Altus AFB C-17 headlines Columbia, Mo. air show

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Kenneth W. Norman
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBIA, Mo --  For the first time the 58th Airlift Squadron's C-17 Globemaster III Rat Pack Demonstration Team from Altus Air Force Base was the headlining aircraft for the Salute to Veterans Air Show in Columbia, Mo., Memorial Day weekend, May 28-29.

"It is a lot of fun and it gives us a chance to show off a part of the Air Force that most people aren't familiar with, which is airlift," Capt. Jesse H. Newberry, 58th AS pilot and aircraft commander during the air show. "People are used to seeing the fighters fly at the air shows and they put on a good show, but it is great for us to be able to fly our aircraft in front of the crowd and let them see something new. There are still some people who don't know what a C-17 is and it has been in the inventory for 15 or more years now."

During the air show, a C-17 from Altus AFB served as a jump platform for the United States Army 101st Airborne, Parachute Team, the Screaming Eagles; Canadian Forces Parachute Team, the Skyhawks and flew in a heritage flight with a C-47 Skytrain from Cavanaugh Flight-Museum, Dallas, Texas.

"[A heritage flight] is a tribute to the history of the aircraft. It allows the crowd and spectators to see then and now and see where we have come in terms of airlift and how things have changed," Newberry said. "I think it is quite eye opening for people to see the size difference of the airplanes. The C-47 is what we used during D-day in World War II. It was the primary airlifter of WWII and you can see how much smaller it is than what we have now."

According to the Cavanaugh Flight-Museum's website, the C-47 was produced in greater numbers than any other U.S. Army transport aircraft and was used in every theater during World War II.

"[Flying a heritage flight] is a lot of fun and can be challenging, but it is very rewarding," Newberry said. "Most of the civilian pilots we fly with were flying since before most of us in the C-17 were born - so there is a lot of experience - you can learn a lot from those guys and they are incredibly professional."

Due to inclement weather, the aircrew was only able to airdrop the parachute teams once, instead of the scheduled five times.

"We were challenged by the weather, which can really complicate things," Newberry said. "Any time the weather doesn't cooperate, it makes the mission harder."

Flying in air shows gives the demonstration team a break from the day-to-day training operations at Altus AFB.

"[We enjoyed] getting the opportunity to work with the Canadian Forces, U.S. Army and civilians to accomplish something out of the normal for us," Newberry explained. "We have our primary mission at Altus training students, so to be able to go work with other agencies and see how they do things is a very unique experience for the whole crew."