A Really Big Deal
Bigger yet more agile, the Air Force’s newest transport jet, the C-17 Globemaster, now calls Hawaii home. MidWeek visited the Boeing plant where they’re made, and then enjoyed the ride home. Here’s the scoop
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A C-17 under construction at Boeing’s Long
Beach plant
is that this arrangement takes them to areas best not frequented. Explaining to your family that you’re going to the Mainland for the opportunity to fly into Iraq can be a tough sell at times, especially with a 3-year-old, Curtis, waiting at home.
“I definitely feel safe doing this job and I try to communicate that to them,” says Lowe on how he tries to keep his family from worrying. “They (the Air Force) wouldn’t allow me into a place where there is a high probability of my getting shot. It’s hard to communicate that to someone who hasn’t been there. Because I only transit American bases, it’s hard to know you’re in a different country. We could be in Arizona for all I know. If I didn’t have someone telling me I was in Iraq, I wouldn’t know. But it’s hard to communicate that level of comfort because all they hear is that you’re going to Iraq. It’s like when I used to be a fireman. When people ask what do you do every day, ‘I run into burning houses.’ I wouldn’t do that if I didn’t have to, and I take every precaution necessary to make sure I can get out of the burning building. But that’s what my job entails.”
The Kaneohe resident said he always knew he wanted to fly. Well, at least since the age of 12. So upon graduating from Kamehameha Schools in 1991, he enrolled at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Altes, Okla. It’s a regular four-year university that just happens to specialize in aeronautics. Upon graduation, at the suggestion of his uncle, a Guard member, he enlisted.
“Upon finishing Embry-Riddle, I looked at the Air National Guard as an opportunity. There weren’t a lot of opportunities (in the civilian work force) for someone with an education but not that much experience, and the Guard was willing to provide that experience.”
A C-17 flies over Hickam AFB, it’s new home in
the Pacific
To create the Air Force’s newest vessel, as MidWeek discovered on a recent visit to Boeing’s C-17 plant in Long Beach, designers had to nearly reinvent the wheel. The original factory had to be increased in size threefold, and now covers 1.1 million square feet. More than $2 million was spent on ergonomic hand tools, and processes were streamlined so that mechanics are no farther than 5 seconds away from any tool they may need.
Though 120 miles of wiring is used on one C-17, and 1.3 million fasteners are required to hold it all together, the biggest surprise at the massive factory may be the cleanliness. It’s spotless. The shining floors are sectioned off by bright tape that not only indicate areas of danger, but that also show the location of each piece of equipment. It’s impressive considering the factory turns out 15 planes a year.
Lowe is temporarily on full-time status. That will change Oct. 1 when his contract expires, and unless a slot opens for a full-time Hawaii Air National Guard pilot, he’ll be looking for work. He resigned from the Honolulu Fire Department last year.
“I felt that I was doing a disservice to the fire department. I’m sure there was someone who wanted to do the job more than I did, so I wanted to open the job to that person.”
If Lowe doesn’t hook up with a full-time gig, he will bide his time and grab every extra flight he can get. And why not? He’s got the hot ride, the extra paycheck and the unique chance to fly an aircraft that has already set 33 world aviation records.
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