Bryan and his father had waited almost four years for this event. The day after returning from the State Special Olympics games, Bryan and his dad traveled to Reading for the World War II weekend. At the end of a day of exploring all that there was to see, Bryan and Ed boarded “Fifi”, the B-29 parked on the runway of the Reading airport, for their long-awaited flight. This escape into the “wild blue yonder” was a 40th birthday present for Bryan and a 70th birthday present for Ed.

Bryan excitedly climbed aboard the cumbersome craft and toured the cockpit, gunner’s spot, radio station, and the bombardier’s seat before landing in his gunner seat mid-plane. He smiled and flirted a bit with the cute female flight support staff before strapping on his seatbelt. The bravado left his face immediately when the first two engines powered on. They were very loud. When the other two kicked on, Bryan’s face registered sheer terror as they taxied down the runway and became airborne. There was only one armrest to the seat, but he clung to it for dear life, white-knuckled, until halfway into the flight. A nearby fellow passenger put his hand on Bryan’s arm, reassuring him that everything would be OK. He calmed a little.

Did he enjoy his special birthday gift? Once the fear wore off, I believe he did. But I doubt if he even noticed the beautiful patchwork quilt of farmland below him and out the window that sunny day. A sense of accomplishment gave him some pride as he descended the stairway following the ordeal, chatting up his female ‘friend’. For his father, it was the trip of a lifetime which he enjoyed to the fullest. For Bryan, not so much.

Even so, they bonded over things they mutually love, climbed into tanks, explored other aircraft and sampled the food offerings while checking out the song and dance review on the stage. All-in-all a good day. Except for the centerpiece of the whole day – that was something that I bet will never be repeated!