How to Identify a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III

Look for a large, four-engine jet.

Note that the C-17 is a high-wing aircraft.

Check the tail. The design is distinctly different from that of the C-5 or the C-141. The tail tapers to a sharp point beyond the vertical stabilizer.

Note how the vertical stabilizer seems attached to - rather than part of - the fuselage.

Look at the horizontal stabilizer element. It's mounted close to the top of the vertical element, but not at its peak.

Check the wings. Note that two engines are underslung on pylons on each wing, with each engine seemingly well forward of the wing's leading edge.

Note how the swept-back wings seem to droop when the C-17 is on the ground.

Remember, the Globemaster III is powered by four Pratt &Whitney turbofan jet engines. Each generates 40,400 pounds of thrust and appears much larger at the intake than at the exhaust.

Check the wingtips. The C-17 is the only US Air Force cargo aircraft with vertical winglets at the end of each wing.

Remember that most large military cargo aircraft are painted in camouflage or a low-visibility blue-gray.