Frank Lapidus is an aircraft pilot who was originally scheduled to pilot Oceanic Airlines Flight 815. Frank is one of the few people in the world who believe that the wreckage of Oceanic Flight 815 found at the bottom of the Sunda Trench was staged. Matthew Abaddon described him as a "pretty good pilot", but Frank is also known to have been an alcoholic. Frank was hired to be the chopper pilot on the freighter Kahana to ferry the science team to the Island, but after the death of Naomi, he was forced to transport the mercenary team as well. When Frank learned that Oceanic Flight 815 passengers were alive on the Island, he agreed to help them escape. His whereabouts after leaving the Island are unknown.
Frank Lapidus grew up in the Bronx in New York. He was the original intended pilot of Oceanic 815 but was replaced by Seth Norris under as yet unknown circumstances. He came to work for Caribbean Dreams Island Travel and Tours in Eleuthera, the Bahamas. When Flight 815 was reportedly found in the Sunda Trench, Frank contacted the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board's 'Oceanic hotline' and said he did not believe the body identified as Seth Norris actually was Norris. ("Confirmed Dead")
At some point after contacting the NTSB, Frank was recruited as a pilot by the organization to which Matthew Abaddon belonged. In a meeting between Matthew and Naomi, Frank was described as "a drunk." ("Confirmed Dead")
On the freighter
Before arriving at the Island, Frank told Naomi he should be the first to go to the Island, but she denied him. He introduced himself to Michael and asked him why he was on board. When Michael said he was looking for adventure, Frank told him the biggest adventure was that the Oceanic wreck found at the bottom of the ocean is a fake. He said Mr. Widmore believed him and that if they ever found a survivor of Oceanic Flight 815 it would be cataclysmic. ("Meet Kevin Johnson")
Frank piloted a helicopter from the freighter to the Island. On approach, the electronics failed and the rest of the members of Frank's team bailed out by parachute. Frank managed to bring the helicopter down without any significant damage. Although he landed safely, he received head injuries and the satellite phone he was carrying was destroyed. When he awoke, he climbed to the top of a hill and was approached by one of the cattle that lived at the Flame. When he tried to get up, he found out he was having trouble standing, so he loaded up his flare gun and fired it.
Franks awaits Sayid's return. ("The Economist") (promotional still)Frank passed out, but was awoken when Jack and his team found him. As Juliet was tending to the wound on his forehead, Frank asked her what her name was. After hearing it, he realized that she wasn't on Flight 815. He had memorized the entire manifest and was able to identify her as a "native." ("Confirmed Dead")
Sayid vowed to bring Charlotte back safely in return for a spot on the helicopter. When Sayid had gone, Frank watched Daniel conduct experiments, telling Jack, "he does it all the time." Desmond arrived from the beach and confronted Frank about the picture of himself and Penny that he had found with Naomi's things. Frank stated he wasn't very high up in the freighter's rankings and knew nothing about it. Sayid returned with Charlotte and Frank agreed to take Sayid, Desmond and Naomi's body to the Kahana. They lifted up and headed toward the freighter. ("The Economist")
More than a day later, those on the Island discovered Frank, Sayid, and Desmond had not yet made it to the freighter. ("Eggtown")
While on course toward the freighter, the chopper went into a thunderhead. The group experienced turbulence, and as it became worse Frank was unable to follow the bearing Daniel had instructed him to stay on. Eventually he was able to land the helicopter. Once on deck, Keamy and Omar approached Frank and asked who Sayid and Desmond were. Frank explained they were survivors of the crash. Later, after an argument with Keamy, Frank swapped the phone for Sayid's gun. After this, they headed down to the sick bay and gave Desmond the phone to talk to Daniel, who was on the island and gave Desmond the information he needed. However Ray pushed the alarm button, and Keamy took the phone from Desmond. Omar also told Frank the captain wanted to speak with him. ("The Constant")
That night, Frank was seen carrying a bag as Keamy approached him. He reminded Frank not to be late upstairs and Frank said he would be there. He brought the bag to Sayid and Desmond and encountered Regina reading in front of the door. He mentioned that her book was upside-down and she grunted, apparently angry at him. She let him in and he dumped the bag containing cans of lima beans on the sick bay bed. He told Sayid the kitchen was having problems.
Shortly thereafter, Frank ostensibly flew Keamy and his men to the island to capture Ben. It is not yet known where Lapidus was during the attack. ("Ji Yeon") ("The Shape of Things to Come")
Michael warns Frank of Keamy. ("Cabin Fever")Running through the jungle the day after the monster attacked Keamy's team, Frank stumbled upon Miles, Sawyer, Claire and Aaron. Holding a sat phone which showed the locations of the mercenaries, he warned Miles, Claire and Sawyer that Keamy was heading in their direction. He urged them to hide and they did so. When Keamy's team arrived, Frank was concerned about an injury one of the men had sustained, but Keamy warned him just to do his job and get them back to the helicopter. Keamy heard Aaron cry, but Frank distracted him before he could figure out what the sound was. They left the area, leaving Claire, Aaron, Sawyer and Miles safe. ("Something Nice Back Home")
The next day Frank flew back to the freighter with the mercenaries. Later he helped a locked up Michael off the floor. He asked why Michael never told him he was a survivor of Oceanic Flight 815, and that he was one of the only people who would have believed him. Michael told Frank that it was because Widmore, Frank's boss, was the one who staged the wreckage but Frank thought it was a conspiracy. Michael begged Frank not to take Keamy and his team back to the island, thinking he would kill everyone. Frank told him not to worry about it. They left the room and saw Omar strapping a device to Keamy's arm. ("Cabin Fever")
Frank handcuffed to the helicopter ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 1")That night Frank told the mercenaries he would not assist them, emphasizing that his job was to fly scientists to and from the island, not them. In response to this, Keamy slit Ray's throat and chucked his body overboard. He then warned Frank that if he didn't fly them back he would kill someone in the next thirty seconds. Captain Gault interrupted their conversation by firing the gun Keamy gave him to fix. Gault asked what was strapped to Keamy's arm, but he pulled a gun and shot the captain. Shocked by this, Frank reluctantly agreed to fly Keamy back to the island. Just as they were taking off, Frank wrapped a satellite phone up and when they reached the island, he threw it onto the beach below them. ("Cabin Fever")
Frank landed the helicopter five kilometers away from the Orchid Station and Keamy's men left him handcuffed inside before moving out. Some time later, Jack and Sawyer found Frank and gave him the toolbox so he could free himself, and he told them where Keamy was headed. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 1")
After escaping the island with Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, Jack and Sayid, Frank flew the helicopter toward the Kahana. A fuel leak forced him to lighten the load, and after Sawyer jumped from the chopper to save the others Frank landed on the Kahana, patched the hole and refueled the helicopter. The Oceanic Six, along with Desmond left shortly before the Kahana exploded. ("There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3")
Frank says goodbye to Jack. ("There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3")Much to Frank's amazement, the Island disappeared as the chopper headed toward it. Because of lack of fuel, he had no choice but to crash the helicopter into the ocean. The survivors drifted in the lifeboat until they were rescued by the Searcher. ("There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3")
One week following the rescue aboard The Searcher, the Oceanic Six prepared to leave the vessel on a life raft to maintain the story they would tell to the public. Frank and Jack said their final goodbyes - both joking that they hoped to never see each other again. After the six departed on the life raft headed for the island of Sumba, Frank remained on The Searcher with Desmond and Penny. ("There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3")
Наслов: Frank Lapidus 
Thu Dec 11, 2008 5:26 am
