My dad flew this beast from 77-80 at Travis AFB. I remember him taking my brother and me up into the cockpit on a Saturday morning so we could see dad's "office". Every bit as impressive to a kindergartner as a full grown adult. Great memory. One of my all time favorite planes.
I lived by there to. My Dad ran a trap house around the corner. I remember one sunday morning my dad brought me and my older brother to see his office. I remember baking cakes and naked women and stripper polls. There were guns everywhere and drugs everywhere. I will always remember that like yesterday. GOD BLESS AMERICA
I flew from Travis to Guam on the C5A in Jan 75. I was told the seats face backwards. And when we landed condensation came out of the air conditioning vents and we didn't know what it was. There was no movie, Flight attendance, or bathrooms(heads). We slept all the way to Guam.
I used to go to the air shows at Travis AFB back in the late 70’s and early 80’s with my family. I was still in school then and lived in Lodi lol I was originally from England where my father was stationed at the local air base and my mum was a local girl. Now I live up I’m the Pacific Northwest. A few years ago when my son was finished with his 4 years in the Army his flight from Hawaii where he had been stationed brought him to Travis where I went to pick him up. It was just as big as I remembered it being. Small world.
The star of most airshows. Fighter jet demonstrations are always cool, but walking through the cargo hold of an airplane that is longer than the first flight of powered flight was always a show stealer for me! Thanks for a great video!
The first time I saw a fighter jet demonstration it was an F-18. It was really impressive how loud it was and how quickly it could accelerate from a slow speed. I have been to a lot of airshows specifically to see WWII warbirds. I find them to be much more interesting to watch. One impressive show was three P-51 Mustangs in a very close triangle formation doing flawless corkscrews. Another airshow was a gathering of eight B-17 bombers.
I flew across the Atlantic twice in the passenger compartment of C-5s in the eighties. Rearward facing seats of course, behind the wing, no windows, and a latrine like an outhouse. Also, no insulation as far as I could tell. So, not having an aisle seat on either leg of the journey, it was much louder than an airliner and cold! Good times, though. Thank you for creating this marvelous video!
Rode in a C141 from Ogden to Honduras when I was 18. 4 rows of web seats, two back to back down the centerline, one down each wall. It was about a 12 hr flight, your knees between the knees of your buddies’ knees across the isle. If you were under a heat vent you had to strip to your T-shirt, if not you were in your field jacket and gloves and shivered the whole way. We each got an mre when we boarded. 🤣 Couldn’t pay me enough to do that again.
@@badlandskid I rode one from Savanah, GA to Tocumen, Panama and jumped out. The next C141 I rode was a hospital plane full of stretchers and doctors going to San Antonio. I’ve slept under gun jeeps in a C-141, and woke up flying nap of the earth and got out from under them. Thankfully, TF 160 knew how to tie shit down.
I just noticed the spelling of your name, and I can't help but wonder if you're British? My father is originally from Scotland, and his first name is actually the same as yours. It's so nice to see that name, and it's so distinguished!
Skyships this is the first time I have ever commented before watching a film. Sky, it is so good to hear from you in these dark days. Sorry to see the end of the An-225.
I flew on a C-5 when I was on active duty back in 1984. It was the first time I was able to actually sleep on a aircraft. It flew so smoothly, it was like it floated through the air. The first time I actually saw one land was when I was stationed at Offutt AFB in 1982. It blew me away that something that huge could fly! Excellent video that brought back memories. Thanks for sharing it!
Growing up next to Frankfurt Airport, the Galaxy is probably the American military plane that I am most familiar with. When Frankfurt still had the US Air Base, you could always see them parked on the southern side of the runways, where the military part of the airport was. The "hanging wings" that @Battle Hamster mentions in another comment was so unique to this particular aircraft model. And of course, you could hear them take off with their distinctive engine sounds and their rather limited climb performance, especially when fully loaded and fueled. And as Frankfurt was a logistics hub for US operations in the middle east, it was easy to tell when things were starting to boil, as suddenly you could hear C-5's fly way more often than usual. When we lived in a spot that was right in the departure path, they were passing over our roof so low that we could even read some of the lettering on the fuselage - while civilian aircraft were already at a height where you sometimes couldn't even tell what airline it is. (Being the 80s and 90s, you couldn't just go on the internet and look at the virtual flight radar...) With the Air Base having closed years ago, I have not seen or heard a C-5 in quite a while, so this video really was a nice blast from the past for me. Thanks, Sky!
Yep. There's a few airplanes whose sound is unmistakable, at least to those who love airplanes and flying. I could always identify a C-5 by sound. There's nothing that sounds like a C-5 at take off power. C-130's are pretty distinctive, but their noise can be similar to other airplanes with the same engines. The attuned aircraft observer, however, can ALWAYS detect the sound of a 'round engine', properly called 'radial'. I have heard experienced (jet) aviators question the function/health of a round engine at idle. The loping sound is foreign to their ears and they do not appreciate the thrill of a 1000 - 2000 hp radial.
I lived at Rhein Main AB from 75-77. Dad was a CMsgt and was showing me the flight line when a C-5 crew was deplaning and he asked the A/C Commander if he could give me a peek at the flight deck. The Captain was happy to oblige and I got the grand tour. Thanks Dad. Rest in Peace.
I was stationed at Rhein Main AB from 88-92 and again from 96-99 in the Aerial Port Squadron. Our job was to load/unload the C-5 (and all the other aircraft). After 23 years in the AF, the plane still impresses me. It's younger brother the C-17 is even more amazing from a pure capability standpoint, but the C-5 is a special bird.
as an aircraft electrician on this mighty beast and then a Flight engineer many TDY's ,go here and do this and that it was the most fantastic aircraft ever and that was only 50 or more years ago ,My heart still skips a beat whenever one is spotted in the air as the sound of those mighty engines is a clue to look up and throw a kiss. Love you always Galaxy.
Thank you for this video, I have worked for Lockheed Martin since 1984, all of the information presented is all true. Lockheed almost went under due to the C-5A because of cost and the L1011 due to issues with Rolls Royce LTD. The C-5A was going to be 125 planes, but cut back to 81. My favorite plane of all I have worked on!
Awesome video, Sky! I'd just like to add something to the topic. I was a flightline maintenance tech at Travis AFB back in the mid-70's and early-80"s and worked on C-5A's and C-141A's & B's. When the C-5A wing root cracks were discovered earlier in the 70's, in addition to limiting the amount of cargo they could carry, they also limited the max cruising speeds by dropping that a little too. (Sorry I can't say specifics: I didn't fly em. I just fixed em!) The other thing they did, which might actually be seen in your video right at the 10:57 mark, is we rigged the spent uranium counter-weighted ailerons to be 7 degrees up at the same time to force the wingtips down during flight, effectively limiting the amount of flex, from about 17' to 14' at the tips, iirc.
Jim S, I was stationed at Travis about the same time you were. I served with 60 AMS from Sep 77 to Sep 79 and again from Nov 81 to Jun 86. I don't expect we'd ever have crossed paths -- unless you had torque wrenches, micrometers or pressure gauges that needed calibrating. I'm sure that there are things we'd disagree about regarding FRED, but can I make one thing clear? MADAR SUCKS! (Unless you're the aircraft commander and want an excuse to stay an extra night at Hickam AFB or you need a few more hours to pick up some place settings at China Pete's. Then just make sure the flight engineer finds a fault -- ANY fault will do -- through MADAR, and you've got at least 24 hours on the ground before the Chief of Maintenance tells you to "get this load of junk off my flightline!") I like that you noted Lockheed's infamous practice of using DU counterweights on the flight control surfaces. My Flight Control shop compatriots had to deal with the Automatic Lift Distribution Control System (ALDCS) to make sure that the excess lift at the wingtips didn't rip the wings off midair. It was bad enough when the Wing King gathered all of us up in the theater to toss a female dog over being ribbed about dropped object incidents. There are a lot of things I don't remember well today, but this I remember: him saying that someone from 22AF called to talk to the Commander of "the 60th Bombardment Wing". As I recall, the Wing King was particularly perturbed over being accused of commanding a SAC wing!
I was lucky enough to get to jump out of this big bird. It also took me to Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm in 1990. I was on the 5th C5 to go there at the start of the operation. I remember that, during parachute operations testing of the C5M, the MC-1 and T-10 tactical parachutes had to be heavily reinforced as the aircraft stall speed was greater than the C141 making the parachute opening shock very hard on the parachute and the jumper causing many suspension lines and panels to break and tear and even spine compression injuries in some cases. My 3rd Primary Jumpmaster service was done on this aircraft as well. After getting used to C130 and C141, JM on a C5 took it to a whole other level just for the # of jumpers involved. If I remember right, 4 jumpasters and upt to 6 safeties were needed for a fully PAX loaded C5. Oh, memories. Hooah! AATW
My artillery battery took a C5 from Okinawa to Mt. Fuji in the mid-90s. 6 155m howitzers, a couple hummers and 5 tons, and our entire battery fit in that plane with room to spare. It was absolutely amazing and an experience I'll never forget
So sad about the AN-225 😭 The Galaxy is amazing. I remember walking through one on display at Fort Bragg as a kid in 1988 lol. A great video as always my friend.
