The West Virginia Air National Guard’s 167th Airlift Wing recently flew its first C-17 training sortie from Martinsburg since converting from the C-5A, reported the local Montgomery Herald. “The fact that this sortie was able to happen ahead of schedule and without a hitch is a tribute to the hard work of all those who have been working this conversion over the last year,” said pilot Capt. Justin McCabe in the newspaper’s Jan. 13 report. The unit received its first C-17 last September, and is scheduled to have in place its eight C-17s by July. The inaugural C-17 sortie was originally planned for this month, but the unit managed to conduct its first two-hour local training flight from its base at Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport on Dec. 18. The wing’s remaining C-5As are due to depart by May for retirement at Davis Monthan AFB, Ariz.
The Pentagon's list of 14 top technology priorities has been slimmed to six, to ensure they get the attention they need, Defense Research and Engineering director Emil Michael announced. Changes may be coming in authorities for funding them, as well.
