Last Boeing C-17 Departs Long Beach Plant

Boeing's last C-17 flew away from the factory at the Long Beach airport this week, marking the end of the transport plane's production in California. The C-17, built in Long Beach since 1991, was the final series of aircraft made there. The plant was one of the last living pieces of the enormous manufacturing operation where multiple companies, including McDonnell Aircraft, Douglas Aircraft and North American Aviation, produced more than 15,000 aircraft -- most during World War II. On Sunday, the C17A Globemaster III performed a fly-by before a crowd that included former workers at the factory. It headed to San Antonio, Texas, to prepare for delivery to the Qatar Emiri Air Force in early 2016.

Boeing said it will continue to provide support and maintenance to the worldwide fleet of 279 Globemaster IIIs. The factory was a high-profile employer in the Long Beach area, which will lose nearly 400 jobs, the Los Angeles Times reported. "This is truly the end of an era. It's a sad day, but one that all of the Boeing employees and suppliers who have worked over the years on this great plane can be proud of," said Nan Bouchard, Boeing's C-17 program manager. McDonnell Douglas developed the transport plane for the U.S. Air Force in the 1980s. Boeing took over its production in the 1990s for export customers and announced in 2013 the plant would close.