There's always going to be a place for at least one of a plane that size. If not a newly-produced AN-225 (or have it repaired with AN-124 parts), then something else entirely, and who knows who makes it. Who knows, Maybe Ukraine comes up with their own unique spin on an "outsize cargo aircraft"? It has been some time since the AN-225's design was laid down (being a Soviet-era design), surely technology has advanced to the point that some improvements could be made. Or alternatively, it might be the US's turn to create such an aircraft, perhaps we make a variant of the Roc that instead of having a central mounting point for a test rocket or orbital launch rocket, has a cargo pod? With so many 747's laying around, there's plenty of parts to make a truly large aircraft, tho I do doubt that we'll ever see one with 6 engines again.
@@44R0Ndin From what I've seen, AN-225 is damaged beyond repair. If at all, I hope when the nightmare Ukraine is going through right now is over, and the country has handled the more important tasks of rebuilding and healing the damage caused by the attacks, they complete the half-built second AN-225 and get her up to the skies.
@@44R0Ndin It would be up to Ukraine to remake it, U.S. would never given they dont have a good enough reason. It's such a specfic tailored use that you only really need one, which is why AN-225 was the only one, which is why the U.S. won't make it as they tend to fleet anything they make so that it all doesn't fall on one failing. There's no much of an upside, however for the Ukrainians it stands more as an iconic achievement if they rebuild it stronger. Given it got destroyed in the invasion, if they ever get to a point of rebuilding it, that would symbolize their return.
I think there is something to be said for those who can stay civilised towards each other even when their leaders cannot. Obviously my deepest empathy for all the victims of this conflict. Now, as someone else said, 'we're here for the planes".
You can't bunch all "leaders" together like that. There's a brutal dictator on one side and democratically elected politicians serving broadly speaking free countries on the other.
I agree Rasheed, war is a tragedy for both sides. And while I hate what Russian leadership is doing, a very large portion of the Russian army is conscripted and just following orders. As for making statements of support on YT. There is a lot of negativity on the internet. We all think our viewpoint is the correct one but we are all fed partial or incorrect information by government and media. I think it’s important to comment support for Russian people at this time because we are all just pawns used by the powerful.
@@budc6246 , Have you condemned the US for attacking Iraq, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, and dozens of other countries? Ukraine is right on the border with Russia. Russians are just defending their country. And Russia did not attack Ukraine. In Ukraine, the Russians are at war with NATO.
I went to basic training at Fort Dix, NJ in the early 1980s. Used to see these coming in to land at McGuire AFB when we were on the obstacle course, seemed like they would take 1/2 hour from when we first saw them to get to the base. Never forget being on top of one of the towers and having one fly right over us - saw nothing but tire after tire. The sound of the engines was unique, much as the sounds of the F-4s coming in to land was unforgettable.
I remember the first time I saw this beautiful beast. The year was 1975 and I was stationed at Travis AFB in Fairfield, California. As I was walking from our shop to David Grant USAF Medical Center I noticed something in the sky that I could not identify. It looked as though it was just suspended in the sky and not moving. I stopped walking and just froze, not being able to take my eyes off of this amazing aircraft. As I watched the C-5A approaching the runway to land, it looked like it was attempting to land a little sideways and not parallel with the runway. As it touched down I realized that the landing gear was turned slightly to the side. This resulted in the body of the aircraft being pointed one way while the landing gear was oriented parallel with the runway which unbelievable to watch. Later that afternoon, as I was relating what I had seen earlier to a pilot he started laughing at my excitement and told me that this “landing sideways” was called “crabbing into the wind.” I will never forget this amazing experience as long as I live.
Remembering my brother who piloted the C-5 A version. He became AC Commander and got to show me the huge giant up close. Back then, it was Military Airlift Command. Now it's AMC.
As a kid in the 80’s, used to enjoy going to San Antonio once a month with the family. My dad would drop my mom & sisters at the mall and we would go part outside Kelly AFB to watch the C5’s & 141’s come & go.
I used to live in Delaware and frequently drove past DAFB. Loved watching these HUGE planes doing touch and go's on the weekends. Hard to believe anything that huge could get off the ground, but there they were!
Thanks for making all of your great videos about the airplanes. I would love to see one about AN-225 Mriya which was destroyed in the Russian - Ukrainian war. Sad to see this marvel of engineering be gone.
Mind you, we're all going to miss the *VERY* distinct sound of the General Electric TF39 engines originally fitted to the C-5. The current engines on the C-5M make the plane sound like a 747-400 (which is quite true since some 747-400's use the General Electric CF6-80 engine).
So true. I lived under the takeoff path from Rhein Main (Frankfurt) in the late 1970s. The TF39 was so different from all other planes that I could hear it and know it was a C-5 without even looking up. I understand the C-5M has newer engines with a lot more thrust. On a hot day with a heavy load, the C-5A took a loooong time and distance to get off the ground.
@@samlogan8096 I've heard those newer engines, and yes, they now sound just like a B747-400. Although I miss the B747, I miss those older C5As and Bs. Those engines were truly remarkable.
I got hired on to Lockheed in Georgia when the C-5B contract was issued in 1983. No one had been hired at this plant since 1969 when the aerospace industry died and everyone who was hired in the 60's had been fired. This left the entire industrial plant at Georgia with employees who were all about to retire. I was 30 then, and everyone in the office was over 50. No young people at all. Well, these were the kindest and nicest people I ever met and it wsa there I began my 30 year career at Lockheed. It was great fun. They had a special house to put the tail on the C-5. The C-5 tail was so tall they could not put it on in the B-1 building. The name of the new house was the Cat House where the C-5 got some tail!
This has been my favorite plane ever since I got to walk through one at an airshow as a kid. In alot of ways this play is what triggered my love of aviation
It used to be a staple at my town's annual airshow too. I loved just walking through it and experiencing it. The crew were a great bunch of people, showing everyone around and answering their questions about the plane.
My Great Uncle retired from the Air Force with 20 years service. He was a WWII Veteran flight engineer. After that he was hired by Lockheed at Marietta and eventually worked the C-5 assembly facility and eventually retired. His house was filled with aircraft memorabilia and especially of the C-5. Every time I visited he would talk about aviation which was and still is a passion of mine. My uncle was also a Navy pilot in the late 1950s
I know how you feel, I live right by the BonFare Market down the road from the back gate. Never get tired of them or loose my fascination with them, they seem to just hang in the air.
Mid 1960's. I remember the first time a C-5 Galaxy flew over our farm. We were kids at the time. That thing was SO BIG that we thought it was going to crash. It looked slow and low. However, it wasn't that low. I do remember running in the house and telling Mama that a plane is falling and going to crash. Scared the hell out of us kids. But, it just kept on flying right on by. That was one of it's first test flights over N.E. Ga. Our farm happened to be under its test flight route. We looked forward to see it fly over everyday from then on.
Beautiful tribute to the C5 (Fred). Excellent content and narration with great backing video clips. I worked on these and this history is very well researched and presented. It was not cost effective and required way too many maintenance hours but we all loved this aircraft. For many loads in the early days, the only alternative, was a cargo ship. It was unique in its ability to land on fairly short, poor fields, and drive heavy rolling stock through made it very special. I worked on the C5B model.
As a Seabee, I rode a c5 from Raas al Jubail naval airport to Spain, then to New England, then to South Carolina. There's a passenger cabin without windows, aftward-facing seats, but otherwise outfitted as an airliner. This was our home from Jubail to Dover AFB. I was invited, as a nobody E3 Seabee, to sit in what I know from your video to be the Navigator's seat from taxi at Dover to landing at someplace in South Carolina. It was THRILLING. We were real light by the time we left Dover and rotated at takeoff such that the horizon disappeared from my view until the pilot decided to flatten out. The machine woulda' kept going for orbit, it seemed to me. This woulda' been near the first of May, 1991. Oh, I see you covered that. But we did not board that section by any machine. We walked up a steep 'ladder' on the port side. The ladder was interior and integral, and entered the passenger cabin two decks above the main deck which entered on the passenger cabin at its foremost part. I was really amazed. There were the obligatory fittings overhead, but while the oxygen mask drop-downs were there, the lights and air-vane comfort thingies were politely absent by way of "delete blanks' in the places they might have occupied. At Dover, the people greeted us with beer and cheers as conquering heroes.
The section explaining the C-5's GE engines is particularly informative. It really seems to be like a Swissair Technik engineer once told me. P&W is a solid, reliable engine (Toyota Land-Cruiser), the engineering-wise dreamlike, technical solutions offer the RR-engines (Aston Martin) and the most daring and innovative solutions were often developed and built by GE (RO-80). If you still remember the fantastic and so extraordinary while thirsty CJ-805 engine of the C-990 Coronado with the unique aft-fan arrangement, you will agree with me. So it's no wonder that GE was there when the fantastic C-5 engine had to break new ground.
