The first C-17 airlifter assigned to Hickam AFB, Hawaii, and named the “Spirit of Hawaii Ke Aloha,” has been painted by renowned aviation artist Keith Ferris for the Air Force Art Collection. Boeing, maker of the C-17, and Pratt & Whitney, engine producer, sponsored the artwork. The painting, which Ferris calls “Waikiki Sunrise,” pictures the C-17 flying over southern Oahu, above Diamond Head crater and Waikiki Beach. TSgt. Chris Vadnais reports that C-17 crews say the painting is “incredibly accurate.” Lt. Col. Scott Shapiro, 535th Airlift Squadron commander, says, “The weather’s right, the orientation of the jet is right, even the way the pilots are sitting is exactly right.”
The Air Force is aiming to have its internal electromagnetic spectrum combat strategy in hand by the spring, to dovetail with a joint service version also planned for that period. Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. said the service “should be embarrassed” it took congressional language to force…