Lockheed Martin C-5M Super Galaxy Makes Historic First Flight

Yahoo! News ^ | Monday June 19, 3:34 pm ET | Press Release

[ThomasPaine2000]

At the Depot maint. complex at Kelly AFB, TX, several years ago, I saw a B-52 parked next to a C-5. The B-52 was dwarfed by the C-5. I know what you mean...

[headstamp]

I remember being atop Mt. Beacon at the "casino area" on the east side of the Hudson river and seeing one of these things come circling around and over us on approach to Stewart Airport (Newburgh) on the other side of the Hudson.

It was just incredible to watch as the plane just literally "hung" in the air like it was barely moving. Then came the high pitched scream of the turbines as it was finally passing through.

[shaffer.rs]

I saw these wonder birds fly from Okinawa in 1972-3
Fanrastic sight.

[Iscool]

Awww...You're no fun...

[Central Scrutiniser]

The C5 is a beaut.

Go to Lagoon Drive at Honolulu airprot and watch those flying buildings scream over your head.

Its a beautiful thing.

[JRios1968]

I am certainly going to miss the sound of FRED's engines. (FReepmail me for the definition of FRED.)

[JRios1968]

Massive amounts of Bernoulli effect, in fact. That and the insane amounts of bypass air from the motors.

[Constantine XIII]

If you absolutely need to have a whale delivered by the next buisness day, you know who to call. :)

Beautiful piece of engineering!

[Erasmus]

They should stick 600 seats in it and call it an L-380.

[TheWasteLand]

If you absolutely need to have a whale delivered by the next business day, you know who to call. :)

"Admiral, there be whales here."

[Constantine XIII]

ROFL

[hoagy62]

While I was driving near my house, just last week, I heard a massive whining roar, looked up, and a C-5 was passing right over my head at about 300 feet.

Did I mention that my apartment is just off the north end of the runway at McChord AFB in Washington?

Matter of fact, they're doing nighttime exercises with about 3 C-17's as I type this.

I've descibed the sound of a C-5 as "10,000 angry vacuum cleaners"

[real saxophonist]

One summer I stayed in Mayretta, right across the highway from one of the runways at Dobbins. Didn't matter how many times I heard that distinctive whine, I'd still run outside to watch those C-5s fly over.

I knew a girl whose dad flew C-5s. Unfortunately, he died of cancer before I met his daughter. I'd like to have talked to him about flying those big ol' thangs.

Guy I marched Drum Corps with flew C-141s. Now he flies for Delta.

[lentulusgracchus]

I saw one of the first prototypes of the C-5 in the air when I was at the naval base in Charleston, SC, in 1970 for a week for Registered Publications System school. I'd just finished a course at the Fleet Sonar School in Key West in July and was on my way (eventually) to Patrick AFB and a ride to my first permanent duty station, a downrange facility. I looked up and saw this great big airplane just hanging in the air -- it had to be 10-15 miles away -- and moving impossibly slowly, or so it seemed, with all its landing gear down. I recognized it at once from photos.

When eventually I actually heard one, I was impressed by that deep-pitched siren sound the engines made -- back then, I'd never heard anything like it.

[lentulusgracchus]

They should stick 600 seats in it and call it an L-380.

You know, if Lockheed has the original jigs and dies, you may just have something there! With the new "sipper" engines.....damn, you could run three passenger decks in one and seat what, 850 people, no sweat! In Japanese domestic service, they'd seat over 1,100, about twice as many as the most jampacked, small-seat domestic Japanese 747's can accommodate.

[PAR35]

If we are comparing first sightings, I can trump you all. I saw the first flight. I also got to walk through the wooden mock up.

[AlaskaErik]

Lockheed Martin C-5M Super Galaxy....

So far it's been known as the C-5 Static Display, as often as it breaks down. Or FRED, as it is also known as.

Question: You're on an Air Force base and there are three C-5s on the flight line. Two of them are sitting on jacks. What is the implication of this scenario?

Answer: The base only has two sets of jacks.

[AlaskaErik]

You know, if Lockheed has the original jigs and dies, you may just have something there!

It's my understanding that they were all destroyed so no more could ever be produced. A C-5 guy could probably tell you more.

[freeplancer]

Do you have any idea why the gear is down in the pic?

[Tennessee_Bob]

metallic whine/grinding sound

We always thought that they sounded like giant electric razors.

It's a comforting sound, especially when something that damned big is turning on final over your hangar and as they pitch over you're looking across the tops of the wings due to the turn angle. It means that they won't crash on your building today.