The CF6 engines went on a heck of a lot of 747s who's early 747s had JT9D engines, once they became available, because they were getting a better run out of CF6 powered DC10s. Air France, Lufthansa, Sabena, Alitalia, KLM, Wardair all switched to CF6 powered 747 because the JT9D was so unreliable. Qantas and British Airways switched to RB211s for the same reason
Another thing... During the mid 70's, the USAF was also having a difficult time finding big loads of cargo needed to be flown somewhere on these hamstrung airplanes, (and the newly stretched C-141B carrying much of it). So these big boys kinda sat idle on the tarmac a lot, if not most of the time. Ultimately congress stepped in and mandated that they each fly a minimum number of hours per month so as to give the taxpayers their money's worth after spending so much on the project. But by far the biggest problem we had is that they had literally 100's of subcontractors spread all over the country building different parts for it and when the production ended, so did their production of parts, most importantly, anymore spare parts. We were cannibalizing parts from planes that just finished their monthly rotation and put them on the planes that were going to be flying next. What a juggling show that was. It wasn't uncommon at all to have half of the fleet grounded for maintenance because they had critical parts removed. Lots and lots of red X's.
@@mayhem3649 Aw, that's so sad. You'd think they'd be easier to maintain, but what do I know? Nothin'! I'm just very disappointed in our failure to stay on top of what we do, and it's only getting worse. We are weak and vulnerable, and we'd better wise up, and as the song says, "Straighten up and fly Right!", or we're going to fall prey to far worse than Ukraine. We cannot bow to a world that's growing more and more hostile, especially if we can't even take care of our own and improve our education, and learn much better how to think and problem-solve. Our infrastructure is crumbling, and we're a nation undefined, divided and weigh, too out of focus, and there's no denying it. God help us all wake up, wise up and become responsible and fully accountable once again. We're going to be a real train wreck if we don't do so and very soon!
This is the best channel for aircraft documentaries. I think it is incredible that you can produces this at a higher quality than any Discovery or History-channel crap I've watch over the years.
0:37 - I just love that unique 'whine' that the early C5 engines had. Most amazing, iconic aircraft have special things that identify them (the howl of the Vulcan bomber for example), and for me , it is that sound of C5 engines at take-off! "-)
I flew on one of those from Rota Spain to Dover Delaware in August 1981. In the aft passenger cabin. Sitting backwards. Which I thought was odd. And felt that way during take off and landing. We sat by the r runway for 6 hours waiting on them to repair a generator. Good times.
One of our engineers at the Pyxis division of Cardinal Health was an Air Force reserve Staff Sargent who served as a Crew Chief on a C5-A Galaxy. He was called up to move all that equipment we stocked up for months before the war in Iraq. Our department bought him a 4oz Silver bar theamed "Defenders of Freedom" you can see it online. Its a very nice patriotic design in an airtight plastic case, in a blue velvet presentation box. We sent it to his Duty Station in Iraq. Our buddy was impressed, and showed it to his commanding officer. The commanding officer asked if he could display it on his desk as a sign of civilian workplace support for our National Guard troops. It stayed on the Commanders desk as long as Robert was deployed.
The C-5 was one of the only aircraft that I ever felt like was going to crash into us at the end of the runways at Pope. It was one of the only aircraft where the jump speed is the stall speed of the aircraft. We jumped above the manual's defined, if memory serves me, 130 knots. It hurt when your chute opened from any jet aircraft, but the C5 hurt really bad. The opening shock was quite the jolt. It's an amazing aircraft though.
Nice video. Brought back some memories. I first flew as a loadmaster on the C141 and then transitioned to the C5A. I flew from 1970 to 1974 mostly out of Travis AFB in California
Was a C-5 technician at Dover AFB 436amxs. These things are absolutely huge lol. And constantly broke after takeoff. lol. Was there for the M-model Modification working on the To's for maintenance crews to work on them. The new engine are dead nuts reliable and we went from usually busy as hell. To the hardest thing we did was change the fuel filters on them. But Elen got shafted all the new electronics broke all the time.
I love the C-5. Served US Air Force 1985-1995. My first job was Accounting and Finance, Payroll Tech. For War Games, us Finance people got tasked to do Load-Planning for cargo aircraft. Something totally different than what we normally do. I guess the connection was computers. Computers was at its infancy at that time. We were taught by the transportation guys what aircraft support equipment looked like so we can plan how to load the C-5 and C-141s using micro-computers at the time. Most people don't know that aircraft loaded with equipment must be balanced correctly and this is checked by the Loadmaster of the aircraft. You can't have the aircraft nose heavy or tail heavy. Fast forward, August 3rd 1990, Desert Shield commences. I have a new job now in aircraft maintenance analysis. During that first week, we saw lots of C-141s taking our unit to Saudi Arabia. I was on the next manifest and brought my "pillows" with me. Flying in jump seats on a C-141 trans-Atlantic is no picnic. Lo and behold, when it was our manifest's turn to board, they got us a C-5. I was jumping for joy. Real seats! yeah, they faced backwards but so what, they were real seats! At Desert Shield, I was voluntold to help offload cargo planes on the ramp while they were figuring out where to put us. One of most incredible sights was a C-5 with 5 Army Apache Helicopters. Their rotors were folded and strapped down. I couldn't believe that many could fit inside the cargo area. One magnificent sight! Two years later, I worked as a support person for the USAF Thunderbirds and there were a few times, we got to load our equipment on the C-5. Still never got over just how incredibly frinckin huge the cargo bay was. Love my time and experience with this aircraft. Go Air Force!
It's amazing how many comments of Airman that was Stationed at Travis AFB. Travis AFB is a short drive from Sacramento CA. I live a stone throw from Mather AFB which has been Decommissioned. But it is still used for Touch and Goes of the C-5. The C-5 ingenes has unique sound like none other. It is just amazing to watch such a large Aircraft fly. It looks like it just floats in the air as it passes by doing Touch and Goes for Training Pilots to be on the Ready at all times. Just love it.
The first time that I saw a C5 was at Ramey AFB PR in 1972....I was amazed of the size. I couldn't believe how big it's.....you havento see it...What a great aircraft. 50 years later and still flying..God bless 🙌 the USA.
I worked on this plane back in the Cold War 1 days, I was fortunate enough to be able to go on a few flights doing various tests so the cargo bay was basically empty outside of testing equipment. It was amazing to wander around that massive cargo bay in flight. It was big on the ground and felt just as big in flight. Like others I always marveled at the size of this aircraft I was so fortunate enough to work on and be a part of its history. It will be a sad day for me, if I live long enough, to see the C5 retired for good. I know the day is coming as it happens to all air frames at some point but until then I will enjoy the fact it is still flying and doing its job. Safe flying to all C5 crews and maintainers!
I live near joint base Lewis McCord and when the C 5s are on the deck the wing tips are nearly touching the ground. It's incredible to see how much they flex.
Enjoyed watching these monsters take off and land a Dobbins JRB. In addition to being home to Air Force and Naval Reserve Forces, Dobbins is home to Lockheed Martin's manufacturing facility, so the C-5 was a frequent visitor.
Prior to the Georgia Tech/ University of Georgia football game in 1972 (I think) at Grant Field in Atlanta, the Tech band was on the field ready to play the Star Spangled Banner. All of a sudden a dark cloud cast a shadow over the field. The crowd hushed, and everyone looked skyward. You could hear about 50,000 people whisper God Damn! It was not a cloud, but a C5-A lumbering about 500 feet above the stadium. The plane flew south, returned back over the field, then began climbing and waggled its wings as it flew back to Marietta. Before the band could start to play, one of the Tech announcers said “Let’s see Athens top that!” Later on as a mechanical engineering student I was able to tour the Lockheed facility’s C5 assembly line and actually got to go up into the cockpit and cargo deck of one under assembly. Love that plane!
They break a lot. I worked in airfield management in the Air Force and hated when they would come in. Really sucked when they were stuck for a week taking up all of the ramp space 😂 the pilots always told me they tried to plan their fuel stops and whatever at nice bases, because chances are... they're going to be staying awhile😂
I remember as a kid, stopping along side of the road in Dover, Delaware to watch these enormous birds coming in for a landing. Very impressive. I joined the military because of my admiration of military aircraft. Who knew that when a recruiter asks if you like to fly it meant, One Way (Air Force Recruiter was out to lunch that day, but Army Recruiter skipped lunch)? Ended up being 82nd Airborne and jumping out of C130's, 141's and helicopters. And I thought I was going to learn how to fly the big birds! Such is the luck of a typical naive young kid. Any who, 141, C130, C5, I enjoyed every flying experience in a military aircraft. So much so, I eventually married a C130 mechanic and I worked for GE Aviation! Life is so full of twists and turns.
I worked on the C-5 at Kelly AFB in San Antonio, in the 80's; all A models. Three of our 16 Freds were modified: the troop deck removed in order to carry the cargo compartment from the space shuttle. I got to go explore one of them in one of our birds, while on a service call. It was the Columbia's. I will never forget.
