Propelled

WICHITA, Kan. – Long before the Chunnel made it simple, Ken Paxton went to Europe daily.

His method of transport: the B-17 bomber, a medium range plane from World War II. He navigated, making sure the plane reached one of the 2,000 daily targets the Allies bombed in 1944.

The planes ran out of North Albion, which quite close to London. I made my way through there during a visit last winter, on the way up to Oxford.

Today it's uninteresting suburbs, but during the war it was a valuable airfield. Paxton was one of thousands of Americans who operated out of the site.

I met him at another air base, one that's much less strategically important. Jabara Municipal Airport isn't even Wichita's most important airport: that would be the wonderfully named Mid-Continent International Airport. There's also a major air force base here, McConnell. No, Jabara mostly is a place for rich corporate types to launch their private jets without having to deal with McConnell security.

This weekend, though, it's hosting the Wichita Flight Festival.

I interviewed young families, children, and people with lawn chairs. The Melting Pot of America was on display. I attempted talk with three Asian people who couldn't speak conversational English. (This is an anomaly. Most of the time Asian-Americans, and Latinos and other immigrants here have been excellent interview subjects.)

Mr. Paxton thought the festival was pretty damn good, he said as he watched three plane fly upside down in formations from the shadow of an airplane hangar. Did he ever do stunts like that in the B-17?

"No, no, no," he said, chuckling. He was in the business of straight-up flying.