size matters
Today at work I watched an Air Force C-17 take off. This plane is huge. I mean, there are certainly bigger planes in the world, but this just had an aura of huge. The Air National Guard was loading supplies and troops onto it for much of the day, so all its doors were open. By doors I mean gigantic cargo bay doors in the back, and the whole nose of the plane in the front (it flips up you see to expose the whole inside of the plane so you can load it from both ends apparently). It was just huge. The wingspan was wide enough that while it was just sitting there the wings were sagging. The thought that it could get into the air at all without the wings falling off was a skeptical one. Then when it finally did take off I didn't know anything could go that slowly and still get airborne. From a sheer scale standpoint this was one of the most awe-inspiring things I've ever seen. I don't even know why really, I mean it was just a plane after all. But everyone there was at least a little intrigued. As it lifted off I looked around and every single construction worker there had stopped what they were doing to "watch the show." It was ridiculous. Grown men were stealing glances over at the thing as it sat there all day, most of them thinking the same thing I was I'm sure... "That thing actually flies? But it's so big!" But yes, it flew. It even managed to take my mind off Her for a few minutes. Very little has been able to do that lately, but this did. Apparently the C-17 is not the biggest plane our Air Force has. But it sure seemed pretty big to me.