I wad lucky enough to have grown up going to Westover ARB in Chicopee, Massachusetts. My father was a Firefighter on base back in the 80s and stayed on the as a member of the Galaxy council until he passed away in 2018. As a boy I got to go inside many C5s. Watching one of these things get airborne in person Is a sight to behold. You'd swear it's gonna fall out of the sky but nope off it goes into the wild blue yonder. They were incredibly loud until the upgraded the engines about a decade ago. The old engines you could hear miles away. The new ones you won't hear until they're right over your head.
If I recall correctly, that's why the 747 has its characteristic "hump" with the flight deck above the main deck. So you can open the nose and load very bulky things by driving them straight-in.
According to interviews with the crew who did the C-5A prototype's maiden flight, the time on their clocks when the plane got airborne was exactly 7:47 a.m …
I remember seeing this beast for first time when I was at basic training at Lackland AFB. My drill instructor yeld at me because I was in aw when I seen it while marching. Couldn't stop looking at it. Huge! Looked like it was at a stand still up in the sky.
Oh! If only I could hear those engines pass by my house again, it'd make my day! I also had a dream while in the hospital that it was a warm day, and the wind was really strong. While walking through my old house, I heard one of those C5As coming overhead, and my twin sister and I stopped everything we were doing, because it freaked out our cats! We had to pick them up and hold them to comfort them, because they were literally terrified every time they heard those engines. I love them and miss that sound.
In 1971, I was allowed to drive onto the ramp at Marietta. The tires looked bigger than my car. In the air, the size screws with your perspective & it looks very slow.
The B52 engines are so old now, that they are about to start a re-engine process, and there will still be 8 engines-8 business jet engines! Two engines from a business jet could power a quarter of that thing. That’s amazing to me.
The cool thing about having 8 engines is redundancy. Lose the power of half your engines and you can still fly. It's a bit more dodgy when only start with 2 engines
@@jacobmoses3712 it’s still much heavier, more draggy, and 2x the maintenance. It was really just a matter of having to re-plumb the entire aircraft, hydraulics, fuel, accessory power, bleed air, etc etc - plus the same stuff up in the cockpit. Just easier and cheaper to stick with 8…. 4 would have been really cool though. I think the RR engines will still offer something like a 30% increase in efficiency which is insane in a world where 2% is significant.
In 1976 I PCS to Hunter Army Air Field. Our primary mission was to support (fly UH-1H) the 1st of the 75th Ranger Bn. We had what we called a Ranger load on the C-5. We could load 5 Huey's with about 5 minutes of prep-time each for loading and same after unloading to start engines (this did not include the time for C-5 crew to secure (strap & chain to cargo floor which we also helped with) We unscrewed the FM whip antenna off the tail and the two jump doors held on with 2 pins each. We left the ground handling wheels on, released the pressure and added just a slight amount of pressure to keep the wheels in place in case of a herd landing so the wouldn't be a hazard. It was faster to only use rear cargo door that way we could roll them of and the C-5 could take off.
Saw a lot of them in Guam - sitting on the runways month after month waiting for parts and maintenance. Operational readiness in ‘71-‘72 wasn’t stellar.
I'm starting to think no classroom lesson is difficult to grasp so long as the teacher is coherent,simple and the facts well modulated.this unfamiliar topic was well presented for ordinary folks to grasp.teacher trainers!where are you here?!
I remember C-5A flying in and out of Norton AFB, California as a Kid. It always amazed me how something THAT big... could fly!! When I was in the Air Force, during and after Desert Storm, I saw several AN-124s. I was amazed at how it had even more capacity! Then, as an Old Fart, now retired, I saw the gorgeous AN-225, fly over and into Tucson, Arizona. My God she was HUGE! What a sight. Like many others, I was deeply saddened hearing about the THOUGHTLESS destruction of the AN-225. What a bloody shame. Putin had NO REASON to do that! Some have said that she could be rebuilt! I hope that's not just heresay....
Flew out of Norton for Desert Shield / Storm. 12 Marines on top was it. We maxed out with cargo so very few passengers. Refueled over east coast. What a bumpy ride. Will never forget the nose opening in the middle of the night and seeing an airfield and sand all over the place. So the adventure began.
I flew with a lot of C-141 pilots in USAF. I asked them about the C-5. Their favorite reply was: "What do you assume if you fly into a base and see a C-5 on jacks? Answer : The base only has one set of jacks."
Wow!! This presentation was super interesting and informative, I learned so many new things not only the C-5 but also what was going on in the US government and military and how they developed a d maintained the C-5 program. You guys really did your research and you are masterful at telling a really compelling story. Thanks for all your hard work.
I was on Highway 12 once coming from Rio Vista headed to Fairfield when I heard this horrible screeching noise I thought was coming from my car engine. I pulled over right away and shut the engine off but the noise continued. Confused I started looking around wondering what was going on when it seemed like the sun turned. I looked up to see a C-5 passing over head. The screeching noise wasn't coming from my engine, it was coming from the flying warehouse taking off from Travis Air Force Base. flying over head. Scared the hell out of me. You really can't get a sense of just how big these planes are until you see one in person. I hope you are not getting too much hate over what is going on. You are not responsible for what that asshole leader of yours is doing. You can't even speak out against him without getting into trouble. Just keep yourself safe.
Lived on a boat by Hickam Air force base in Hawaii. Everytime a C5 came in over head my kids, 6 and 8 yrs old, would run to look at the "screamer" flying over head. They were very loud coming in..😁 flew on them a few times..huge planes..
My dad flew this beast from 77-80 at Travis AFB. I remember him taking my brother and me up into the cockpit on a Saturday morning so we could see dad's "office". Every bit as impressive to a kindergartner as a full grown adult. Great memory. One of my all time favorite planes.
Thats awesome man, i live an hour or so from there in stockton
And i see either a C5 or a KC 10 each fay doing touch and go's at Stockton airport
I lived by there to. My Dad ran a trap house around the corner. I remember one sunday morning my dad brought me and my older brother to see his office. I remember baking cakes and naked women and stripper polls. There were guns everywhere and drugs everywhere. I will always remember that like yesterday. GOD BLESS AMERICA
I flew from Travis to Guam on the C5A in Jan 75. I was told the seats face backwards. And when we landed condensation came out of the air conditioning vents and we didn't know what it was. There was no movie, Flight attendance, or bathrooms(heads). We slept all the way to Guam.
We would have just missed eachother at Travis. The area I lived was flattened ten or so years ago.
I used to go to the air shows at Travis AFB back in the late 70’s and early 80’s with my family. I was still in school then and lived in Lodi lol
I was originally from England where my father was stationed at the local air base and my mum was a local girl. Now I live up I’m the Pacific Northwest. A few years ago when my son was finished with his 4 years in the Army his flight from Hawaii where he had been stationed brought him to Travis where I went to pick him up. It was just as big as I remembered it being. Small world.
The star of most airshows. Fighter jet demonstrations are always cool, but walking through the cargo hold of an airplane that is longer than the first flight of powered flight was always a show stealer for me! Thanks for a great video!
The first time I saw a fighter jet demonstration it was an F-18. It was really impressive how loud it was and how quickly it could accelerate from a slow speed. I have been to a lot of airshows specifically to see WWII warbirds. I find them to be much more interesting to watch. One impressive show was three P-51 Mustangs in a very close triangle formation doing flawless corkscrews. Another airshow was a gathering of eight B-17 bombers.
No doubt. The engineering …. Damn
I flew across the Atlantic twice in the passenger compartment of C-5s in the eighties. Rearward facing seats of course, behind the wing, no windows, and a latrine like an outhouse. Also, no insulation as far as I could tell. So, not having an aisle seat on either leg of the journey, it was much louder than an airliner and cold! Good times, though. Thank you for creating this marvelous video!
Rode in a C141 from Ogden to Honduras when I was 18. 4 rows of web seats, two back to back down the centerline, one down each wall. It was about a 12 hr flight, your knees between the knees of your buddies’ knees across the isle. If you were under a heat vent you had to strip to your T-shirt, if not you were in your field jacket and gloves and shivered the whole way. We each got an mre when we boarded. 🤣
Couldn’t pay me enough to do that again.
@@badlandskid I rode one from Savanah, GA to Tocumen, Panama and jumped out. The next C141 I rode was a hospital plane full of stretchers and doctors going to San Antonio.
I’ve slept under gun jeeps in a C-141, and woke up flying nap of the earth and got out from under them. Thankfully, TF 160 knew how to tie shit down.
@@ED-es2qv heh... don't wanna hear someone holler "load shidt!"
you get what you pay for
I just noticed the spelling of your name, and I can't help but wonder if you're British? My father is originally from Scotland, and his first name is actually the same as yours. It's so nice to see that name, and it's so distinguished!
