Global air C-17 production is winding down, but Boeing’s versatile airlifter has a lot of runway ahead by james wallace This is the first of two Frontiers features about Boeing’s C-17 Globemaster III. Next, a look at the C-17 production line in Long Beach, Calif. As a new day begins to spill across the flight line at McChord Field near Tacoma, Wash., a half-dozen Boeing C-17 airlifters wait for their next missions for the U.S. Air Force. To the east, above the foothills of the Cascades, majestic Mount Rainier bathes in what will soon be a spectacular sunrise, unusual for this time of the year in the rainy and cloudy Pacific Northwest. Outlined against a deep crimson sky, the mountain’s snow-covered flanks slowly change color, from black to deep purple to various shades of pink and blue, until finally the winter snow turns to white. Across the T-tail of each C-17 is a green tail flash with “McChord” in white letters and a silhouette of the region’s landmark mountain. Long before the 55-foot-high (17-meter) tails throw shadows on the flight line, aircrews are busy inside and outside one of the aircraft, preparing it for a Photo: An Air Force C-17 on the flight line at Joint Base Lewis-McChord is readied for an early morning departure. Bob Ferguson | Boeing 22 Boeing Fronti ers
Frontiers February 2015 Issue
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