Frank Lapidus

"Frank" redirects here. For other uses of "Frank", see Frank (disambiguation).

Frank Lapidus
Actor	Jeff Fahey
First	"Confirmed Dead"
Last	"Namaste"
Episode Count	12
Centric	"Confirmed Dead"
Place	The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA
Profession	Captain, Ajira Airways Helicopter pilot, Kahana Captain, Oceanic Airlines
Island Reason	Hired to locate Ben

Frank J. 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. In 2007, he began piloting for Ajira Airways. Frank piloted the Ajira flight that returned the Oceanic Six to the Island. Frank is currently with Sun and Christian at the abandoned Barracks.

Before the Island

Before the freighter

File:4x02Frankphone.jpg

Frank reveals that he was the originally intended pilot of Oceanic 815. ("Confirmed Dead")

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")

On the Island

Season 4 (Days 91-108)

Frank launches the flare. ("Confirmed Dead")

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.

File:4x02 DesmondWantsAnswers.jpg

Desmond demands answers from Frank. ("The Economist")

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")

Frank and Sayid exchange a gun for a satellite phone. ("The Constant")

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.

Frank pleads Keamy continue their trek to the chopper. ("Something Nice Back Home")

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")

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")

Michael warns Frank of Keamy. ("Cabin Fever")

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, Part 2")

Frank witnesses the formation of the cover story. ("The Lie")

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, Part 2")

While the Oceanic Six, Desmond, and Penny formulated the lie they would tell upon returning to the mainland, Frank agreed to cooperate with whatever they chose to do. ("The Lie")

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, Part 2")

After the Island

Season 5

"We're not going to Guam, are we?"
Lapidus captains Ajira Airways Flight 316 from Los Angeles to Guam. ("316")

After being rescued, Frank took a job working for Ajira Airways. After eight months on the job, Frank was assigned to pilot Flight 316, which the Oceanic Six were passengers on in order to return to the Island. After Jack, who recognized Frank's name over the airplane PA, requested a meeting, a clean-shaven Frank came out to speak with Jack. Upon looking over the passengers in the forward cabin (who consisted of the Oceanic Six, minus Aaron, plus Ben, Caesar, and Ilana), Frank came to the realization that the intended destination of the flight, Guam, would not actually be the destination of the plane. ("316")

Minutes later, the plane experienced an extreme amount of turbulance. Frank and the co-pilot struggled to maneuver the plane safely, as the Island soon came into focus out the window. Frank noticed a runway off in the distance, and proceeded to land the plane, nearly running out of space. Upon coming to a complete stop, a tree branch jutted through the window, killing the co-pilot instantly. Frank received a cut to the head, but otherwise, he seemed to be okay. ("Namaste")

Back on the Island

Season 5

After the Ajira Airways plane landed on the runway of Hydra island, Ilana informed Locke that Frank took off with Sun in one of the three outriggers. ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham")

Frank and Sun paddled the canoe from Hydra island to the main Island, where they heard the sounds of the monster. They walked into the Barracks, which seemed to be completely abandoned. Soon, a door creaked open, and Christian introduced himself to Frank and Sun. Christian took them to one of the houses, where he showed Sun a picture of DHARMA's new recruits in 1977. Sun was shocked to see Jack, Kate, and Hurley among them. Then, Christian informed her that she had a long journey ahead of her. ("Namaste")

Trivia

• Frank was the twenty-eighth character to ever have a flashback.
• Frank has met all of the main characters except Walt, Charlie, Shannon, Boone, Ana Lucia, Libby, Eko, Nikki, and Paulo.
• Marcus Lepidus was a Roman general and a member of the Second Triumvirate. He worked alongside Octavian and Mark Antony and had complete control of Roman Africa. Latin has been used frequently on Lost (e.g., on the Blast Door Map.) "Lepidus" is also a character in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Historically, Caesar was stabbed 23 times.
• Frank is a New York Yankees fan, whereas Jack is a fan of the Boston Red Sox.
• Frank's cosmetic injuries, minor dizziness, and situation mirror his counterpart pilot Seth Norris' initial condition of arrival on the Island.
  • Both pilots made forced landings on the Island due to acts of nature (well-placed lightning strikes/electromagnetic properties of the Island that cause shipwreck or instrument failure).
• Frank is the only crew member of the Kahana to escape the vessel's destruction and leave the Island.

Name

• A "Rick Lapidus" is credited in the Exposé script. The name "Lapidus" was appreciated by Lost writer Edward Kitsis, who inserted the name onto the Exposé script and later insisted the character of the chopper pilot be given the name.
• A physician named Lapidus developed a technique for treating a condition of the big toe (bunions) caused by excessive bone growth.
• Lapis is a Latin word for stone, and "Lapidus" is sometimes used in the names of rocks, like "Lapidus Granite".
• Laputa is a fictional flying island from the book Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, that can be maneuvered by its inhabitants in any direction using magnetic levitation.

Unanswered questions

Unanswered questions
Do not answer the questions here. Keep the questions open-ended and neutral: do not suggest an answer. More details...

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Frank Lapidus/Theories

• Why was he replaced by Seth Norris as the pilot of Oceanic 815?
• Why was he specifically recruited by Abaddon?
• Why didn't Frank attempt to turn Flight 316 around upon realizing it would never make it to Guam?