Skyships this is the first time I have ever commented before watching a film. Sky, it is so good to hear from you in these dark days. Sorry to see the end of the An-225.
ruclips.net/video/epNF_FKY2Sw/видео.html
I'm sorry too. Hope this hell will end soon
👍
RIP. I truly feel like I just watched someone burn an irreplaceable work of art, like a Van Gogh. Sick feeling in the stomach.
@@SkyshipsEng Yes, this hell will end soon..
I flew on a C-5 when I was on active duty back in 1984. It was the first time I was able to actually sleep on a aircraft. It flew so smoothly, it was like it floated through the air. The first time I actually saw one land was when I was stationed at Offutt AFB in 1982. It blew me away that something that huge could fly! Excellent video that brought back memories. Thanks for sharing it!
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Growing up next to Frankfurt Airport, the Galaxy is probably the American military plane that I am most familiar with. When Frankfurt still had the US Air Base, you could always see them parked on the southern side of the runways, where the military part of the airport was. The "hanging wings" that @Battle Hamster mentions in another comment was so unique to this particular aircraft model.
And of course, you could hear them take off with their distinctive engine sounds and their rather limited climb performance, especially when fully loaded and fueled. And as Frankfurt was a logistics hub for US operations in the middle east, it was easy to tell when things were starting to boil, as suddenly you could hear C-5's fly way more often than usual. When we lived in a spot that was right in the departure path, they were passing over our roof so low that we could even read some of the lettering on the fuselage - while civilian aircraft were already at a height where you sometimes couldn't even tell what airline it is. (Being the 80s and 90s, you couldn't just go on the internet and look at the virtual flight radar...)
With the Air Base having closed years ago, I have not seen or heard a C-5 in quite a while, so this video really was a nice blast from the past for me. Thanks, Sky!
Yep. There's a few airplanes whose sound is unmistakable, at least to those who love airplanes and flying. I could always identify a C-5 by sound. There's nothing that sounds like a C-5 at take off power. C-130's are pretty distinctive, but their noise can be similar to other airplanes with the same engines. The attuned aircraft observer, however, can ALWAYS detect the sound of a 'round engine', properly called 'radial'. I have heard experienced (jet) aviators question the function/health of a round engine at idle. The loping sound is foreign to their ears and they do not appreciate the thrill of a 1000 - 2000 hp radial.
I lived at Rhein Main AB from 75-77. Dad was a CMsgt and was showing me the flight line when a C-5 crew was deplaning and he asked the A/C Commander if he could give me a peek at the flight deck. The Captain was happy to oblige and I got the grand tour. Thanks Dad. Rest in Peace.
I was stationed at Rhein Main AB from 88-92 and again from 96-99 in the Aerial Port Squadron. Our job was to load/unload the C-5 (and all the other aircraft). After 23 years in the AF, the plane still impresses me. It's younger brother the C-17 is even more amazing from a pure capability standpoint, but the C-5 is a special bird.
as an aircraft electrician on this mighty beast and then a Flight engineer many TDY's ,go here and do this and that it was the most fantastic aircraft ever and that was only 50 or more years ago ,My heart still skips a beat whenever one is spotted in the air as the sound of those mighty engines is a clue to look up and throw a kiss. Love you always Galaxy.
Well, those screaming TF39s, are now a thing of the past, because the C-5M has newer F138GE-100 engines, now.
@@johnosbourn4312 actually there's newer ones. They're even more quiet. Plane is actually so quiet at idle now.
Thank you for this video, I have worked for Lockheed Martin since 1984, all of the information presented is all true. Lockheed almost went under due to the C-5A because of cost and the L1011 due to issues with Rolls Royce LTD. The C-5A was going to be 125 planes, but cut back to 81. My favorite plane of all I have worked on!
I'm still kinda sad that L1011 didn't make it to military like KC-10 Extender.
I’m a USAF Vet and I’ve flown on more than one of these. These are true miracles of aviation.
Awesome video, Sky! I'd just like to add something to the topic. I was a flightline maintenance tech at Travis AFB back in the mid-70's and early-80"s and worked on C-5A's and C-141A's & B's. When the C-5A wing root cracks were discovered earlier in the 70's, in addition to limiting the amount of cargo they could carry, they also limited the max cruising speeds by dropping that a little too. (Sorry I can't say specifics: I didn't fly em. I just fixed em!) The other thing they did, which might actually be seen in your video right at the 10:57 mark, is we rigged the spent uranium counter-weighted ailerons to be 7 degrees up at the same time to force the wingtips down during flight, effectively limiting the amount of flex, from about 17' to 14' at the tips, iirc.
Jim S, I was stationed at Travis about the same time you were. I served with 60 AMS from Sep 77 to Sep 79 and again from Nov 81 to Jun 86. I don't expect we'd ever have crossed paths -- unless you had torque wrenches, micrometers or pressure gauges that needed calibrating. I'm sure that there are things we'd disagree about regarding FRED, but can I make one thing clear? MADAR SUCKS!
(Unless you're the aircraft commander and want an excuse to stay an extra night at Hickam AFB or you need a few more hours to pick up some place settings at China Pete's. Then just make sure the flight engineer finds a fault -- ANY fault will do -- through MADAR, and you've got at least 24 hours on the ground before the Chief of Maintenance tells you to "get this load of junk off my flightline!")
I like that you noted Lockheed's infamous practice of using DU counterweights on the flight control surfaces. My Flight Control shop compatriots had to deal with the Automatic Lift Distribution Control System (ALDCS) to make sure that the excess lift at the wingtips didn't rip the wings off midair. It was bad enough when the Wing King gathered all of us up in the theater to toss a female dog over being ribbed about dropped object incidents. There are a lot of things I don't remember well today, but this I remember: him saying that someone from 22AF called to talk to the Commander of "the 60th Bombardment Wing". As I recall, the Wing King was particularly perturbed over being accused of commanding a SAC wing!
Me too buddy! I worked at Travis AFB from 2006-2011except I worked on c-17
I was lucky enough to get to jump out of this big bird. It also took me to Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm in 1990. I was on the 5th C5 to go there at the start of the operation. I remember that, during parachute operations testing of the C5M, the MC-1 and T-10 tactical parachutes had to be heavily reinforced as the aircraft stall speed was greater than the C141 making the parachute opening shock very hard on the parachute and the jumper causing many suspension lines and panels to break and tear and even spine compression injuries in some cases. My 3rd Primary Jumpmaster service was done on this aircraft as well. After getting used to C130 and C141, JM on a C5 took it to a whole other level just for the # of jumpers involved. If I remember right, 4 jumpasters and upt to 6 safeties were needed for a fully PAX loaded C5. Oh, memories. Hooah! AATW
My artillery battery took a C5 from Okinawa to Mt. Fuji in the mid-90s. 6 155m howitzers, a couple hummers and 5 tons, and our entire battery fit in that plane with room to spare. It was absolutely amazing and an experience I'll never forget
So sad about the AN-225 😭 The Galaxy is amazing. I remember walking through one on display at Fort Bragg as a kid in 1988 lol. A great video as always my friend.
There's always going to be a place for at least one of a plane that size.
If not a newly-produced AN-225 (or have it repaired with AN-124 parts), then something else entirely, and who knows who makes it.
Who knows, Maybe Ukraine comes up with their own unique spin on an "outsize cargo aircraft"? It has been some time since the AN-225's design was laid down (being a Soviet-era design), surely technology has advanced to the point that some improvements could be made.
Or alternatively, it might be the US's turn to create such an aircraft, perhaps we make a variant of the Roc that instead of having a central mounting point for a test rocket or orbital launch rocket, has a cargo pod?
With so many 747's laying around, there's plenty of parts to make a truly large aircraft, tho I do doubt that we'll ever see one with 6 engines again.
@@44R0Ndin From what I've seen, AN-225 is damaged beyond repair. If at all, I hope when the nightmare Ukraine is going through right now is over, and the country has handled the more important tasks of rebuilding and healing the damage caused by the attacks, they complete the half-built second AN-225 and get her up to the skies.
Pope AFB next to Bragg
I grew up in Fayetteville, and walked through the same C-5 in 1988 at the airshow, that's cool!
@@44R0Ndin It would be up to Ukraine to remake it, U.S. would never given they dont have a good enough reason. It's such a specfic tailored use that you only really need one, which is why AN-225 was the only one, which is why the U.S. won't make it as they tend to fleet anything they make so that it all doesn't fall on one failing. There's no much of an upside, however for the Ukrainians it stands more as an iconic achievement if they rebuild it stronger. Given it got destroyed in the invasion, if they ever get to a point of rebuilding it, that would symbolize their return.
I think there is something to be said for those who can stay civilised towards each other even when their leaders cannot. Obviously my deepest empathy for all the victims of this conflict. Now, as someone else said, 'we're here for the planes".
You can't bunch all "leaders" together like that. There's a brutal dictator on one side and democratically elected politicians serving broadly speaking free countries on the other.
>implying there's any equivalence between democracies and dictatorships
I agree Rasheed, war is a tragedy for both sides. And while I hate what Russian leadership is doing, a very large portion of the Russian army is conscripted and just following orders.
