"It was unbelievable how graceful a huge machine could be."
True, I also remember watching the C-17's in the pattern while lying on the beach in Florida. Man, such a big machine and it seemed to "hang in the air" and float to the runway.
While age has erased the magic in many thing that amazed us in youth, well designed airplanes are still just that to me. . . magic.
Spoken like a true aviation aficionado!