Senior Airman Marcus Williams inspects a proximity sensor target installed near the wheel of a C-17 here Aug. 27. Airman Williams installed the device while preparing for an operational checkout of the aircraft's landing gear. Airman Williams is a hydraulic systems journeyman with the 437th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Daniel Bowles)

Billy Merritt removes a safety pin from the nose landing gear of a C-17 on the flightline here Aug. 27. Removing the pin allowed a maintenance team to hydraulically raise the gear during an operational checkout. Mr. Merritt is an aircraft maintenance technician with the 437th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Daniel Bowles)

Master Sgt. Richard Keadle kneels at the nose of a C-17 while supervising the progress of an operational checkout of a C-17's landing gear on the flightline here Aug. 27. Sergeant Keadle communicated with technicians seated in the cockpit during the check and visually verified each time the gear was raised and lowered. Sergeant Keadle is a maintenance supervisor with the 315th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Daniel Bowles)

Senior Airman Marcus Williams, right, and Senior Airman Fred Hess store mounting points used to lift the nose of a C-17 during an operational checkout of the aircraft's landing gear here Aug. 27. The mounting points connected with aircraft jacks which held up the nose when the landing gear was raised. Airman Williams is a hydraulic systems journeyman with the 437th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and Airman Hess is a jet propulsion technician with the 437 AMXS. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Daniel Bowles)