U.S. Air Force Marathon to showcase C-5 Galaxy

  • Published
  • By Dann Andrews
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  The official aircraft of the eleventh annual United States Air Force Marathon is the C-5 Galaxy. The C-5 is one of the largest aircraft in the world and the largest air lifter in the Air Force inventory.

The C-5 -- C stands for Cargo -- has tremendous payload capability and provides Air Mobility Command airlift in support of the United States' defense. The C-5 can carry fully equipped combat ready units to anywhere in the world on short notice then provide field support to help sustain the fighting force.

The Lockheed-Georgia Company delivered the first operational C-5A Galaxy to the 437th Airlift Wing at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina in June 1970. In March 1989, the last of 50 C-5B aircraft was added to the 76 C-5A's in the Air Force airlift force structure to make a total of 126 C-5's in Air Force circulation. The C-5B included all C-5A improvements as well as more than 100 additional modifications to improve reliability and maintainability.

The C-5 can carry more than any other air lifter. It has the ability to carry 36 standard pallets and up to 81 troops simultaneously. It also carries all of the Army's air-transportable combat equipment, including the 74-ton mobile scissors bridge from the United States to any theater of combat on the globe. The C-5 can carry oversized cargo intercontinental ranges and take off or land in relatively short distances. Ground crews are able to load and unload the C-5 simultaneously at the front and rear cargo openings, reducing transfer times.

The C-5 Galaxy is powered by four general electric TF-39 engines, with a 43,000 pound thrust to each engine. Its wingspan is 222.9-feet, length 247.1-feet, and height 65.1-feet. The maximum cargo is 270,000 pounds with a maximum takeoff weigh 769,000 lbs.

The C-5 Galaxy can hit speeds up to 518 miles per hour with a range of 6,320 nautical miles without air refueling. It consists of 7 crew members; pilot, co-pilot, two flight engineers, and three loadmasters. The C-5A unit cost $152.8 million and was first deployed in 1969 while the C-5B unit cost $179 million and was deployed in 1980.

The C-5 Avionics Modernization Program began in 1998 and included upgrading avionics to communications, navigation, surveillance/air traffic management compliance, safety equipment, and installing an autopilot system. There were new CF-6 engines installed with new pylons, auxiliary power system, upgrades to the aircraft skin, frame, flight controls, landing gear and the pressurization system. This reduced the cost of ownership and increased the operational capability well into the future.

C-5 aircraft have been operated by Active-Duty, Reserve, and Air National Guard troops. They are currently stationed at Dover AFB, Delaware; Travis AFB, California; Lackland AFB, Texas; Stewart Air National Guard, New York; Martinsburg Air National Guard Base, West Virginia, Memphis ANGB, Tennessee; Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; and Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts.

This year, US Air Force Marathon participants, spectators and volunteers will see a C-5 in action as it flies over the course of the race on Sept. 15. For more information on the US Air Force Marathon, visit www.usafmarathon.com.