FPP117 - C-17 Globemaster III

Not every aircraft can be (or should be) an attention-grabbing 9G fighter or Mach 3 spy plane. Scores of unheralded support planes play vital military roles including the movement of critical supply. Without timely and sufficient beans, bullets, and bandages provided by cargo planes like the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, no military campaign gets far.

On this episode, U.S. Air Force Major Courtney "Voodoo" Vidt joins us to discuss the "Moose" as the C-17 is affectionately known. A weapons school graduate and demonstration pilot, Voodoo knows the ins and outs of this aircraft and the way it is employed in humanitarian and military roles all over the world, even from austere dirt airfields.

Listener questions answered on this episode include a what happens when a higher-ranking non-pilot officer gives a direct order which conflicts with the pilot's actions or decisions, and how crashes of sensitive aircraft are handled to ensure tech secrets do not end up in the wrong hands.

Episode artwork by Janek Krause. Bumper music by Jaime Lopez / announcements by Clint Bell.