Warbird Information Exchange

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on this site are the responsibility of the poster and do not reflect the views of the management.
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 6:45 am

All times are UTC - 5 hours


Classic Wings Magazine WWII Naval Aviation Research Pacific Luftwaffe Resource Center
When Hollywood Ruled The Skies - Volumes 1 through 4 by Bruce Oriss


Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 33 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3  Next
Author Message
 Post subject: Last C-5A Galaxy retired
PostPosted: Sat Sep 09, 2017 3:35 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2012 6:20 pm
Posts: 300
The U.S. Air Force’s last C-5A Galaxy rests before being retired to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., Sept. 7, 2017. The C-5A has been in operation for over 44 years and has over 22,500 flight hours and more than 5,470 full-stop landings. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Frankie D. Moore)
Image

_________________
When I was young "sex was safe & flying was dangerous".


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sat Sep 09, 2017 7:24 pm 
Offline
2000+ Post Club
2000+ Post Club

Joined: Wed May 05, 2004 3:45 pm
Posts: 2520
Duggy009 wrote:
and has over 22,500 flight hours and more than 5,470 full-stop landings.


In Airline time, that's still a young pup! :lol:


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sat Sep 09, 2017 7:27 pm 
Offline
1000+ Posts!
1000+ Posts!
User avatar

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2007 5:31 pm
Posts: 1332
Location: Galveston County
I have always wondered why they're being retired?

_________________
Cheers,
Kurt Maurer
League City, Texas

PIC, Ford 6600 pulling Rhino batwing up and down the runway


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sat Sep 09, 2017 8:30 pm 
Offline
1000+ Posts!
1000+ Posts!

Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2007 7:43 pm
Posts: 1168
Location: Marietta, GA
Pogo wrote:
I have always wondered why they're being retired?


Those airplanes are going on 50 years old, so they are ready for serious upgrades - engines, avionics, and maybe some structural upgrades . Beyond that, the AF prefers to fund fighters (the F-35) as opposed to transports.

Sez the guy who saw the first flight of the first C5 when I was a little kid and all the men in the family worked for Lockheed, GA.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sat Sep 09, 2017 11:48 pm 
Offline

Joined: Wed Dec 10, 2008 7:25 pm
Posts: 520
Location: Travis AFB
Not exactly the last C-5A retired. Many airframes were upgraded to the new standard, the C-5M Super Galaxy is an upgraded version with new engines and modernized avionics designed to extend its service life beyond 2040.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 12:28 am 
Offline
Long Time Member
Long Time Member
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2011 12:27 am
Posts: 5228
Location: Eastern Washington
With all due respects for the venerable Lockheed, from personal experience, I know they had their fair share of maintenance issues (seemingly having to-do with the gear).

_________________
Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 10:57 am 
Offline
1000+ Posts!
1000+ Posts!

Joined: Mon May 21, 2012 12:28 pm
Posts: 1157
I believe the original plan was to covert all remaining A's, B's and C's to the C-5M standard (around 112 surviving airframes), but that was cut due to costs. Original production was 80 A models, 50 B models and the two converted C models. There was an earlier upgrade program called AMP that replaced some avionics and other gear that most of the entire fleet got, but only the 50 B's, the 2 C's, and perhaps one A (as a test) got the whole conversion to M. Think there will only be @ these 52 airframes in operation.

A's were not converted to B's, and perhaps only one A made it into an M.

Many of the A's have gone to the boneyard, some very early models A's being already scrapped there or reduced to spares, and only one to a museum, at Dover (a fantastic museum). Too bad a few more A's did not go to Museums as it will be decades before they get an M. Travis, Pima, Castle and the USAF museum would be great places for a C-5. A few other C-5 bases do not have a proper museum. With the need to keep some as spares and the daunting prospect of a C-5 gate guard perhaps making other museum donations impractical.

Perhaps most sad, the majestic "electric" sound of the A engines is gone forever. VERY distinctive.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 2:21 pm 
Offline
1000+ Posts!
1000+ Posts!
User avatar

Joined: Thu Jul 01, 2004 6:11 pm
Posts: 1911
Location: Pacific Northwest USA, via North Florida
JohnB wrote:
With all due respects for the venerable Lockheed, from personal experience, I know they had their fair share of maintenance issues (seemingly having to-do with the gear).

