First Flight NATO C-17

[wamovements]

Yesterday, Jule 1st 2009, aircraft 01 made his first flight (FMS reported as 08-0001).

For a picture, see: http://www.airliners.net/photo/USA---Ai ... b4862c4a30

Nice to see a USAF badge, USAF style tailfin and Hungarian markings on one aircraft

regards
Dennis Peteri

[ehusmann]

That looks mighty! Wonder what the real registration will be/is, just 01?

Erwin

[SquAdmin]

The text says "This first airlifter was financed by the USAF and wears a USAF registration.", but "01" sound more like a Hungarian military registration to me. Also funny to see that it's wearing a Hungarian Air Force roundel instead of NATO markings.

[Robert]

The text says "This first airlifter was financed by the USAF and wears a USAF registration.", but "01" sound more like a Hungarian military registration to me. Also funny to see that it's wearing a Hungarian Air Force roundel instead of NATO markings.

Are the C-17's really NATO aircraft? It's the Strategic Airlift Consortium. Not all SAC members belong to NATO. Not all NATO members belong to SAC. I believe Sweden is a PfP member. However members who belong to both can use them for NATO missions, that doesn't make them NATO aircraft. Am I wrong?

[Joris van Boven]

They all get Hungarian registrations. The official delivery of the 1st C-17 to the SALIS 'heavylift consortium' will be on the 27th of July at Papa.

At http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/sal ... ift-02630/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; more about the participants.

[aviodromefriend]

Mind the RAF machines also wear USAF registrations applied thinner than the british (and don't the RNLAF F-16s wear USAF serials below the canopy?)

[kiwi]

Mind the RAF machines also wear USAF registrations applied thinner than the british (and don't the RNLAF F-16s wear USAF serials below the canopy?)

I'm not saying you're not telling the truth, but why would Dutch F-16's wear US regs? Most (if not all, I'm not that well informed on jets) of the F-16's are even built here in the Netherlands by Fokker, so I see absolutely no reason to put on US serials.. :S

[Arjan]

Uh about the US Regs...that has to do something with the planes being sold through the FMS (Foreign Military Sales) program. But don't really know the specifics.

[aviodromefriend]

I'm not saying you're not telling the truth, but why would Dutch F-16's wear US regs? Most (if not all, I'm not that well informed on jets) of the F-16's are even built here in the Netherlands by Fokker, so I see absolutely no reason to put on US serials.. :S

Well, the rule/US law is: all examples of US designed aircraft have a US type of registration. Other countries that operate them have the right to put on their own serials to, but that US registration MUST be applied. (sorry, I could have shown a picture as proof, if this wasn't from my analogue era, and my scanner was working .)

[kiwi]

I'm not saying you're not telling the truth, but why would Dutch F-16's wear US regs? Most (if not all, I'm not that well informed on jets) of the F-16's are even built here in the Netherlands by Fokker, so I see absolutely no reason to put on US serials.. :S

Well, the rule/US law is: all examples of US designed aircraft have a US type of registration. Other countries that operate them have the right to put on their own serials to, but that US registration MUST be applied. (sorry, I could have shown a picture as proof, if this wasn't from my analogue era, and my scanner was working .)

Clears it up! Thanks

[Rockville]

