When William Schweck Gilbert had Ruth apprentice Frederick to a pirate instead of to a pilot, he missed a bet. In this scientifictional two-reeler from what should have been the middle of his apprenticeship shows that the pirates will pilot dirigibles and take ships from above. After stealing some canisters from the liner, the pirates take back to the air, pursued only by a lone young man. After they subdue him, they discover a picture of his sweetheart and the Pirate King -- I mean captain -- abducts her.
It's an imaginative story for 1911, and the special effects (model work, mostly) are decently if imperfectly rendered. It's still very clearly primitive, particularly the acting, but it would be nice if the last few minutes of this ambitious two-reel 'voyage extraordinare' were available for viewing.