'Spirit of Berlin' a hit with Berlin Air Show spectators

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Chuck Roberts
  • U.S. Air Forces in Europe Public Affairs
BERLIN (AFPN) --  The “Spirit of Berlin” proved a big hit at the 2006 Berlin Air Show.

When spectators entered the C-17 Globemaster III through the crew entry door, the typical reaction was to stop, stare in awe and exclaim in wonder at the cavernous interior.

“You got that all day, every day,” said Tech. Sgt. Don Rix, a loadmaster from the 315th Airlift Wing, who traveled from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., to join a group of approximately 60 Airmen and Soldiers displaying 10 aircraft from the U.S. and Europe.

Despite the weather, more than 120,000 people turned out for the final three days of the May 16 to 21 air show. But of the more than 300 aircraft at the show, the C-17 was ranked No. 5, according to an unofficial ranking by a Berlin newspaper.

“The people are in awe of it,”  Sergeant Rix said of the C-17 parked near the even larger Airbus A-380 and several Russian military and civilian aircraft. And that’s a compliment, according to the extensive aviation knowledge many visitors possessed.

The C-17 also impresses Sergeant Rix, who describes himself as a “baby C-17 guy” because the Globemaster is the only aircraft the reservist has known in the Air Force. “This thing is the Cadillac of airlift,” Sergeant Rix said of the C-17, noting its versatility for both tactical and strategic missions.

As a loadmaster, the sergeant described the C-17 as very forgiving with weight and balance when it comes to loading cargo on board. If something is able to fit through the door, he said, the computerized loading assistance program will allow it to be loaded.

The sergeant has had ample opportunity to learn its interoperability, having flown a variety of missions including presidential support and delivering supplies to Iraq, as well as airdrops and repatriation of the remains of servicemembers from Vietnam.

Pilots are impressed as well. Maj. Rob House flew the C-141 Starlifter before it was replaced by the C-17. At first his loyalty held strong to the Starlifter, but the Globemaster won him over.

“Everything we ask it to do, it does,” Major House said of the aircraft he’s flown now for almost 10 years. Life is very comfortable for a C-17 pilot thanks to computers that replaced paper and mental math in setting up a flight plan to be at a specific location at a specific time, he said.

Other features, such as the heads-up display that shows flight information on a clear screen in front of the pilot, make the C-17 the airlifter of choice, and he agrees that spectators at the Berlin Air Show are equally aware of such capabilities.

“The people here are pretty knowledgeable of aviation in general, and there is definitely a lot of interest with anything to do with flying."

The Berlin Air Show is one of the premier events of its type in the world. U.S. military participation contributes to a number of U.S. security and foreign policy interests. Participation promotes standardization and interoperability of equipment with U.S., NATO allies and other potential coalition partners; highlights the strengths of the U.S. commitment to the security of Europe; and demonstrates that U.S. industry is producing equipment that will be critical to the success of current and future military operations.