C-17 cargo-aircraft fuselage arrives at Fort Lee
A giant C-17 cargo-aircraft fuselage has arrived at Fort Lee.
Fort Lee will use the 50-ton fuselage to help create a state-of-the-art load-training facility for the Army's logistics soldiers.
In a unique operation this week, the 170-foot-long, 25-foot-high aircraft body moved from California to Virginia.
Soldiers from the 7th Sustainment Brigade at Fort Eustis used Army tugboats to push the wingless fuselage onto a floating military causeway and bought it up the Appomattox River.
Contractors then hoisted the C-17 fuselage onto a trailer and transported it today to the Army post in Prince George County. It will become part of the new joint training site where more than 2,000 military students will train annually. Students from the U.S. armed services, as well as international military students, will conduct realistic airand rail-load training at the facility.
Reader Reactions
Ok. Let me say first off. Hooah. The mission would not have been possible without the Army Reserve. The LSV-7 (one of only two of its kind) steadily marched 8600 miles to deliver the C-17. That is quite an accomplishment. My hat is off to all involved.
To those in the country that feel this is a waste…all of you don’t know about real world operations. While you and your family are sleeping….we have folks out on the front line defending freedom. The ability to defend freedom stems from the fact that they have been trained well. The motto is train as you fight and fight as you train.
To anyone who doubts this motto…I challenge you to prove me wrong.
You can’t train with a mock up platform that consists of wood and cement and expect to be ready to defend your country let alone a small base.
What this fuselage provides is the opportunity for our service members to train in a real world environment and then have the experience to execute operations in a war zone just as they trained.
No one is getting screwed dollar wise. Suggest you keep doing homework. The first aircraft that mirrored the C-17 was built in about 1979 and it was called the YC-15. The C-17 was not fielded until the early 1990’s when it replaced the C-141. So, $200m a copy is not a bad deal. We’ll have this aircraft in the fleet when your grandchildren are able to fly it, Jerry. How about going to the library and learning a little bit more about this great country that you are able to live within?
The Logistic Support Vessel (LSV) 7 SSGT Robert Kuroda sailed from Hawaii to San Diego where it picked up the C-17 fuselage. It then transited through the Panama Canal around Florida finally arriving at Fort Eustis. In all, it was an excellent mission providing valuable training for the Army Reserve crew abord the LSV 7. The C-17 fuselage will complement the C-130 fuselage that is currently being used by the Aerial Delivery and Field Services Department (ADFSD) at Fort Lee for years to come. I have no current affliation with Fort Lee, although I worked there for four years (2003-2007) as a Dept. of the Army civilian. I now work for the Army Reserve. It would be nice if the RTD would add the Reserve element to their story.
There is also another part of the story missing here.
The C-17 fuselage was transported on the Logistic Support Vessel (LSV) 7 SSGT Robert Kuroda (named for a WWII Medal of Honor recipient), an Army Reserve vessel. That’s right, the Army Reserve has ships as well to accomplish moving troops and supplies around the world.
Read the COMPLETE story at bit.ly/VDovX.
Jerry, do you think freedom is free?
Our soldiers do great hard work but the corrupt politicians who keep putting them in harm’s way for the dubious benefit of advancing the interests of a tiny ruling class….well there’s another term for them.
Jerry your reader reaction makes it sound like you hang out at the airport and spit on our troop’s and call them baby killers. Traffic inconvenience, Are you kidding me? How about the inconvenience of your husband or wife, Son or Daughter or Mommy or Daddy being gone for 12-18 months at a time and god forbid KIA and gone forever. Your taxpayer dollars wasted? I believe you would be far better off finding a better example of taxpayer dollars being wasted then this. We have one of the best armed forces in the world and that does not come cheap. I strongly suggest you get out from behind your computer and go talk to some soldiers and see where your money is going.
oh i am sorry mcfearless…i was talking about the cost of traffic being halted ( regardless of a.m. hours ) removal of power lines or lowering..man hours for police officers you know, stuff taxpayers pay for. could really care less about the training this oversized fuselage provides for you but in other words, good luck with that. 200 mil?? don’t need to any homework to figure out that someone got ripped off!
“We” paid for this? No if you had your facts straight…you would know that it was a pre-production aircraft owned by Boeing that they no longer needed and provide to the DoD as a gift. This will be a vital training asset b/c it will allow load training in a real world fuselage vice a mock up. Before you comment on the looks of a piece of gear that you have no knowledge of…you might want to do a little homework. There are approx 184 operation C-17’s in the fleet at a cost of approx. $200 million a copy. So, yes we have acquired a great training device, Jerry.
wow..and we paid for this…sorry,is there a real purpose for something that looked like the oscar meyer weiner mobile?
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