Yes a lawn dart in the form of an a/c does not have a happy ending. It is nice to have company when u go flying. Like the Lone Ranger and Tonto. Now I am dating myself. Tonto gets to do the radio work(if you have a radio licence don't they last forever?). The Lone Ranger does the stick handling and at the end of the trip the Lone Ranger looks like the real hero.
That is how it is scripted anyway.