Boeing

The 38th Boeing C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft was delivered to the U.S. Air Force in a short ceremony here today. The aircraft was flown to its new home, Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., by Maj. Gen. William S. Hinton, Commander of Third Air Force, RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom, and a Defense Contract Management Command flight crew.

The airplane has been dedicated as "The Spirit of Berlin" in honor of the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Berlin Airlift, 1948-49. This C-17 is scheduled to be on display at the Berlin ILA air show and exhibition in Berlin, Germany, May 18-24, and at similar ceremonies in Frankfurt, Germany, May 26-27.

The Air Force's C-17 fleet has surpassed 80,000 total flying hours. In recent months, C-17s have flown disaster relief missions to Maine, Canada and China, and assisted with deployment missions to the Persian Gulf.

98-30