The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is essentially a large military transport aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. This aircraft can most often be found on tactical / strategic airlift missions, transporting troops and cargo throughout the world. This photographer managed to capture one flying through Star Wars Canyon in California. Read more for two videos and additional information.
Boeing’s C-17 is powered by four Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 turbofan engines, with each one rated at 40,400 lbf of thrust. One cool feature you may not have not known is that the engine’s thrust reversers direct engine exhaust air upwards and forward, thus reducing the chances of foreign object damage by ingestion of runway debris, while providing enough reverse thrust to back the aircraft up on the ground while taxiing.
Star Wars Canyon (aka Rainbow Canyon) which empties into the Panamint Valley region of Death Valley National Park has become very popular among serious aviation photographers from all around the world who daily exploit the unique opportunity to shoot military aircraft during their low altitude transit through the so-called ‘Jedi Transition,'” according to The Aviationist.
