JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C –
The vice commander of Air Force Reserve Command hand delivered the Air Force's newest C-17 to the 315th Airlift Wing here Oct. 23.
The aircraft is the 57th Globemaster III to be based at Joint Base Charleston. Flown from Boeing Aircraft in Long Beach, Calif., the aircraft is the 204th to be manufactured at the Long Beach plant.
Symbolic keys to the jet were presented by AFRC Vice Commander Maj. Gen. Martin Mazick to 315th Airlift Wing Commander Col. Steven Chapman, joined by Joint Base Charleston Commander Col. Martha Meeker and 437th Airlift Wing Commander Col. John Wood on the Charleston flightline for the new arrival.
"This is an amazing airplane and a critical mobility asset for our country as we go forward," said General Mazick. "Global mobility is our business and no one does it better than the people who fly these jets."
Joint Base Charleston plays a critical role in air mobility operations around the world with thousands of active-duty, Reserve and civilian personnel. As the airframe that makes it possible, the C-17 can carry more than 250,000 pounds of cargo anywhere in the world. The plane can land and take off on short fields and provides a tactical advantage in airlift capability.
A single aircraft takes approximately 213 days to produce, and is made from approximately 29,000 parts, 1.3 million fasteners and 120 miles of cable. After the building process is complete, a paint job takes around a week, and three more on the ramp are needed before the plane's first flight.
Before leaving the Long Beach plant, the AFRC vice commander who was joined by a Reserve aircrew from the 300th Airlift Squadron here toured the Boeing facility and thanked the hundreds of workers who produce the planes.
"Thank you for all you do," said Capt. Forest Aspinwall of the 300th Airlift Squadron as he talked with a plant worker putting together the wings of C-17 under construction. "This is an amazing airplane you're building."
In addition to delivering the new airlifter, this flight was doubly special for General Mazick, because it was his last flight as an Air Force pilot before he retires later this year, he said.
"This is my last flight and is very special for me," said the general as he spoke with members of the media on hand for the arrival ceremony. "When they called me a few months ago and asked if I would deliver this new jet, I said absolutely."