Folks who were looking skyward in the Charleston, S.C., area last week got treated to a phenomenal sight as the smoke from flares released by a C-17 flying over the Atlantic formed into a “smoke angel.” Air Force officials say the sight is created by the vortex from the airlifter’s engines. C-17s from Charleston AFB, S.C., were flying a local training exercise on May 16.
If the Air Force is in line for a big budget bump from President Donald Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget in 2027, the head of Air Combat Command said he would make aircraft spare parts his top spending priority—but cautioned that more money to buy parts won’t equal a…


