This article is a transcript of the Jay Jay the Jet Plane episode "Jay Jay's Dinosaur Hunt" from season 2, which aired on January 10, 2000.
(Opening shot: snap to an overview of a parking lot at a drive-in theater. It is nighttime, and a movie is already playing. Jay Jay, Herky and Tracy stand in a line in the front row; they are the only ones here.)
Narrator: Jay Jay, Herky and Tracy loved going to the drive-in.
(Cut to just behind them; on the screen is a Tyrannosaurus Rex on rampage in a forest. The filter is black and white. The film continues with various other dinosaurs doing their business).
Narrator: Because there, they could watch movies outside, under the stars. Movies always seemed better at the drive-in— (Close-up of the screen.) —they looked like they've been pasted across the sky, like a big dream everyone could share.
(The three spectators; all stare in awe at what happened on the screen before them.)
Jay Jay: Gee you guys, that was just way too cool!
Herky: I wanna see it again!
Tracy: We've already seen it three times, Herky. I think the drive-in's closing.
Jay Jay: (gasps) Hey, I know what we can do now! Brenda has a dinosaur book at home, maybe she'll read it to us.
Tracy, Herky: Yay!! (Herky's rotor spins.)
Jay Jay: Last one there's a dinosaur egg!
(All three exit; the helicopter hovering out of the picture, the jet planes taxiing. Cut to a stretch of the night sky.)
Jay Jay: (from o.s.) Look at me! (He flies into view, roaring.) I'm King of the Dinosaurs!
(On the other side, Tracy flies into view, adding a pair of spoken screeches.)
Tracy: I'm the one with a big head like a hammer and wings like a bat! (giggles) The one that flies.
(Herky rises in front of them, growling and snarling.)
Herky: I'm the one with thr-r-ree hor-r-rns!
(More growling/snarling; he backs up slowly to fly over them. The dinosaurs that Jay Jay, Tracy and Herky were pretending to be were a Tyrannosaurus Rex, Pterodactyl, and Triceratops, in that order.)
(The three kids blurt out a series of dinosaur noises, Tracy adding her spoken screeches in turn before they swoop o.s. left. Dissolve to outside the kids' hangar at Tarrytown Airport as they gather up one by one.)
Herky: Gosh, it's gettin' kinda late, guys. Maybe we should r-r-read Br-r-renda's dinosaur-r-r book tomor-r-row.
Tracy: You know what would be even better?
Jay Jay, Herky: What?
Tracy: Seeing a real dinosaur.
Jay Jay: Hey, why not? Instead of reading a book about dinosaurs, let's go on a real dinosaur hunt!
Tracy: Cool!
Herky: You can count me in too, guys!
Jay Jay: Okay. We'll get up bright and early, and catch the biggest dinosaur of all!
(Tracy screeches, followed by Herky growling in reply; then all three laugh.)
Narrator: The kids were so excited by Jay Jay's plan, they could hardly sleep that night.
(Herky hovers away, and the jet planes enter their hangar; dissolve to an overview of it the next morning.)
Narrator: The next morning, Tracy and Jay Jay got up at dawn. (They exit one by one.) When they rolled out of the hangar, they were greeted by Big Jake.
(Cut to Big Jake outside the main hangar on the end of this, Jay Jay and Tracy meet up.)
Big Jake: Oh, good morning, kids. What are you doing up so early?
Jay Jay: We saw the coolest movie about dinosaurs last night, and now, we wanna learn all we can about 'em.
Tracy: We pretended like we were dinosaurs, too, and I was the one with a big head like a hammer.
Big Jake: Oh now, that would be a Pterodactyl, Tracy.
(On the end of this, dissolve to a freeze-frame shot of a Pterodactyl flying over a desert, camera rotating slowly around it.)
Big Jake: (voiceover) Their heads were hammer-shaped to help steer when they flew, kinda like our jets.
(Dissolve back to Jay Jay.)
Jay Jay: Well, how about the dinosaur I pretended to be? He had teeny-tiny legs and a giant tail.
(Dissolve to a freeze-frame the dinosaur he described on the end of this: a Tyrannosaurus Rex standing in the desert. Camera rotates slowly.)
Big Jake: (voiceover) You picked the king of the dinosaurs, Jay Jay: the Tyrannosaurus Rex. He was a big fella. (Dissolve back to him.) Bigger than me.
Tracy: (from o.s.) Do you know where— (Cut to her.) —dinosaurs live, Big Jake?
Big Jake: Hmm...well, one place you can find what remains of them is in the desert. (The jet planes; he continues o.s.) We know dinosaurs live there because... (Back to him.) That's where some of their bones have been found.
Jay Jay: That's awesome, Big Jake! (To Tracy) We'd better go wake up Herky.
Tracy: Yeah, wait 'til he finds out we're flying to the desert!
(They exit; a confused Big Jake lets out a questioning grunt.)
Big Jake: Hmm, uh...wonder what they're up to.
(Dissolve to a rear angle of the sky with Sunshine Desert visible in the lower portion. Herky flies into view, Jay Jay and Tracy entering from below as they proceed in a triangular formation.)
