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This is a note about Vision.
Vision is what differentiates world-class companies from mediocre ones. Vision separates great leaders from ordinary ones.
A great vision more than 35 years ago set in motion a chain of events that eventually became the C-17. Part of that vision, in the early 1970s, was the development of the YC-15. Many of you from those early days are now on the C-17 program, and I salute you for your vision.
At the time, the YC-15 was a prototype for a new U.S Air Force requirement called the Advanced Medium STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) Transport. Though that aircraft was never ordered into production, the revolutionary YC-15 prototype’s basic design would eventually be used for the C-17.
And you all know the rest of the story: the C-17 has become the world’s leading airlifter, the only aircraft with both tactical and strategic capabilities. The C-17’s success in the marketplace is the result of many things – among them pioneering use of new designs, new technologies, new ways of thinking about our customer.
The YC-15’s role in that was visionary.
And now, the YC-15 has a new mission. It is being honored for its role in aviation history by going to the U.S. Air Force Museum at Edwards Air Force Base in the high desert, 50 miles east of Los Angeles. The YC-15’s historic contributions to the future of airlift will be seen and shared by aviation enthusiasts, which includes many of us.
All who love airplanes and military aviation are fortunate that the YC-15 remains in Southern California. It will forever be a symbol of the vision that is now the C-17.
As the C-17 continues to evolve, with new capabilities, new block improvements – and hopefully in the next decade – the C-17B, please remember that the YC-15 made much of this possible.
The YC-15 embodies the vision that makes the C-17 great. It was our past, and it will always be a part of our future.
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