The most baffling thing I ever saw was this ugly, weird-looking creature that was staring in the window at me from outside on the wing! What a fright! After awhile it went over and hung onto one of the engine nacelles for a bit and seemed to be fooling around with the equipment. Then the engine starting smoking and making loud noises! The plane had to make an emergency descent to 5,000 feet and put down at the nearest airport.

I was really bothered about that for years until I got a chance to talk to William Shatner about it.

He said quite offhandedly, "Oh, that was just a Gremlin. No big deal. I did a show about one of those one time. Not to worry. They're nasty little devils, but you don't run into them often. I take along a Hustler magazine on every flight now, and if a Gremlin looks in the window I just hold up the centerfold. It knocks him right off the wing, and I go back to drinking my rum and coke."