Interesting memories

fredvon4 Thu Oct 27, 2016 3:34 pm

Bob AKA rsv1Cox noted about C5A in another thread with a "Double wow, too much" note

I had to fly transatlantic and across the USA several times in C5s, all without much incident except one flight. It was pure pucker factor all the way from Frankfurt (Rein Main AFB) to Dover DE

On Dec 21 1988 we departed RM AFB for Dover and a couple hours into the flight we were notified of the Pan Am Flt 103 crash in Lockerbie Scotland... apparently the AF crew was told it was a bomb brought down the civilian plane.... There were generally small air crews on C5s and some would haul passengers (along with cargo)--- on this flight there were 34 of us freeloaders in the back hitching a ride.

Senior loadmaster came back and asked us to help with a 100% search of every nook n cranny in the back of this big arsed mother and ----WHY!

.......5 hours later we had not found anything and took a much needed coffee break... then returned and strap into our seats for approach to Dover

I personally think the long landing at Dover was the most relieved I have ever been in my adult life

Fort Hood Gray Army AF has a very long runway and almost weekly is a frequent training place for C5s--- mostly from Tinker AFB OK to do specialty landing drills..and of course occasionally helping to move III Corps assets to distant places

MY micro ranch is right under a turn point for some of the training. I always go outside and look up at the seemingly low and slow bugger... still amazed that we built this giant and how gracefully it flies

Wife and I do NOT mind the occasional noise...

**Cribbs74** Thu Oct 27, 2016 10:38 pm

C5's I only flew in them going to the desert. Weird backward seating, but roomy. I was able to hang out in the cockpit for a bit due to my curiousity about the on board navaids.

The trip over was ok, even though we lost an engine on takeoff.

5 months later on the way back we flew on another one, that trip was not as enjoyable. We had stopped in Moron Spain and while waiting on engine repairs we decided to make up for lost time at the base club. Boarded the plane feeling just peachy. Lost another engine on takeoff... kept flying. Hours later when the alcohol wore off I was very hot and hungover. Woke up just in time for an in-flight refuel. Bumpy air and then the boom operator dumped JP8 all over the fuselage.

Hungover, JP8 fumes and heavy turbulence took it's toll and I tossed my cookies into the latrine! Thumbs Up

fredvon4 Thu Nov 17, 2016 12:40 pm

I seriously enjoyed my 22 years of Military experience, now 24 years ago. Being a Army brat in the 50-60s yielded many many fond memories and being (eventually) in Army aviation fed my lifelong love of anything that flies...still fascinated to this day with ANYTHING making noise ABOVE my property

Back to C5A's..
Before Desert Storm in the late 80s the C5A fleet was found to have some unusual wing root spar cracks and the AF decided to NOT fly at max takeoff weight as the cost to repair for the fleet was too much for the (then) administration.

Late 1990 Gen Schwarzkopf need a LOT of Armor in Saudi Arabia. And he needed the Armor Divisions fast. ON the boat was too long and one at a time in the air was not cutting it...SO (FACT) the AF made a decision to risk many full load (two Abrams Main Battle tanks per load) from Knox, Hood, and Campbell to King Khalid Military City(KKMC) and DHammam airports in Saudi

Before I was deployed for my Desert Storm time, I was a instructor at Ft Eustis VA and our house was near Langley AFB ....By this time I knew a LOT about the C5A...the restriction and why--- and of course the build up for desert Storm.

One day after work at home, I heard a C5 setting up approach to Langley AFB for re-fuel and it sounded VERY LOUD and sick...groaning and whining on final. I went outside, soon to be followed by my, ALSO aviation teacher, Wife...

We watch this poor giant struggle to turn final and the pilot must have been sweating profusely as we hear the engines spool up and then back to low rpm about six times inside the large low level left turn right over our heads....leaving our sight, we could hear it all the way to landing--- and that was when I got some realization of the power of those giant GE motors...he must have touched down super heavy on a somewhat short runway and immediately exceeded max military power on the reversers as it was the loudest I ever heard any craft try desperately to whoa up a very heavy bird. This was followed by 6 others at 10 min intervals...all the same near disaster sounding groaning and whining... I later learned that this was just part of one brigade from Fort Hood deploying

Our home at the time was a short 2 miles (Crow flies) and about a 6 min drive to the end of the active runway...Renie gathered up our two kids and we drove over... arriving to a LARGE Crowd on the civilian street off the end of the north south active

Army Safety Nazi, I already had foamy earplugs in the car

Parked and saw that the Air Force Police were doing crowd control outside the AFB fence...and we saw why:

Each, too heavy C5 , was taxied to the end of the active...then a giant tug grabbed the front wheels and backed the C5 so the aft end was out over the fence and civilian street with the Main landing gear trucks just barely still on the concrete.

The APs knew it was going to be very dangerous to be where we all were gathered, and did their best to heard every body away left and right to be well out of the engine blast area...

Then all hell happened...the tug moved off, the pilot locked the wheels and spooled up all the monsters... MY foamy earplugs were about worthless....I have been to jet engine drag races and this was easily three orders of magnitude LOUDER

The Plane sat there straining against the locked wheels for a few seconds for the engines to get to 100%...then release... slow, then some faster...but still looking slow because of the size.... we can easily see the other end.... we watched 3 of the 7 departing and each one just barely cleared the north end of the runway and headed off to Saudi Arabia... the absolute most thrilling patriotic event of my life.....and at the same time mega fear for the air crews... I new enough about the craft and capability to know I was watching a very very dangerous set of missions

pkrankow Thu Nov 17, 2016 1:30 pm

Having been picked up, flipped heels over head, and thrown by the wash from a Learjet I can only begin to imagine...

My brother was working at Burke lakefront airport in Cleveland just after I got my drivers license and I was visiting. I was in the wrong place for a throttle check.

Phil

Sponsored content

Interesting memories

Interesting memories

Re: Interesting memories

CRS or just engrossed with other issues

Re: Interesting memories

Re: Interesting memories