Monday, August 31, 2015

Plane Nerd Heaven, Flying The C-5 Galaxy

What It's Like To Fly America's Biggest Jet, The Gargantuan C-5 Galaxy:

If you like BIG planes, and like DETAIL, this is a SUPERB article. It started out as the C5-A, it's mostly all the "M" now ... more powerful, quieter, more efficient engines and a lot of digital upgrades make the monster really a new aircraft.

Lots of interesting background on how USAF pilots start out and choose between fighters and "the heavies", the logistics challenges of a plane with a 226' wingspan vs 196' for the 747, and mission planning for taking things like tanks and helicopters around the world.

The military tends to have some  some tongue in cheek designations for thier craft ... "Freddy" is the C5, an extension of FRED "Freaking (they don't say freaking) Ridiculous Economic (or Environmental) Disaster"!

It sounds like the really hard part is taxiing ... which I can REALLY imagine after only taxiing a Cessna 152 -- being as wide as an airplane because of the wings does not come naturally -- 226' wide is like "out there"!

They launched an ICBM out of one back in '74 ... Dr Strangelove calling!

WARNING ... following the link may induce EXTREME (possibly terminal) boredom in non-aircraft geeks! You have been warned ... NO LAWSUITS!

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