12-nation Heavy Airlift Wing takes flight with first C-17

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany: Twelve nations saw their dreams of strategic airlift come true as the multinational Heavy Airlift Wing they've built from scratch in less than a year received the "keys" to its first C-17 Globemaster III July 14 in Long Beach, Calif.
During a ceremony at Boeing's final assembly facility, Col. John Zazworsky who commands the HAW in a multinational capacity, officially received the first of three C-17s to be acquired by the Strategic Airlift Capability Program's consortium.
The consortium includes NATO member nations Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and the United States, as well as Partnership for Peace nations Finland and Sweden.
"This is an unprecedented milestone for these 12 nations," Colonel Zazworsky said. "They've shared a common need for strategic airlift, yet they've each faced the financial obstacle of independently acquiring a heavy airlifter. Now, they collectively own an amazing machine that will serve them well.
"Since September 2008 when the consortium's memorandum of understanding went into effect, we've tirelessly worked to build from scratch what's essentially a multinational air force -- without a real template of any kind," the colonel said. "Our timeline has been aggressive, but we're prepared to safely fly SAC 01."
While some of the 11 European nations participating in the program own tactical airlifters, including the C-130, SAC 01, as the first C-17 is known, represents the first strategic airlift asset for all 11 nations. And given each nation's commitment to support NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, the HAW's eventual C-17 fleet of three will make transporting troops and supplies to Afghanistan more efficient and economical.
Colonel Zazworsky knows this fact well, having flown the C-17 himself for years and having commanded C-17 units both stateside and in expeditionary roles in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"SAC 01 is going to be a huge enabler for all the nations involved," he explained. "And that's really what it's all about -- building capacity through partnership."
At the hands of HAW pilots from Norway, Sweden and the U.S., SAC 01 departed Long Beach for Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., shortly after the delivery ceremony, beginning its 5,300-nautical-mile maiden flight home to Pápa Air Base, Hungary, the HAW's home base.
But to make the most of the miles, HAW loadmasters, also from Norway, Sweden and the U.S., will load SAC 01 at Charleston AFB with specialized heavy equipment, like cargo loading vehicles and forklifts, which will enable the HAW to carry out logistics support functions at Pápa AB.
"I feel fortunate to be on the first trip with the airplane," said Royal Norwegian Air Force Capt. Havard Brorby, a HAW loadmaster who trained at the C-17 Aircrew Training Center at Altus AFB, Okla., this spring. "My country would never be able to have an aircraft like this, but now it's possible."
According to Colonel Zazworsky, SAC 01 will begin operational missions in support of the nations' requirements by the end of the month, just days after the wing's official activation ceremony July 27. Many of those missions will be flown to meet the nations' commitments to ISAF.
With the second and third C-17s rounding out the HAW fleet of heavy airlifters in September and October, respectively, the HAW anticipates flying roughly 630 hours before the end of 2009, and scheduling more than 3,100 flying hours in 2010.
The nations' varying investments in the SAC Program dictate their proportionate share of the flying hours as well as their proportionate contribution of personnel. For instance, the U.S. has provided roughly 30 percent of the funding, will use 30 percent of the annual flying hours and has committed 41 Airmen, or roughly 30 percent of the HAW's 131 total positions.
The HAW itself is a small wing by many nations' standards, but other entities will augment the overall mission. Some 70 Boeing contractors will provide material management and depot maintenance support for the HAW's C-17s. A NATO agency of roughly three dozen individuals will handle acquisition, logistics support and financial matters. And finally, the Hungarian air force, as host at Pápa AB, will manage the airfield, air traffic control operations and base infrastructure support.

Air Force News , July 17, 2009 at 7:33 am

[flying_kiwi]

I'm not saying you're not telling the truth, but why would Dutch F-16's wear US regs? Most (if not all, I'm not that well informed on jets) of the F-16's are even built here in the Netherlands by Fokker, so I see absolutely no reason to put on US serials.. :S

Well, the rule/US law is: all examples of US designed aircraft have a US type of registration. Other countries that operate them have the right to put on their own serials to, but that US registration MUST be applied. (sorry, I could have shown a picture as proof, if this wasn't from my analogue era, and my scanner was working .)

I've never seen the old RNZAF Scooters with US serials.
I thought that it aircraft sold under the FMS programme were assigned US serials, but I haven't seen them worn by their new operators.
Anybody with photographic (or other) evidence?

Yorden

[wamovements]

First flight of C-17 02 was on 10 september 2009 and was delivered yesterday to the Papa Wing as Bartok903.