A year has passed since the Second Great Fleet Biplane Excursion and now Phill Bragg attempts to fly his trusty Fleet Finch to a venerable grassroots gathering of antique and classic airplanes on a farm in rural Iowa. For the Third Great Fleet Biplane Excursion, pilot and airplane must again cross the Appalachian Mountains to head northwest into middle America for an aeronautical celebration that has been held annually for sixty years. But this cross-country flight presents more obstacles than ever before and it is never certain they will arrive in time. But, embracing the old adage that it is the journey and not the destination which rewards the traveler, Phill and his Fleet biplane persevere as best they can and they are never disappointed by the wonderful new friends they find or by the vast, unending beauty of the United States.