I live about 10 miles east of Vandenberg AFB. It is a space operations base that mostly deals with missiles and puting satellites into orbit. On occasion before a launch we will see c-5's flying over my house one at a time every half hour or so. It's an awesome sight. No idea what they are transporting but I assume it would be solid fuel. It's a big momma jomma. The only thing bigger and more awesome to see is the russian antonov 225. 6 engines and can move 250 tons.

 

One more note on the C-5. I don't know if anyone has seen them load those things but it's amazing to watch. The nose and tail both open up and it can be loaded from the front and back at the same time.

 

I am in Dover, I watched that thing go down, never heard a sound like that in my life. glad everyone is ok

 

Got to see one at an air show a couple years ago. It's so big it defies description. Looks like 1/2 the Marine corps could fit in it. They had to vacuum the taxiway before takeoff soit didn't pick up junk fromthe show. They made 2 flybys so low I'd swear the wings would have touched the ground if they would have banked any harder.
Now you want to talk about getting sooted haha You can see the soot before the plane when they are coming in low.

 

This is what I was saying in my first post, this thing cast a huge shadow over Dover Downs went she went over. A lot of us just stood in amazement, looking at each other thinking "was that safe?"

 

Interesting tidbit on a show about this aircraft:
The entire Wright Brother's first flight could have taken place inside the cargo area.

 

Another tidbit about the C-5. 3 Dodge Ram quad cab long bed 3500's with a 25 foot SAFE Boat (Coast Guard small boat) on a tri axle boat trailer will fit end to end no sweat in a C5. Plus the crews for the boats and the extra supplies needed for deployment.

 

The size of that thing is simply amazing.
I think I saw the same show Shovel mentioned, they loaded a fire truck, duece'n a half, couple Hummvees and a tank in it and still had plenty of room....
Hard to beleive soemthign that big could hit the ground and no-one was hurt..
Someones Gaurdian Angel deserves a raise..

 

I had the unfortunate pleasure of experiencing a combat landing at Ballad Air Base, Iraq in a C-5. Basically the airplane screams in and does a “corkscrew” maneuver to land. Those engines are so loud and shook the plane so much that I was afraid the chains securing our vehicles below the passenger deck would break. The chains made all kinds of horrible creaking noises. A couple of 5-ton vehicles and Hummers coming loose would have been a bad day.

Trivia:



·The C-5 fuel load is almost equal to the gross weight of a C-141 Starlifter.
·The rudder area is the same as the wing area on the F-104G aircraft.
·The paint weighs 2,600 pounds (1,200 kilograms).
·The C-5 contains more than 103 miles (165 km) of wire, 4 miles (6 km) of tubing, and 5 miles (8 km) of control cables.
·Each tire wears down approximately 0.002 inch (0.05 mm) per landing.
·Each engine total power output equals the power produced by 800 average automobiles combined.
·The C-5 is also known as FRED (Filthy Ridiculous Economic/Environmental Disaster) by its crews
·The Air Force expects to still be using C5s in the 2040s.
The C-5 aircraft can hold
·277,000 twelve fluid ounce (355 ml) cans of beverage,
·76,000 750 ml bottles of wine,
·328,000,000 aspirin tablets,
·2,400,000 golf *****,
·1,000,000 ping pong *****, [what!?, don't ping pong ***** weigh less than golf *****?]
·6 Greyhound buses,
·3 M1 Abrams battle tanks (although it can only take off with two, and typically carries only one with support equipment), or
·Enough fuel for the average American car to make 130 round trips from Los Angeles to New York, or to make 31 trips around the world.

enjoy,
Bob

 

My cousin SSGT Jeff Nagle is a crewChief on C-5's out of Dover . I am headed to sea today so i need to call my Cousins and see if that was his ride. More to follow
R/
Eric

 

Too bad they are looking to phase the C-5 out in favor of the 141, or at least thats what they have been saying. Lance what do you think.

 

News to me. Everything I'm hearing and reading is the C-5 will be around for a long time. If anything, the C-17 will see more use over the C-141.

 

The C-141 is out of the Air Force inventory. The C-17 is the latest of the three, although the C-5 will be around for years to come. I work at WR-ALC where Depot maintenance is and was performed on all 3 aircraft.

 

Is it true that while the C-5 is bigger, the C-17 can actually lift a heavier pay load?

I'd say it's amazing for the nose to snap off like that and for there to be no fatalities.

 

Good facts sheet Bob,

I like:

Our Military never ceases to impress, that is for sure.