Narrator: Herky, Tracy and Jay Jay flew out to the desert. They stayed very low to the ground, searching for any clues that might lead them to a dinosaur.
Military march-esque melody with piano/tuba/flute/snare drums, stately 4 (A major)
(Dissolve to a head-on angle; all three rise into view.)
Jay Jay: I'm so excited, you guys!
Lighter tone, flute section after first three lines
Jay Jay: We're hunting for a dinosaur, don't know if we'll find one
Tracy: But if we do, I beg of you, please make it a kind one
Herky: Yeah!!
Jay Jay: Big Jake says the desert is the place they like to roam
Herky: Well, I just hope that Br-r-renda Blue has r-r-room for-r-r one at home
Stoptime feel
Xylophone on first mention, drums on second, harp on third
(Now Jay Jay rises high up into the air and quickly comes back down, and Herky leans back to bare his skids.)
Jay Jay: 'Cause he's gonna have a long neck
Herky: And shar-r-rp claws
(Jay Jay does a very big somersault, and Tracy flies close to the screen to let her mouth drop open.)
Jay Jay: He's gonna have a big tail
Tracy: He's gonna have huge jaws
Stoptime feel ends; timpani drums for four beats, then out
Herky: And when he gets hungr-r-ry, he'll begin to r-r-roar-r-r (roars)
Jay Jay: But have no fear, what we have here is a friendly dinosaur
Stoptime feel
Herky: Are you sur-r-re, Jay Jay?
Jay Jay: Sure, I'm sure!
Harp for three beats, then out; stoptime feel ends
Same flute sections as start
(They swoop o.s.; wipe to the opposite side as they come into view.)
Jay Jay: And when we find a dinosaur, here's what we're gonna do
We'll be the very first on earth to start a Dino Zoo
Herky: Do we have to?
Tracy: People will see something they have never seen before
Herky: Really? What?
Jay Jay: A place where they come face to face with a real, live dinosaur
Stoptime feel; same instrument style as previous chorus
(They do the same actions from the previous chorus with each respective line, in order: Jay Jay's rise/fall, Herky's skids, Jay Jay's somersault, Tracy's jaw drop.)
Jay Jay: And he's gonna have a long neck
Herky: And shar-r-rp claws
Jay Jay: He's gonna have a big tail
Tracy: He's gonna have huge jaws
Stoptime feel ends; timpani drums for four beats, then out
Herky: And when he gets hungr-r-ry, he'll begin to r-r-roar-r-r (roars)
Jay Jay: The sign will read, "Please do not feed our friendly dinosaur"
Song ends on a stinger
(They lower out of view; dissolve to a rear angle of them as they continue searching.)
Narrator: Jay Jay, Herky and Tracy searched all day, hoping to catch even a glimpse of one of the dinosaurs Big Jake had described.
(Close-up of Tracy, head turning back and fourth.)
Tracy: (singy-songy) Hello, dinosaurs? Come out, come out, wherever you are!
(Wide shot of the trio; Jay Jay notices something o.s.)
Narrator: Suddenly, Jay Jay spotted something on the ground below him— (Close-up of him.) —something he knew would cheer his friends up.
Jay Jay: Tracy, Herky, look at that!
(He glances downward on "that"; cut to his perspective, an overview of the airport, showing they've just returned. Stretching across the taxiway is a trail of small deep holes, resembling footprints.)
Jay Jay: (from o.s.) Dinosaur footprints! (Cut to Tracy.)
Tracy: I can't believe my eyes! A dinosaur's been hiding out at the airport the whole time!
Jay Jay: Wow. I wonder what kind of dinosaur footprints they are?
Tracy: There's only one way to find out.
(Their leader flies o.s., and they follow him. Dissolve to outside the main hangar as they scoot slowly across the "footprint" covered road.)
Narrator: Jay Jay, Tracy and Herky followed the mysterious tracks over to the hangars.
Jay Jay: I know! Let's look around and find that dinosaur.
Herky: (a bit nervous) Okay, but...what if the dinosaur-r-r finds us befor-r-re we find him?
Jay Jay: Well, I guess we could...shake its hand and say hi?
Herky: Jay Jay, how do ya shake hands with a dinosaur-r-r?!
Jay Jay: Very carefully.
(All three split up and begin searching; Herky goes up, Tracy right, Jay Jay left. Cut to the side of the hangar as Jay Jay comes round the corner.)
Narrator: Jay Jay quietly looked around one of the hangar walls. Then, suddenly, something strange right rounding the corner up ahead caught his eye.
(The jet plane lets out a startled shriek at something o.s.; the camera pulls back to frame what he saw, Herky's tail sticking out from off the side of the screen. He quickly slips away; Jay Jay gasps.)
Jay Jay: What's that?! (scoots forward) Could it be a dinosaur?!
(He follows; cut to Herky on the other side, just outside the workshop shed entrance, he hovers around slowly.)
Narrator: Jay Jay wasn't the only one who spotted something strange.
Herky: (spots something) Hey, who's that up ther-r-re?!
(Herky's perspective: round the corner, Tracy can be seen with her back turned, before slipping off. Back to the surprised helicopter.)
