For some reason I was surprised when I looked up and saw a C-17 against the backdrop of Mt. Rainier. I had flown to Portland, rented a car, and was heading up towards Gig Harbor on that stretch of Interstate 5 between Olympia and Tacoma when I saw it. Wow, it was beautiful but for me it seemed out of context. For full-time residents of course it's part of the context as 49 C-17's are permanently stationed with the 62nd Airlift Wing at Joint Base Lewis McChord. Quite frankly I'd never seen a C-17 in the air juxtaposed along side a natural wonder against a bluer sky. It's a picture I'll never forget--especially now that they have announced the end of the line for C-17 production in Long Beach, CA.
It's fitting that McChord would be permanent home to the last airplane model to be assembled in Long Beach since they were also home to the very first--the C-47 Skytrain. Opening within a week after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Long Beach Douglas plant, in conjunction with their facilities in Santa Monica CA and Oklahoma City, produced more than 10,000 C-47's (converted DC-3's) in support of the war effort. Long Beach production will permanently shut down in 2015, 1 year shy of 75 years. Since opening in December of 1941, the Long Beach plant has assembled over 15,000 airplanes, including the DC-3, DC-8, DC-9, DC-10, MD-80, MD-90, MD-11 and 717 passenger planes, as well as such military airplanes as the B-17 (in cooperation with Boeing), the A-20, A-26, C-74, C-124, A-4D, and C-133 Cargomaster--a nice run--a proud run.
Dwight S. Wilson is an aerospace engineer, freelance writer, and part-time Gig Harbor resident.
