getting scooped in a cup of it when it is lunchtime for the birds. To save Charlotte, Johnny pours the entire bag of bird seed out to attract the birds' attention, and it does.

But Johnny is caught by Richardson, who still finds Wilbur and Orville foolish. Johnny admits he accussed Richardson of stealing the sprocket wheels, which he finds funny. However, he says that because Johnny had heard gulls, he knows where the wheels may be. Richardson takes Johnny to an area where gulls have built their nests, as they take whatever they can find to put inside. Johnny and the mice search into the nests and manage to find both of the sprocket wheels. Meanwhile, Wilbur and Orville put their new sprocket wheels on, but it isn't as good as their other ones and they are believed that they weren't meant to fly after all. Fortunately, Johnny arrives right at the moment with the found wheels, so they get prepared to fly again and it is successful. The laughing gulls get Emily and Alexander as they find them in their nest, but the falcon hits the gulls and the two mice land on the now-flying plane sails. One of the gulls bites a wire holding one of the wings together. Emily has an idea, and asks Alexander for his suspenders. The wing is saved, but Emily and Alexander are about to fall to the ground, when Charlotte saves them with her flying plane, also making history at the same time, and matter of fact, so do Wilbur and Orville. At Emily's house back home, she reads in a note sent by Charlotte that she and the Wright Brothers are making longer flights, and soon enough there should be planes that can handle passengers. Alexander makes a paper airplane and throws it, but it falls, so he has no hope in the airplane business "taking off". Emily thinks otherwise, especially when she throws her own paper airplane and it flies.

## Trivia

* This is the seventh episode to take place in the United States. The other episodes are: *Frisco Rumble*, which specifically took place in California, *Vaudeville Mice* and *Wild West Mice* which both took place in New York, *Three Mice and You're Out* which took place in Boston, *White House Mouse* which took place in Washington, D.C., and *World's Fair Mice* which took place in St. Louis.