Aircrews operating the Air Force’s new C-17 airlifter continue to sing its praises, even old-time C-130 drivers. Air Force Reservist and former C-130 pilot Maj. Bob Hagstrom, with the 732nd Airlift Squadron at McGuire AFB, N.J., spent three weeks flying the C-17 into austere—read that dirt, rocks, and sand—airstrips in Afghanistan. He called the C-17 an “enormous aircraft compared to the C-130,” and added, “It was awesome to see the aircraft’s maneuverability and capability in this environment.”
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
