A C-17 Globemaster III arrives at its parking spot during a ceremony Saturday, April 8, 2006, at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. This C-17 is the fourth to be assigned to Hickam. It will transition the 15th Airlift Wing and Hawaii Air National Guard's 154th Wing from training to operations. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Shane A. Cuomo)
Children get a better view of the C-17 Globemaster III arrival ceremony from the roof of the operations building Saturday, April 8, 2006, at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. This aircraft is the fourth C-17 to be assigned to Hickam. It will transition the 15th Airlift Wing and Hawaii Air National Guard's 154th Wing from training to operations. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Shane A. Cuomo)
4/11/2006 - HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii (AFPN) -- The fourth C-17 Globemaster III to arrive here marks the transition from training to execution for the 15th Airlift Wing and the Hawaii Air National Guard's 154th Wing.
Beginning this month, the C-17 will pick up regular scheduled taskings from Pacific Air Force’s Air Mobility Division. The composite squadron of active duty and Guard will become fully engaged in their primary mission of airlifting cargo and equipment to locations worldwide.
The C-17 has flown numerous missions since its arrival here, supporting relief efforts in Kauai and the Philippines and also flying the Vietnam repatriation mission. The key difference in those missions and the arrival of Hickam No. 4 is that they were requests for support.
Beginning this month the C-17 composite squadron will make aircraft available to PACAF, and the Air Mobility Division will no longer have to “ask” before tasking an aircraft. PACAF and the AMD will have C-17s at their disposal.
