"Operation Maggie Migration," the carefully orchestrated trip aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane, is expected to take 16 hours, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

While not exactly knowing what to expect, Maggie's handlers told the flight crew to expect trumpeting sounds or maybe some head-banging against her crate, said Air Force Capt. Kelley Jeter. Handlers also recommended the plane's temperature be kept between 65 degrees and 70 degrees and that loud noises be kept to a minimum.

"She's definitely going first class," said Alaska Zoo spokeswoman Eileen Floyd. Maggie, a 25-year-old African elephant, has lived at the chilly Alaska Zoo since she was a baby, and has lived without other elephants around for the past 10 years.

After the flight to Travis Air Force Base in northern California, Maggie will travel by flatbed truck the remaining 85 miles to the sanctuary.