As for making statements of support on YT. There is a lot of negativity on the internet. We all think our viewpoint is the correct one but we are all fed partial or incorrect information by government and media. I think it’s important to comment support for Russian people at this time because we are all just pawns used by the powerful.
@@budc6246 , Have you condemned the US for attacking Iraq, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, and dozens of other countries? Ukraine is right on the border with Russia. Russians are just defending their country. And Russia did not attack Ukraine. In Ukraine, the Russians are at war with NATO.
I've been around lots and lots of C-5's, stood guard as a EC on Guam. Flew on a 130, 135 and 141. All great planes.
Thank you for Your service!
I went to basic training at Fort Dix, NJ in the early 1980s. Used to see these coming in to land at McGuire AFB when we were on the obstacle course, seemed like they would take 1/2 hour from when we first saw them to get to the base. Never forget being on top of one of the towers and having one fly right over us - saw nothing but tire after tire. The sound of the engines was unique, much as the sounds of the F-4s coming in to land was unforgettable.
I remember the first time I saw this beautiful beast. The year was 1975 and I was stationed at Travis AFB in Fairfield, California. As I was walking from our shop to David Grant USAF Medical Center I noticed something in the sky that I could not identify. It looked as though it was just suspended in the sky and not moving. I stopped walking and just froze, not being able to take my eyes off of this amazing aircraft. As I watched the C-5A approaching the runway to land, it looked like it was attempting to land a little sideways and not parallel with the runway. As it touched down I realized that the landing gear was turned slightly to the side. This resulted in the body of the aircraft being pointed one way while the landing gear was oriented parallel with the runway which unbelievable to watch. Later that afternoon, as I was relating what I had seen earlier to a pilot he started laughing at my excitement and told me that this “landing sideways” was called “crabbing into the wind.” I will never forget this amazing experience as long as I live.
I’m so happy you released a new video!
That B52 with giant turbofan looks so cool
I'm so happy you're back. I was concerned.
Remembering my brother who piloted the C-5 A version. He became AC Commander and got to show me the huge giant up close. Back then, it was Military Airlift Command. Now it's AMC.
As a kid in the 80’s, used to enjoy going to San Antonio once a month with the family. My dad would drop my mom & sisters at the mall and we would go part outside Kelly AFB to watch the C5’s & 141’s come & go.
I used to live in Delaware and frequently drove past DAFB. Loved watching these HUGE planes doing touch and go's on the weekends. Hard to believe anything that huge could get off the ground, but there they were!
I live right down the highway from Dover Air Force Base. Used to love hearing the C-5s come screaming by getting ready to land or after take-off.
Some airplanes leave you in awe and wonder. This one leaves you with that and with gratitude.
Thanks for making all of your great videos about the airplanes. I would love to see one about AN-225 Mriya which was destroyed in the Russian - Ukrainian war. Sad to see this marvel of engineering be gone.
this is great story of best Military Aircraft good sharing dear friend
Mind you, we're all going to miss the *VERY* distinct sound of the General Electric TF39 engines originally fitted to the C-5. The current engines on the C-5M make the plane sound like a 747-400 (which is quite true since some 747-400's use the General Electric CF6-80 engine).
So true. I lived under the takeoff path from Rhein Main (Frankfurt) in the late 1970s. The TF39 was so different from all other planes that I could hear it and know it was a C-5 without even looking up. I understand the C-5M has newer engines with a lot more thrust. On a hot day with a heavy load, the C-5A took a loooong time and distance to get off the ground.
@@samlogan8096 I've heard those newer engines, and yes, they now sound just like a B747-400. Although I miss the B747, I miss those older C5As and Bs. Those engines were truly remarkable.
Skyships i wish you all the best in this difficult time!
Good video as always!
I got hired on to Lockheed in Georgia when the C-5B contract was issued in 1983. No one had been hired at this plant since 1969 when the aerospace industry died and everyone who was hired in the 60's had been fired. This left the entire industrial plant at Georgia with employees who were all about to retire. I was 30 then, and everyone in the office was over 50. No young people at all. Well, these were the kindest and nicest people I ever met and it wsa there I began my 30 year career at Lockheed. It was great fun. They had a special house to put the tail on the C-5. The C-5 tail was so tall they could not put it on in the B-1 building. The name of the new house was the Cat House where the C-5 got some tail!
Great company. My husband hired on in B days and recently retired. He worked L10 and Flight Line.
The Best C-5 Video I have seen. I was assigned to 70-0460, and spent 2+ yrs on Starlifters ...
Thanks for a great episode in dark times! Fantastic job as usual!
Beautiful video, thank you!
But a moment of silence for the loss of our beloved An-225, the ultimate heavy lifter
This has been my favorite plane ever since I got to walk through one at an airshow as a kid. In alot of ways this play is what triggered my love of aviation
It used to be a staple at my town's annual airshow too. I loved just walking through it and experiencing it. The crew were a great bunch of people, showing everyone around and answering their questions about the plane.
My Great Uncle retired from the Air Force with 20 years service. He was a WWII Veteran flight engineer. After that he was hired by Lockheed at Marietta and eventually worked the C-5 assembly facility and eventually retired. His house was filled with aircraft memorabilia and especially of the C-5. Every time I visited he would talk about aviation which was and still is a passion of mine. My uncle was also a Navy pilot in the late 1950s
I live on Travis AFB and I see these giants every day, they're beautiful
I know how you feel, I live right by the BonFare Market down the road from the back gate. Never get tired of them or loose my fascination with them, they seem to just hang in the air.
Mid 1960's. I remember the first time a C-5 Galaxy flew over our farm. We were kids at the time. That thing was SO BIG that we thought it was going to crash. It looked slow and low. However, it wasn't that low. I do remember running in the house and telling Mama that a plane is falling and going to crash. Scared the hell out of us kids. But, it just kept on flying right on by. That was one of it's first test flights over N.E. Ga. Our farm happened to be under its test flight route. We looked forward to see it fly over everyday from then on.
The explanation of the F.R.E.D. acronym took me entirely off guard! 😂😂
*FUCKING RIDICULOUS ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER*
Beautiful tribute to the C5 (Fred). Excellent content and narration with great backing video clips.
I worked on these and this history is very well researched and presented. It was not cost effective and required way too many maintenance hours but we all loved this aircraft. For many loads in the early days, the only alternative, was a cargo ship. It was unique in its ability to land on fairly short, poor fields, and drive heavy rolling stock through made it very special. I worked on the C5B model.
What a great informative video. Seeing the C5a at Stewart airport in NewYork back in the mid 80s. Was what inspired me to join the Military.
As a Seabee, I rode a c5 from Raas al Jubail naval airport to Spain, then to New England, then to South Carolina. There's a passenger cabin without windows, aftward-facing seats, but otherwise outfitted as an airliner. This was our home from Jubail to Dover AFB. I was invited, as a nobody E3 Seabee, to sit in what I know from your video to be the Navigator's seat from taxi at Dover to landing at someplace in South Carolina. It was THRILLING. We were real light by the time we left Dover and rotated at takeoff such that the horizon disappeared from my view until the pilot decided to flatten out. The machine woulda' kept going for orbit, it seemed to me. This woulda' been near the first of May, 1991. Oh, I see you covered that. But we did not board that section by any machine. We walked up a steep 'ladder' on the port side. The ladder was interior and integral, and entered the passenger cabin two decks above the main deck which entered on the passenger cabin at its foremost part. I was really amazed. There were the obligatory fittings overhead, but while the oxygen mask drop-downs were there, the lights and air-vane comfort thingies were politely absent by way of "delete blanks' in the places they might have occupied. At Dover, the people greeted us with beer and cheers as conquering heroes.
The section explaining the C-5's GE engines is particularly informative. It really seems to be like a Swissair Technik engineer once told me. P&W is a solid, reliable engine (Toyota Land-Cruiser), the engineering-wise dreamlike, technical solutions offer the RR-engines (Aston Martin) and the most daring and innovative solutions were often developed and built by GE (RO-80). If you still remember the fantastic and so extraordinary while thirsty CJ-805 engine of the C-990 Coronado with the unique aft-fan arrangement, you will agree with me. So it's no wonder that GE was there when the fantastic C-5 engine had to break new ground.
The CF6 engines went on a heck of a lot of 747s who's early 747s had JT9D engines, once they became available, because they were getting a better run out of CF6 powered DC10s. Air France, Lufthansa, Sabena, Alitalia, KLM, Wardair all switched to CF6 powered 747 because the JT9D was so unreliable. Qantas and British Airways switched to RB211s for the same reason
Another thing... During the mid 70's, the USAF was also having a difficult time finding big loads of cargo needed to be flown somewhere on these hamstrung airplanes, (and the newly stretched C-141B carrying much of it). So these big boys kinda sat idle on the tarmac a lot, if not most of the time. Ultimately congress stepped in and mandated that they each fly a minimum number of hours per month so as to give the taxpayers their money's worth after spending so much on the project. But by far the biggest problem we had is that they had literally 100's of subcontractors spread all over the country building different parts for it and when the production ended, so did their production of parts, most importantly, anymore spare parts. We were cannibalizing parts from planes that just finished their monthly rotation and put them on the planes that were going to be flying next. What a juggling show that was. It wasn't uncommon at all to have half of the fleet grounded for maintenance because they had critical parts removed. Lots and lots of red X's.
