Boeing's Last Long Beach Made C-17 to Take off Sunday

The final Boeing C-17 Globemaster III military airlifter made at the company’s Long Beach assembly plant is scheduled to depart at noon Sunday, Boeing announced today.

The takeoff on the craft’s maiden voyage will be from Long Beach Airport, adjacent to the soon-to-be-abandoned production site, according to Boeing.

The last flight out of Long Beach will include a commemorative “fly over” of the facility, before it heads to San Antonio, Boeing said.

The military transport plane will be housed in the Texas city until it is delivered to the Middle East country Qatar, from where it was ordered, the company said.

The time of the farewell trip of a C-17 made in Long Beach was kept in the air due to a strenuous litany of aircraft tests, Boeing said.

Boeing announced in 2013 it was phasing out the C-17 and starting the process of closing the Long Beach plant. The last C-17 delivered to the United States’ military also was in 2013, according to Boeing.

City News Service; Photo: Wikimedia Commons