36xxxx 109 Instruments Have Failed: Magic Island

Magic Island, old-time radio on Stupid Potato

“36xxxx 109 Instruments Have Failed” is an episode of Magic Island, the old-time radio show that aired in 1950. Listen free on Stupid Potato: no sign-up, no app.

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What happens

Captain Tex Bradford and Jerry Hall are on a test flight in a rocket-propelled Euclidean airship with the scientists Kios and Thales. A radar disturbance suggests another aircraft is on their course, and then their instruments begin to fail. Unable to fix their position, they climb toward the South Pacific while the Euclidean commander orders them to stay within range of Euclidea. As their fuel runs out, the crew must find a way to keep the ship aloft and return safely.

A rocket-propelled Euclidean airship high over the South Pacific Ocean, near the undersea city of Euclidea

Characters: Captain Tex Bradford, Jerry Hall, Kios, Thales, G47

Listen for: The instrument failure, the mysterious aircraft on the radar, and the crew's attempt to find a way to land the crippled airship

Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.