A really excellent piece. Years ago, I was left in charge of our 3 daughters on weekends to give their long-suffering mother a break. Naturally, we spent them at our hometown airport (KIOB). There, they met and interacted with pilots and would-be pilots, passengers, other airport bums, and, most importantly, the WWII veterans who operated the place. None of the daughters (now adults with children of their own) became pilots, but they still talk fondly of those weekends and delight in telling stories (some true) about the many characters whose tales they heard.