Yep, I sat in the upstairs PAX seating on one at McChord, waiting to taxi when the nose gear collapsed. Made for a very short trip.

_________________
Life member, 91st BG Memorial Association
Owner, 1944 Willys MB #366014
Former REMF (US Army, O3)


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 4:47 pm 
Offline

Joined: Wed Dec 10, 2008 7:25 pm
Posts: 520
Location: Travis AFB
Travis AFB Heritage Center just received an "A" model on its final flight July 26. C-5A tail number 0451 which spent nearly 20 years operating from Travis is slated to be put on static display at Travis AFB. Travis currently employs a fleet of 18 C-5 M Super Galaxies.
Please add C-5A 0451 to the list of aircraft at Travis!


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 5:10 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sat Aug 18, 2007 6:13 pm
Posts: 268
Location: Virginia, US
A C-5 could be used AS a museum! Plenty of room for exhibits! :lol:

_________________
I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 5:10 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 12:05 pm
Posts: 907
Location: ELP
p51 wrote:
JohnB wrote:
With all due respects for the venerable Lockheed, from personal experience, I know they had their fair share of maintenance issues (seemingly having to-do with the gear).

Yep, I sat in the upstairs PAX seating on one at McChord, waiting to taxi when the nose gear collapsed. Made for a very short trip.


A friend who flew C-141s told me that if they flew into a C-5 base and there were no C-5s up on jacks it meant there were no jacks at that base.

_________________
Had God intended for man to fly behind inline engines, Pratt & Whitney would have made them.

CB

http://www.angelfire.com/dc/jinxx1/Desrt_Wings.html


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 7:42 pm 
Offline
1000+ Posts!
1000+ Posts!
User avatar

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2007 5:31 pm
Posts: 1332
Location: Galveston County
raconnel wrote:
A C-5 could be used AS a museum! Plenty of room for exhibits! :lol:

All joking aside, it had crossed my mind that a C-5 could pull double duty and serve as a building...

Yes, the sound of a C-5 going over is something, alright. If it must go extinct, I suppose I should just be happy I got to hear it (unlike the B-36).

_________________
Cheers,
Kurt Maurer
League City, Texas

PIC, Ford 6600 pulling Rhino batwing up and down the runway


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 9:15 pm 
Offline
Long Time Member
Long Time Member
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2011 12:27 am
Posts: 5228
Location: Eastern Washington
In February I paid my annual visit to Pima, and you could clearly see a line of C-5s at D-M.
Even at a could of miles away, they looked huge.

I wondered when Pima would get one. It would be nice if they could open up both ends and use it as a covered picnic area over by the B-36. :)

_________________
Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 9:44 pm 
Offline
3000+ Post Club
3000+ Post Club

Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2004 9:33 pm
Posts: 4699
Location: refugee in Pasa-GD-dena, Texas
I wonder who'll be the 1st base CO to request "his" C-5 gate guard mounted on a stick? :lol:

_________________
He bowls overhand...He is the most interesting man in the world.
"In Peace Japan Breeds War", Eckstein, Harper and Bros., 3rd ed. 1943(1927, 1928,1942)
"Leave it to ol' Slim. I got ideas...and they're all vile, baby." South Dakota Slim
"Ahh..."The Deuce", 28,000 pounds of motherly love." quote from some Mojave Grunt
DBF


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 8:50 am 
Offline
1000+ Posts!
1000+ Posts!

Joined: Mon May 21, 2012 12:28 pm
Posts: 1157
ALOHADAVE wrote:
Travis AFB Heritage Center just received an "A" model on its final flight July 26. C-5A tail number 0451 which spent nearly 20 years operating from Travis is slated to be put on static display at Travis AFB. Travis currently employs a fleet of 18 C-5 M Super Galaxies.
Please add C-5A 0451 to the list of aircraft at Travis!


Fantastic AlohaDave! Did not know Travis received one. Great news, and very deserving.

The Dover C-5A has been restored to the delivery scheme, the attractive white over gray (best C-5 scheme by far in my opinion) and does have some displays and display cases on the cargo deck. The C-133 also has a fire truck and a staff car on display on the cargo deck- so the idea of a mini museum does work!


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 33 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3  Next

All times are UTC - 5 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 82 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group