"Dan Moos" wrote in message news:n_IHd.8859$IP6.2793@trnddc05...
I live in Washington state, home of McCord airforce base. They have C-17's
there, and the local news station just stated what seems to me to be an
unbelievable fact. They reported that th C-17 can descend 20,000 feet in 1
minute. Now I'm a general aviation pilot, and 2,000 feet per minute is a
fast descent in my world. Is 20,000 fpm with a C-17 for real, or did the
news (KOMO channel 4 for you other western Washinton folks) get it wrong?



I know that the thrust reversers on the C-17 are considered flight controls and can purposely be deployed in flight. I
have heard of C-130s being put into beta (reverse pitch?) while in flight to initiate a very steep descent to avoid SAMS
in Vietnam, so I imagine that the C-17 can do the same sort of tactical maneuver...