A local pilot got the honor of delivering the last C-17 Globemaster III aircraft in production.
Air Force Lt. Col. Charlie Ohliger, a graduate of Cal Poly Pomona, flew the last C-17 from Boeing’s production facility in Long Beach to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware earlier this month.
Actually, Ohliger sat in the co-pilot’s seat, as Gen. Arthur J. Lichte, commander of the Air Mobility Command, symbolically piloted the flight across the country.
Ohliger, who graduated from North Torrance High before attending Cal Poly, said the huge transport aircraft has always interested him, growing up so close to where it was built.
“I think I was captivated initially by the appearance of the C-17 and its general purpose,” he said in an Air Force news release.
In the past 15 months, 12 C-17s have been delivered from Long Beach to Dover. They’ve been used to deliver material and crews to the Middle East, carried two giant squids for the Smithsonian Institution and assisted with delivering relief supplies after hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
“(The C-17) is a phenomenally successful aircraft that is well-suited for the requirements of our military forces today,” he said. “It is easy to operate, very reliable and exceptionally capable. We keep finding new ways that it excels.”
Ohliger said that while delivering the massive aircraft has been an experience, his most memorable flight was into Moscow in 2000.
“The Cold War had been over for some time and travel to the Commonwealth of Independent States was relatively normal,” he said.
“The notion of me landing an Air Force C-17 with an American flag on the tail at Russia’s international airport was still unbelievable.”
Before this month’s flight, Ohliger had said he was not nervous flying alongside a general, something he has done several times before.
“Frankly, although I’m excited to fly with him, I’m more excited to be involved with the delivery of the last C-17 to Dover,” he said. “That is the really significant piece of this trip.”
Original article: San Gabriel Valley Tribune
