I was standing at the edge of the flight line of McGuire Air Force Base, watching planes take off and land. About an hour before, a thick fog bank had rolled in, obscuring visibility in all directions. Scattered runway lights tried to pierce the damp gloom, but only managed to emit a feeble glow that withered off and died after a few yards. Beside the runway, the only thing that seemed alive, squatted the control tower. Every now and then, I could see frantic movements as the air traffic controllers tried to talk another plane down through the dark and forbidding fog banks. The damp night air sent goose bumps racing across my skin. Only maybe it wasn't the night's chill that made the goose bumps rise but the thought of what I was about to do.
I had been waiting at the flight line for ten long hours. Fumes from various jet engines assaulted my nose, making me slightly faint. I was waiting for my plane, a C-5 Galaxy cargo plane. I remember as it taxied out from the large domed hanger. The hanger itself was cyclopean in stature. The top and far side were lost in the thick fog, yet it seemed barely able to contain the behemoth that emerged. The C-5 Galaxy seemed like a giant next to the other planes, which in turn dwarfed the people on the ground. The gargantuan machine rolled majestically out of the hanger to the waiting line. As it passed me, I saw how it's light blue underbelly and olive green backside made it seem even larger than it was. A tiny window opened near the nose of the thing, out of which the pilot leaned and made gestures to the ground crew. Within a few moments, the rear ramp slowly lowered to the ground. From my vantage point, I could see into the belly of the beast. The interior was filled with military vehicles and many odd pieces of bundled equipment.
A flight attendant appeared and beckoned me to follow him. I grabbed my ungainly duffle bag and complied. Upon reaching the immense ramp, the attendant riffled through my baggage. He explained that no combustible material was allowed in the cargo area. After confiscating an old Bic lighter, he took my bag into the hold and lashed it to a pallet. Seeing me hesitate, he motioned for me to follow. As I started, I couldn't help but feel that I was walking directly into the maw of some huge netherworld monster.
I went into the cargo bay and walked past all the military equipment to the forward portion of the plane. The floor was pulsating with raw power from the idling engines. It was a deep bass sound, almost to low for human ears but a throb easily felt in the flesh. I once again imagined that the plane was more giant beast than machine. I tried to put my fears aside and went forward on increasingly shaky legs. As I reached the door at the end of the cargo bay. I looked back at the now small mouth of the hold, just in time to see the ramp shut with a finality that begat new talons of apprehension ripping at my gut.
When I opened the door, I found myself in a small cabin. There were seats for maybe thirty people. Scattered among those seats were five other passengers already strapped in. Two seemed ready to fall asleep. I took a chair next to a window and away from the others. I didn't want them see how scared I was, making my first flight in a plane. After what seemed an eternity, the plane's vibrations increased and we started to move. As we went faster and faster, an invisible hand pressed me into my seat, almost taking away my breath. I glanced out of the window. The runway lights became a blur and then faded as we left the ground. Soon, the pressure eased, but not my fear. I again looked out of the small windows. The only thing left to see, were raindrops, racing by at an impossible angle and my face, reflecting a question back at me, asking if I would make it to my destination alive.