Boeing has delivered to the Air Force the first of 13 new C-17s bound for Dover AFB, Del. The base sent a combined aircrew of active and Reserve airmen to the Boeing production facility at Long Beach, Calif., for the turnover of the aircraft nicknamed the “Spirit of the Constitution.” The active 436th Airlift Wing and Air Force Reserve Command 512th AW will fly the C-17s assigned to Dover. The aircrew plans to fly the airlifter to McGuire AFB, N.J., and from there Air Mobility Command boss Gen. Duncan McNabb will fly it on to Dover on Monday for an arrival ceremony. A Boeing release notes that Dover will receive six more C-17s by year’s end and the remaining aircraft in 2008.
The program executive officers for some of the Air Force’s largest acquisition management organizations are struggling to deal with an exodus of senior talent and experienced civilian staff, three of them told an industry conference.