Herky: That looks like a dinosaur-r-r wing!! (pauses) Hey, Mr-r-r. Dinosaur-r-r, come back!
(Cut to the other side; Tracy comes round the bend.)
Narrator: Like Jay Jay and Herky, Tracy was about to have an amazing sighting of her own.
Tracy: (spots something) Hey, wait up!
(Pull back; now Jay Jay's tail can be seen in view before he goes away.)
Tracy: I don't believe it! (comes forward) That's a dinosaur tail, he's huge! (stops) Hey, he's huge. Why am I following him?
(She turns around and starts to leave; Jay Jay comes back, getting her attention to return.)
Jay Jay: Tracy, am I glad to see you. I saw a dinosaur?
Tracy: Me too! We'd better find Herky fast!
(Jay Jay nods, and they both split up; Herky suddenly backs into view from round the bend, Jay Jay screaming as he bumps into him.)
Herky: Jay Jay, I thought you wer-r-re the dinosaur-r-r! (Tracy joins.)
Tracy: Herky! Jay Jay! (Herky screams.) It's just me, guys. I think the dinosaur's very close by, but we'll never find him looking here on the ground.
Jay Jay: We'll find him from the air for sure. Let's go!
(They leave; wipe to the sky as they rise into view in formation, all three pairs of eyes scanning the scenery below. The violet tinted sky shows it's now close to dusk.)
Narrator: Jay Jay, Tracy and Herky climbed high above the airport, but all they saw from the air were the same set of footprints.
(Overview of the airport; the trail of "footprints" is still here.)
Jay Jay: (from o.s.) They're the same dinosaur tracks, but no dinosaur. (Back to them on the start of the next line.)
Herky: (a bit downhearted) Aww, maybe we should just forget about it.
Jay Jay: (same manner) Yeah...it is starting to get late. And it's time to get ready for bed. Come on, guys.
(Rear view of them; they fly out of sight.)
Narrator: So, Jay Jay, Tracy and Herky sadly gave up their dinosaur hunt.
(They swoop o.s.; dissolve to outside the hangars later that night. Big Jake exits the kids' hangar and waits.)
Narrator: Jay Jay was the last to return to his hangar, and when he did— (Jay Jay slinks into view, wings wilted.) —he found Big Jake waiting to tuck him in.
Big Jake: Tracy and Herky were so tuckered out, they're...already asleep. You must've had a pretty big day.
Jay Jay: (with disdain) Yeah, I guess.
Big Jake: Oh, why the long face?
Jay Jay: (groans) Big Jake, we searched over the desert for dinosaurs, but we didn't find a single one. Then when we got home, we saw their tracks on the runway— (he turns in the direction of the taxiway.) —but we still couldn't find the big guys that made 'em!
Big Jake: Well, uh...I hate to disappoint you, but those footprints you saw aren't really footprints at all—they're holes I dug for the new runway lights.
Jay Jay: What!? Really!?
Big Jake: (from o.s.) Jay Jay... (Cut to frame him.) All the dinosaurs died off millions of years ago.
Jay Jay: They did? Then we wasted all that time?
Big Jake: Well, just because they aren't around anymore doesn't mean that you don't wanna learn about them.
Jay Jay: Oh no, Big Jake. I really like learning about dinosaurs.
Big Jake: Well, then. Learning about them is a way to keep them alive. Don'tcha think?
Jay Jay: Gosh, Big Jake! (His wings raise, and he smiles.) You're right!
Big Jake: I'll teach you something very special about dinosaurs, Jay Jay. Some of them are still with us today, in another form. See, in order to survive, they learn how to fly, just like you kids. (Close-up of Jay Jay, who gasps.) It took them millions of years of trying— (Back to him.) —but their bodies changed until they got really good at flying. We call this kind of change "evolve". Some dinosaurs evolved and became birds. So you see, dinosaurs are all around you. In a way.
(As the narrator continues, cut to a close-up of a really happy Jay Jay.)
Narrator: Well, this was news indeed. Some dinosaurs had changed over time into birds.
(Dissolve to a head-on stretch of sky; now it is morning. On the start of the next line, Jay Jay, Tracy and Herky rise into view in formation.)
Narrator: The next morning, Jay Jay told Herky and Tracy everything he'd learned about the dinosaurs.
Herky: So you mean, some bir-r-rds are the gr-r-reat, gr-r-reat, gr-r-randchildr-r-ren of dinosaur-r-rs?
Jay Jay: Yup.
Tracy: Wow. I'm glad we had our dinosaur hunt, because look what we found out.
Jay Jay: (chuckles) Yeah. This was fun, huh?
(They start making dinosaur noises—roars, growls, snarls, Tracy adding her spoken screeches—as they fly all over the place. The fun continues under the following.)
Narrator: When Jay, Jay, Tracy and Herky used their imagination, they could picture dinosaurs walking and flying all around Tarrytown Airport— (They regroup and do various flying tricks.) —eating whatever they wanted. And thanks to Big Jake, the young planes knew that learning about dinosaurs was the best way to keep them alive.
(Fade to black.)