Sometimes all you have to do is look out the window: logistics innovation is all around us

Charleston is a little different from most airports.  There’s a small passenger terminal, one of my favorites, because it is so easy to get in and out.  And, as with most airports, there’s a private terminal for General Aviation.  At Charleston, the twist is that the runways are also shared with a Boeing factory where, among other things, they assemble components for the 787, and across the airport on the other side of the runways, are hangers used by the USAF Air Mobility Command.

While stuck on an airplane in a ground hold at the Charleston airport, I looked out the window and started counting military aircraft.  There were twenty-three C-17 Globemasters parked outside the Air Force hangers, and who knows how many were inside.  If you aren’t familiar with the C-17, it’s a pretty amazing military transport plane, able to carry something like 85 tons, roughly two-thirds of a 747’s capacity. 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I’m not sure what value to put on a video, but these should provide a solid grounding on how different military transports are from typical commercial aircraft.  I know fighter planes that would be proud to be able to do this.  And the C-17 is not a fighter plane, it is a combat support aircraft that gets things where they need to be, no airport required.  If you do have to put one on the ground, check out what passes for an airport.

The Globemaster first flew 20 years ago, and is still one of the finest – if not the finest – military transport aircraft in the world.  Looking out the window, at the two dozen C-17’s I see, it’s easy to be proud to be a military logistician.  The C-17 is an innovative design from decades past, and it is still leading edge.

Then the next generation of innovation taxied by my window.  Only this demonstration of American innovation wasn’t military, at all.  One of the Boeing Dreamlifters – a modified 747-400 freighter configured to transport 787 Dreamliner components – had just landed and was on the way over to the Boeing plant.  If you’ve never seen a Dreamlifter, spend a few minutes watching this. 

The Dreamlifter is the ultimate expression of supply chain innovation.  It was created to fill a specific link in a really complex supply chain, and move really big pieces around really quickly as if they were Kindles.  The 787 program has had its share of problems, but you have to be awed by the chutzpah of a bunch of 787 logisticians who decided a 747 wasn’t big enough, so they modified one to suit their imagination as if it were a Model A garage project.

Charleston is a wonderful city, full of history and a wonderful destination.  There is a lot of history, great restaurants, and beautiful hotels.   But, if you are a logistician, don’t forget to pay attention at the airport.  Just look out the window.