An Air Force cargo loader approaches a C-17 Globemaster III to load Keiko, the killer whale.
An Air Force 60K Tunner cargo loader approaches a C-17 Globemaster III in preparation for loading the specially made transport tank containing Keiko, the killer whale star of the "Free Willy" movie, at the Newport Municipal Airport in Newport, Oregon, on Sept. 9, 1998. Keiko was loaded into his specially made transport tank at the Oregon State Aquarium, then transported by United Parcel Service to the airport. The aircraft from the 15th Airlift Squadron and its killer whale cargo will fly nonstop to the Westman Islands in Iceland. The Free Willy Keiko Foundation is paying the Air Force to airlift the whale back to his native waters. The C-17 Globemaster III is the only aircraft that can accomplish moving such a large load and deliver it to a short, remote runway.