Aboard were all the pilots, Captain Pitt the flight engineer, and Ryan, Suzi, Penny and VIN. The cockpit of the C-5 was tight with bodies. With Jonesy at the controls and Maggie as co-pilot, the massive jet was warmed up and engines screamed as her pilot trundled one of the biggest aircraft in the world down the long runway to the eastern end, the end VIN had now run around a couple of dozen times. Ryan looked outside the left side cockpit windows at the remaining men of the work force, now down from 1,500 to less than 50 laying pipes. They would have the entire system working in two more weeks, and their exit would signal the start of a lot more flying. It was a cold morning in November, the desert at a chilly 36 degrees; the workers were all wearing warm clothing and white clouds of vapor appeared as they exhaled. The underground tanks and Dewars were in, as were the aboveground tanks. All that remained were the underground piping connections to the various hangars.
