PLANE spotters had the chance to see one of the world’s biggest aircraft over parts of Dorset on Tuesday evening.

The Boeing C-17A Globemaster III was spotted by residents across Bournemouth, Poole and east Dorset.

The Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft that was developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas.

The Royal Air Force website describes the the C-17 Globemaster III as a “longrange, heavy-lift strategic transport aircraft that can operate close to a potential area of operations for combat, peacekeeping or humanitarian missions worldwide.”

It can transport 100,000lb of freight more than 4,500nm while flying at altitudes above 35,000ft.

According to global flight tracking service, Flight Radar 24, the plane left Brize Norton in Oxfordshire at 7.20pm before taking to the skies for two hours and 17 minutes.

The aircraft flew over Blandford Forum, Wimborne and Ferndown before circling over Bear Cross, West Parley and Winton.

A map on the Flight Radar 24 website shows the plane also flew over parts of the New Forest including Burley and Bransgore.

The Globemaster III landed at Brize Norton at 9.37pm. Later the same day, it took to the skies over West Oxfordshire before returning to Brize Norton.

It is not the first time the aircraft has been seen over Bournemouth.

It was spotted flying over Bournemouth at low altitude last July.