“Flying High with Boeing’s C-17 Program”
Rotary Presentation for 9/30/09
QUEEN MARY (September 16, 2009) Jean Chamberlin Vice President, General Manager/Global Mobility Systems, The Boeing Co. Program 9-30 “Flying High with Boeing’s C-17 Program” Since its first flight in 1991 at Edwards Air Force Base, Boeing ‘s C-17 Globemaster military transport program has fulfilled its mission to carry large combat equipment and troops or humanitarian aid across international distances directly to small austere airfields anywhere in the world. With a payload of a remarkable 170,000 pounds, the C-17 can take off from a 7,600-foot airfield, fly 2,400 nautical miles, and land in 3,000 feet or less. A high- wing, four-engine, T-tailed aircraft with a rear-loading ramp, the C-17 is equipped with an externally blown flap system that allows a steep, low-speed final approach and low-landing speeds for routine short-field landings. And if that isn’t impressive enough, this mammoth airlifter with a length of 174 feet and a wing span of 170 feet is operated by a cockpit crew of two and one loadmaster, and can be refueled in flight. The sprawling C-17 factory is located right here in Long Beach, next to the Long Beach Airport. The plant, the last remaining airplane final assembly line left in Southern California, is an $8 -billion-a-year business and employs more than 5,000 workers. Additionally, 650 suppliers employing 30,000 workers in 43 states make parts for the C-17. But, unless Boeing receives more orders from the U.S. Air Force or others, the plant could close as early as 2011. Jean Chamberlin is a Boeing Co. vice president and general manager of the Global Mobility Systems business, which includes oversight of the C-17 Globemaster III program. She began her career as a nurse, but switched careers when her daughter was a year old to have some semblance of a family life. After taking some manufacturing engineering courses at a local community college, she was hired by Boeing to work on the production line for the 737 passenger jet in Renton, Wash. After earning her master’s in engineering management from Stanford, she rose quickly through the ranks, and eventually was named C-17 program manager in 2007. In 2008, she took on the added responsibility of overseeing other military airlift programs. She lives in downtown Long Beach and is preparing for the Long Beach half marathon
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