That's interesting
I'm sure you had great time working with these fabulous air titans, thanks for sharing with us your amazing testimony
@@ghaithnaceur5526 I did enjoy it! Time of my life as a youngster! You're welcome! Thank you, Sir!🙏
this is still a massive problem with the birds, I stg maintenance can't keep them flying to save their lives and it's not their fault.
@@mayhem3649 Aw, that's so sad. You'd think they'd be easier to maintain, but what do I know? Nothin'! I'm just very disappointed in our failure to stay on top of what we do, and it's only getting worse. We are weak and vulnerable, and we'd better wise up, and as the song says, "Straighten up and fly Right!", or we're going to fall prey to far worse than Ukraine. We cannot bow to a world that's growing more and more hostile, especially if we can't even take care of our own and improve our education, and learn much better how to think and problem-solve. Our infrastructure is crumbling, and we're a nation undefined, divided and weigh, too out of focus, and there's no denying it.
God help us all wake up, wise up and become responsible and fully accountable once again. We're going to be a real train wreck if we don't do so and very soon!
This is the best channel for aircraft documentaries. I think it is incredible that you can produces this at a higher quality than any Discovery or History-channel crap I've watch over the years.
You mean you're not satisfied by someone shouting how rad the plane is over a mix of stock footage and GCI? ;)
Seriously, yea, this channel is great!
@@rrice1705 In fact the picture at 07:33 here is from the Discovery Channel TV series Richard Hammond's BIG
0:37 - I just love that unique 'whine' that the early C5 engines had. Most amazing, iconic aircraft have special things that identify them (the howl of the Vulcan bomber for example), and for me , it is that sound of C5 engines at take-off! "-)
For me its the fact that no matter how fast it's going, it always looks like it's going no faster than a car on the highway
@@mayhem3649 When they're coming in to land, they look like they're literally hanging in the air! The 747 can also have a similar effect.
I flew on one of those from Rota Spain to Dover Delaware in August 1981. In the aft passenger cabin. Sitting backwards. Which I thought was odd. And felt that way during take off and landing. We sat by the r runway for 6 hours waiting on them to repair a generator. Good times.
One of our engineers at the Pyxis division of Cardinal Health was an Air Force reserve Staff Sargent who served as a Crew Chief on a C5-A Galaxy. He was called up to move all that equipment we stocked up for months before the war in Iraq.
Our department bought him a 4oz Silver bar theamed "Defenders of Freedom" you can see it online. Its a very nice patriotic design in an airtight plastic case, in a blue velvet presentation box.
We sent it to his Duty Station in Iraq. Our buddy was impressed, and showed it to his commanding officer.
The commanding officer asked if he could display it on his desk as a sign of civilian workplace support for our National Guard troops.
It stayed on the Commanders desk as long as Robert was deployed.
This giant reminds of my memory working at Lockheed Georgia.
im non-English speaker but the narration is so fine, i enjoyed beautiful video.thx
I worked on these for 11 long years at Travis AFB ! Really awesome aircraft!
The C-5 was one of the only aircraft that I ever felt like was going to crash into us at the end of the runways at Pope. It was one of the only aircraft where the jump speed is the stall speed of the aircraft. We jumped above the manual's defined, if memory serves me, 130 knots. It hurt when your chute opened from any jet aircraft, but the C5 hurt really bad. The opening shock was quite the jolt. It's an amazing aircraft though.
Fantastic vid as usual my friend. I wish you peace and friendship during these crazy times.
Nice video. Brought back some memories. I first flew as a loadmaster on the C141 and then transitioned to the C5A. I flew from 1970 to 1974 mostly out of Travis AFB in California
The C-5 was the SMOOTHEST flight I have ever been on to include the landing….and you sit facing the rear 😎
Was a C-5 technician at Dover AFB 436amxs. These things are absolutely huge lol. And constantly broke after takeoff. lol. Was there for the M-model Modification working on the To's for maintenance crews to work on them. The new engine are dead nuts reliable and we went from usually busy as hell. To the hardest thing we did was change the fuel filters on them. But Elen got shafted all the new electronics broke all the time.
Last time I was this early to a Skyships video, Mriya still flew 😭
This week is crazy dark
@@SkyshipsEng Indeed it is. I hope that you are well, good sir. Thank you for what you do.
@@SkyshipsEng fingers crossed and hoping the 124 and 225 would come in your "great giants" video series besides the C-5 Galaxy.
I love the C-5. Served US Air Force 1985-1995. My first job was Accounting and Finance, Payroll Tech. For War Games, us Finance people got tasked to do Load-Planning for cargo aircraft. Something totally different than what we normally do. I guess the connection was computers. Computers was at its infancy at that time. We were taught by the transportation guys what aircraft support equipment looked like so we can plan how to load the C-5 and C-141s using micro-computers at the time. Most people don't know that aircraft loaded with equipment must be balanced correctly and this is checked by the Loadmaster of the aircraft. You can't have the aircraft nose heavy or tail heavy. Fast forward, August 3rd 1990, Desert Shield commences. I have a new job now in aircraft maintenance analysis. During that first week, we saw lots of C-141s taking our unit to Saudi Arabia. I was on the next manifest and brought my "pillows" with me. Flying in jump seats on a C-141 trans-Atlantic is no picnic. Lo and behold, when it was our manifest's turn to board, they got us a C-5. I was jumping for joy. Real seats! yeah, they faced backwards but so what, they were real seats! At Desert Shield, I was voluntold to help offload cargo planes on the ramp while they were figuring out where to put us. One of most incredible sights was a C-5 with 5 Army Apache Helicopters. Their rotors were folded and strapped down. I couldn't believe that many could fit inside the cargo area. One magnificent sight! Two years later, I worked as a support person for the USAF Thunderbirds and there were a few times, we got to load our equipment on the C-5. Still never got over just how incredibly frinckin huge the cargo bay was. Love my time and experience with this aircraft. Go Air Force!
Thank you for covering my favorite aircraft!
It's amazing how many comments of Airman that was Stationed at Travis AFB. Travis AFB is a short drive from Sacramento CA. I live a stone throw from Mather AFB which has been Decommissioned. But it is still used for Touch and Goes of the C-5. The C-5 ingenes has unique sound like none other. It is just amazing to watch such a large Aircraft fly. It looks like it just floats in the air as it passes by doing Touch and Goes for Training Pilots to be on the Ready at all times. Just love it.
Another great content Sky. I pray for you and your loved ones. Hopefully peace will reach us very soon.
The first time that I saw a C5 was at Ramey AFB PR in 1972....I was amazed of the size. I couldn't believe how big it's.....you havento see it...What a great aircraft. 50 years later and still flying..God bless 🙌 the USA.
Most excellent documentary, well researched, well laid out, excellent diction and subtle humor! Congratulations.
I worked on this plane back in the Cold War 1 days, I was fortunate enough to be able to go on a few flights doing various tests so the cargo bay was basically empty outside of testing equipment. It was amazing to wander around that massive cargo bay in flight. It was big on the ground and felt just as big in flight. Like others I always marveled at the size of this aircraft I was so fortunate enough to work on and be a part of its history. It will be a sad day for me, if I live long enough, to see the C5 retired for good. I know the day is coming as it happens to all air frames at some point but until then I will enjoy the fact it is still flying and doing its job. Safe flying to all C5 crews and maintainers!
I live near joint base Lewis McCord and when the C 5s are on the deck the wing tips are nearly touching the ground. It's incredible to see how much they flex.
Enjoyed watching these monsters take off and land a Dobbins JRB. In addition to being home to Air Force and Naval Reserve Forces, Dobbins is home to Lockheed Martin's manufacturing facility, so the C-5 was a frequent visitor.
Prior to the Georgia Tech/ University of Georgia football game in 1972 (I think) at Grant Field in Atlanta, the Tech band was on the field ready to play the Star Spangled Banner. All of a sudden a dark cloud cast a shadow over the field. The crowd hushed, and everyone looked skyward. You could hear about 50,000 people whisper God Damn! It was not a cloud, but a C5-A lumbering about 500 feet above the stadium. The plane flew south, returned back over the field, then began climbing and waggled its wings as it flew back to Marietta. Before the band could start to play, one of the Tech announcers said “Let’s see Athens top that!” Later on as a mechanical engineering student I was able to tour the Lockheed facility’s C5 assembly line and actually got to go up into the cockpit and cargo deck of one under assembly. Love that plane!
