Simulator to help prepare Elmendorf pilots for C-17s

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jared Marquis
  • 3rd Wing Public Affairs
In preparation for Elmendorf's first C-17 Globemaster III arriving in June 2007, members of the Program Integration Office here flew to Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., to pick up the base's newest simulator.

"The purpose of the simulator is to train Elmendorf pilots and loadmasters to fly the Air Force's newest, most flexible cargo aircraft," said Jim Fellows from the Boeing Company.

"Our new simulator is state of the art and allows crew members of the C-17 to link up with other bases and weapons systems to provide some of the most realistic training possible," Mr. Fellows said.

The strengths of the C-17 are many, and will help improve the Air Force's and Elmendorf's way of doing business, said Maj. Greg Estes, deputy chief of the C-17 Program Integration Office.

"The C-17 is capable of rapid, strategic delivery of troops and all types of cargo to main operating bases or directly to forward bases in the deployment area," Major Estes said. "It can perform tactical airlift and airdrop missions and can also transport litters and ambulatory patients during aeromedical evacuations when required."

The C-17 is replacing Elmendorf's aging fleet of C-130 Hercules and will be flown by the 517th Airlift Squadron when they arrive next year.

Tthe reason for the changes is simple, said integration chief Lt. Col Tim McLain.

"The flexibility and reliability that the C-17 brings to (Pacific Air Forces) and the 3rd Wing will play a vital role in executing the Air Force's worldwide mobility mission," he said.

The simulator is scheduled to be ready for training in January.