I am walking back to my desk, coming down the long east-west hallway that runs from my station to Elvia's on the other side of the building. As I round the corner on final approach, I see Donnie walking away down the other hall.

"Psssst!", I say.

"He turns around. "Hey! I was comin' to check on you but you weren't home."

""Been off on a very important mission down in the smoke pit," I say.

"He laughs.

"I take a seat in my chair and he follows me, plopping down in my visitor chair. John is holding a meeting in his office, just three feet from us, and the door is open. Donnie and I chat, keeping our voices low so we don't create a disturbance.

"Suddenly I hear John.

""B-17 on the runway!", he calls.

"Donnie and I turn to look outside. Everyone in the meeting jumps up from the conference table and rushes to the window. Sure enough, there she is: Lone Star Flight Museum's cherry B-17. Lumbering down Runway 22 in search of the skies.

"Her tail gear is off the runway almost immediately. A few feet farther and the main gear lifts off, as well. She is airborne!

""Man, doesn't take her long to get up, does it?", Donnie observes.

""No, she lifts right off."

"From within John's office we hear ooohs and aahs; reminiscences of battle drift our way from some of the veterans; John himself just says over and over, "I love 'em. I just love 'em."

""Sure would hate to be the guy in that gun turret in her belly," Donnie says.

""I'd hate to be the guy in any of 'em," I say.

"In the air, the B-17 appears to be barely crawling. Her engines are running full out, of course, as she claws her way skyward, but to our eyes she moves as if in slow motion. The drone of her engines reminds me of a thousand movies I've seen about World War II. Scenes come drifting back of smoking cities in rubble with fleets of B-17s droning overhead, delivering their deadly ordnance.

"We all fall into reverent silence, watching her climb. She finally reaches altitute and turns back into the traffic pattern. Inside John's office the meeting is restored to order.

"The B-17 is there for crew training. Donnie and I chat and watch her practice crosswind takeoffs and landings. He gets a real kick out of how slow she moves. Beside the F-15s and T-38s zipping in and out of Ellington Field, she is a slow boat to China.

"The phones start ringing and I am called to other duties. Donnie leaves, heading for his cubicle.

"Outside on Runway 22 the B-17 carries on her maneuvers.