They break a lot. I worked in airfield management in the Air Force and hated when they would come in. Really sucked when they were stuck for a week taking up all of the ramp space 😂 the pilots always told me they tried to plan their fuel stops and whatever at nice bases, because chances are... they're going to be staying awhile😂
It sounds like your field was shit and that you are blaming the plane 🤦🏻♂️
He’s not wrong😂 I’ve been broke for the past week
@@gordonsmith5589 go away troll. And I'm blaming the plane, not the pilot. Reading comprehension must not be your strong suit
I seen these plane spitting afghans from there exhaust. So crazy
@@rob6365 wrong plane. And they were falling from the wheel wells
I remember as a kid, stopping along side of the road in Dover, Delaware to watch these enormous birds coming in for a landing. Very impressive. I joined the military because of my admiration of military aircraft. Who knew that when a recruiter asks if you like to fly it meant, One Way (Air Force Recruiter was out to lunch that day, but Army Recruiter skipped lunch)? Ended up being 82nd Airborne and jumping out of C130's, 141's and helicopters. And I thought I was going to learn how to fly the big birds! Such is the luck of a typical naive young kid. Any who, 141, C130, C5, I enjoyed every flying experience in a military aircraft. So much so, I eventually married a C130 mechanic and I worked for GE Aviation! Life is so full of twists and turns.
I did that too at that same location. Around the late 70s. Very memorable. So incredibly loud.
Ha, “roll out a building from a building.”
I worked on the C-5 at Kelly AFB in San Antonio, in the 80's; all A models. Three of our 16 Freds were modified: the troop deck removed in order to carry the cargo compartment from the space shuttle. I got to go explore one of them in one of our birds, while on a service call. It was the Columbia's. I will never forget.
So sad we lost the an 225 ,hope peace can be found love and thanks from England.✈️✈️✈️✈️💗
Beautiful video. My husband worked production of the B Models in the 80s and also the RERP effort in Marietta. Great aircraft.
RIP An-225.
That plain could have made a great musiam
Agreed, I was hoping to see it one day.
@@laurienorthrup6252 a
I'm glad they didn't let it become a Russian War prize 😀
Mriya is now scheduled to be rebuilt! 😃🙏👍
I wad lucky enough to have grown up going to Westover ARB in Chicopee, Massachusetts. My father was a Firefighter on base back in the 80s and stayed on the as a member of the Galaxy council until he passed away in 2018. As a boy I got to go inside many C5s. Watching one of these things get airborne in person Is a sight to behold. You'd swear it's gonna fall out of the sky but nope off it goes into the wild blue yonder. They were incredibly loud until the upgraded the engines about a decade ago. The old engines you could hear miles away. The new ones you won't hear until they're right over your head.
As usual, very informative and providing the insight in the technology involved, thank u...
This is also how the Boeing 747 was born. It was a competitor to the C5 that lost but made it to commercial use.
If I recall correctly, that's why the 747 has its characteristic "hump" with the flight deck above the main deck. So you can open the nose and load very bulky things by driving them straight-in.
According to interviews with the crew who did the C-5A prototype's maiden flight, the time on their clocks when the plane got airborne was exactly 7:47 a.m …
Unusual for Boeing not to be spoonfed yet another military contract
I remember seeing this beast for first time when I was at basic training at Lackland AFB. My drill instructor yeld at me because I was in aw when I seen it while marching. Couldn't stop looking at it. Huge! Looked like it was at a stand still up in the sky.
Re-engined C-5M with 4x GEnx-2B
.....btw sorry for the AN-225
I like the narrator's work in this even more than when he did the voice work for Rugor Nass in The Phantom Menace.
The TF39, for me, is unquestionably the best sounding jet engine ever.
Yup, no contest!
Oh! If only I could hear those engines pass by my house again, it'd make my day! I also had a dream while in the hospital that it was a warm day, and the wind was really strong. While walking through my old house, I heard one of those C5As coming overhead, and my twin sister and I stopped everything we were doing, because it freaked out our cats! We had to pick them up and hold them to comfort them, because they were literally terrified every time they heard those engines. I love them and miss that sound.
In 1971, I was allowed to drive onto the ramp at Marietta. The tires looked bigger than my car. In the air, the size screws with your perspective & it looks very slow.
The B52 engines are so old now, that they are about to start a re-engine process, and there will still be 8 engines-8 business jet engines! Two engines from a business jet could power a quarter of that thing. That’s amazing to me.
The cool thing about having 8 engines is redundancy. Lose the power of half your engines and you can still fly. It's a bit more dodgy when only start with 2 engines
@@jacobmoses3712 it’s still much heavier, more draggy, and 2x the maintenance. It was really just a matter of having to re-plumb the entire aircraft, hydraulics, fuel, accessory power, bleed air, etc etc - plus the same stuff up in the cockpit.
Just easier and cheaper to stick with 8…. 4 would have been really cool though. I think the RR engines will still offer something like a 30% increase in efficiency which is insane in a world where 2% is significant.
As the tests proved, you could make a four engined B-52
I can't be the only one who thinks this guy has a very soothing and interesting voice.
Was lucky enough to do maintenance on the c-5 galaxy when it came to prestwich. Great video
Slava ukrayini
In 1976 I PCS to Hunter Army Air Field. Our primary mission was to support (fly UH-1H) the 1st of the 75th Ranger Bn. We had what we called a Ranger load on the C-5. We could load 5 Huey's with about 5 minutes of prep-time each for loading and same after unloading to start engines (this did not include the time for C-5 crew to secure (strap & chain to cargo floor which we also helped with) We unscrewed the FM whip antenna off the tail and the two jump doors held on with 2 pins each. We left the ground handling wheels on, released the pressure and added just a slight amount of pressure to keep the wheels in place in case of a herd landing so the wouldn't be a hazard. It was faster to only use rear cargo door that way we could roll them of and the C-5 could take off.
Finally you are back ♥️♥️
I saw these in Guam on my way home from Vietnam. You really can't know how large they are unless you're seen the up close... love them!
Saw a lot of them in Guam - sitting on the runways month after month waiting for parts and maintenance. Operational readiness in ‘71-‘72 wasn’t stellar.
i live near an airbase where these fly all the time. a fixture in the sky. I see them daily.
I'm starting to think no classroom lesson is difficult to grasp so long as the teacher is coherent,simple and the facts well modulated.this unfamiliar topic was well presented for ordinary folks to grasp.teacher trainers!where are you here?!
I remember C-5A flying in and out of Norton AFB, California as a Kid. It always amazed me how something THAT big... could fly!!
When I was in the Air Force, during and after Desert Storm, I saw several AN-124s. I was amazed at how it had even more capacity!
Then, as an Old Fart, now retired, I saw the gorgeous AN-225, fly over and into Tucson, Arizona. My God she was HUGE! What a sight.
Like many others, I was deeply saddened hearing about the THOUGHTLESS destruction of the AN-225. What a bloody shame. Putin had NO REASON to do that!
Some have said that she could be rebuilt! I hope that's not just heresay....
Flew out of Norton for Desert Shield / Storm. 12 Marines on top was it. We maxed out with cargo so very few passengers. Refueled over east coast. What a bumpy ride. Will never forget the nose opening in the middle of the night and seeing an airfield and sand all over the place. So the adventure began.
I was always in awe when these 'wales' pass directly overhead to land on a nearby airport.
Thanks for the excellent documentary. 👍
Magnificent!
Flew 9n one of these until we broke down in Diego Garcia on our way to Al Asad, Iraq back in ‘04. The nostalgia brought tears to my eyes.
I flew with a lot of C-141 pilots in USAF. I asked them about the C-5. Their favorite reply was: "What do you assume if you fly into a base and see a C-5 on jacks? Answer : The base only has one set of jacks."
Wow!! This presentation was super interesting and informative, I learned so many new things not only the C-5 but also what was going on in the US government and military and how they developed a d maintained the C-5 program. You guys really did your research and you are masterful at telling a really compelling story.
Thanks for all your hard work.
RIP our beautiful Mriya
F an 225, it was nothing compared with galaxy
@@Tyranosaurus_Xer was pretty much unique
😀😂
The C5 A was BIG, VERY BIG. It's BIG in this video. Much BIGGER in person, as I saw in the early 70's at Hickam Air Force Base Hawai'i.
RIP Antonov 225!
the whine of a C-5 is undeniable.
MURICA
I was on Highway 12 once coming from Rio Vista headed to Fairfield when I heard this horrible screeching noise I thought was coming from my car engine. I pulled over right away and shut the engine off but the noise continued. Confused I started looking around wondering what was going on when it seemed like the sun turned. I looked up to see a C-5 passing over head. The screeching noise wasn't coming from my engine, it was coming from the flying warehouse taking off from Travis Air Force Base. flying over head.
Scared the hell out of me.
You really can't get a sense of just how big these planes are until you see one in person.
I hope you are not getting too much hate over what is going on. You are not responsible for what that asshole leader of yours is doing. You can't even speak out against him without getting into trouble. Just keep yourself safe.
Lived on a boat by Hickam Air force base in Hawaii. Everytime a C5 came in over head my kids, 6 and 8 yrs old, would run to look at the "screamer" flying over head. They were very loud coming in..😁 flew on them a few times..huge planes..