Nome residents looked to the sky Monday, July 22 to watch a C-17 Globemaster cargo aircraft circle the city. The plane is notably larger than the Alaska Airlines 737-800s that frequent the airspace of Nome, with the C-17 coming in at 30% longer and three times the empty weight.
According to Alan Brown, Director of Communications and Public Affairs for the Alaska National Guard, the C-17 operations were part of routine training exercises. He said that the aircraft landed and practiced moving cargo before carrying on to Fairbanks.
Brown emphasized that these activities are a regular part of their operations, aimed at honing the skills of their personnel in diverse and remote environments like Nome.
“It’s pretty routine that our folks would land at remote airstrips and so forth. So, nothing alarming,” Brown added.
Residents were not given prior notice of the plane’s mission to Nome, which is not unusual according to Brown. He acknowledged the importance of providing advance notice when possible, especially to alert communities about unusual air traffic. However, in this instance, the information was not disseminated in time.
“In a perfect world, if we know there’s going to be lots of increased air traffic, we try to send out a notice so that folks can have a heads up,” Brown explained.
In addition to the C-17, a dark gray helicopter with a fuel probe on the front was also spotted in the area later the same week. Brown identified it as a Pave Hawk, an Air Force combat rescue helicopter.
“They fly all over the state, sometimes for lost hikers or other emergencies. They get refueled by our HC-130, which can refuel them in the air,” Brown said.
Despite the curiosity and excitement generated by the appearance of these military aircraft, Brown assured that such operations are a regular part of the National Guard’s duties. The C-17’s visit, although not widely publicized beforehand, was part of the Guard’s ongoing efforts to maintain readiness and effectiveness.
Looking ahead, Brown was not aware of any immediate plans for additional missions in the Nome area. However, he mentioned that the Alaska National Guard frequently utilizes the region’s facilities for training purposes.
“It’s relatively common, at least once or twice a year, that we might use our aviation facility up there as a base to do flying,” Brown noted.
