The
C-5 is one of the largest aircraft in the world. It can carry outsize and
oversize cargo intercontinental ranges and can take off or land in relatively
short distances. Ground crews can load and off load the C-5 simultaneously at
the front and rear cargo openings. Other features of the C-5 are:
- Able
to take off fully loaded within 2,530 metres and land within1,493 metres.
- High
flotation landing gear with 28 wheels sharing the weight. Nose and aft doors
that open the full width and height of the cargo compartment to permit
faster and easier loading.
- A
"kneeling" landing gear system that permits lowering of the parked
aircraft so the cargo floor is at truck-bed height or to facilitate vehicle
loading and unloading.
- Full
width drive-on ramps at each end for loading double rows of vehicles.
- A
system that records and analyses information and detects malfunctions in
more than 800 test points.
- The
C-5 is similar in appearance to its smaller sister transport, the C-141
Starlifter, although the C-5 is much larger. Both aircraft have the
distinctive high T-tail, 25-degree wing sweep, and four turbofan engines
mounted on pylons beneath the wings.
The
Galaxy carries nearly all of the US Army's combat equipment, including such
bulky items as its 74-ton mobile scissors bridge, from the
United States
to any theatre of combat on the globe.
Four TF39 turbofan engines power the big C-5, rated at 43,000 pounds thrust
each. They weigh 3,555 kilograms each and have an air intake diameter of more
than 2.6 metres. Each engine pod is nearly 8.2 metres long.
The Galaxy has 12 internal wing tanks with a total capacity of 194,370 litres of
fuel -- enough to fill 6 1/2 regular size railroad tank cars. A full fuel load
weighs 150,820 kilograms. A C-5 with a cargo load of 122,472 kilograms can fly
2,150 nautical miles, offload, and fly to a second base 500 nautical miles away
from the original destination -- all without aerial refuelling. With aerial
refuelling, the aircraft's range is limited only by crew endurance.
Background
Lockheed-Georgia Co. delivered the first operational Galaxy to the 437th Airlift
Wing, Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., in June l970. C-5s are stationed at Altus
AFB, Oklahoma; Dover AFB, Delaware; and Travis AFB, California AMC transferred
some C-5s to the Air Reserve components starting with Kelly AFB, Texas, in 1985;
followed by Stewart Air National Guard Base, N.Y.; and Westover Air Reserve
Base, Massachusetts. In 2004,
Tennessee
Air National Guard,
Memphis
,
Tennessee
. retired their C-141s and converted to C-5A's.
In March 1989, the last of 50 C-5B aircraft was added to the 76 C-5As in the Air
Force's airlift force structure. The C-5B includes all C-5A improvements as well
as more than 100 additional system modifications to improve reliability and
maintainability. All 50 C-5Bs are scheduled to remain in the active-duty force,
shared by comparably sized and collocated Air Force Reserve Associate units.
Based on a recent study showing 80 percent of the C-5 airframe service life
remaining, AMC began an aggressive program to modernize the C-5. The C-5
Avionics Modernization Program began in 1998 and includes upgrading avionics to
Global Air Traffic Management compliance, improving navigation and safety
equipment, and installing a new autopilot system. Another part of the plan is a
comprehensive re-engining and reliability improvement program, which includes
new engines, pylons and auxiliary power units, with upgrades to aircraft skin
and frame, landing gear and the pressurization system.
This modernization program will restore aircraft reliability and
maintainability, maintain structural and system integrity, reduce cost of
ownership and increase operational capability well into the 21st century.
The
above text courtesy of courtesy Air Force Link - http://www.af.mil/factsheets
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The
Model
I
built this kit as part of the recent ARC Heavies Group Build. The kit is long
out of production, the kit was originally issued by Niito and subsequently
re-boxed by Entex, Testors and Revell. The moulds for this kit went missing in
the 80s and rumours about them include being sunk in Tokyo
Bay! For its age the kit holds up well against today’s offerings from
Tamiya and Trumpeter. My kit came moulded in white and clear plastic and
partially assembled (with the rarity of the kit – it can fetch up to $100 on
EBay, I took what I could get!).
For
such a large kit there are not that many parts (in the order of around 80) most
of them being for the undercarriage and wheels.
Construction
is straight forward. The wings when attached left a large step which had to be
attacked with files and sand paper to eliminate it. Lost detail was rescribed.
The only other issue I had was inserting the windscreen clear piece into the
cockpit opening, I did not like the loose fit and each time I test fitted it I
would drop it into the model. Not a good thing to happen when glue has been
applied. So I discarded it and made windscreen frames from strip plastic.
Then I filled the openings with Testors clear cement when painting was finished.
My
kit came with decals for a high visibility 80s era aircraft. The decals looked
slightly yellowed so I decided I would do a current scheme Air Mobility Command
Battle Grey aircraft. I searched Airliners.net for reference
pictures. I found one particular aircraft with over 10 pictures so I decided
that would be the one. I had a set of decals made up by a local decal producer
based on the kit sheet for the current markings.
I
painted the model with Xtracolor AMC Battle Grey and Testors Metalisers, some
decals required a white background so I masked the tail band area so the band
would not be discoloured. I should have also done this for the flag decal but I
used the flags from the kit decal instead. As it turned out one of the
flags for the kit sheet was printed flying the wrong way and I had to cut it up
and move the star field so it was oriented correctly.
The
model was finished off with some scratch built antennae, flat coated and my
feeble attempt at weathering. Things on the still to do list is to mask and
paint the air to air refuelling reference markings (which are white).
Overall
a great kit and a good build, recommended for all those that have an interest in
transports (and if you can get your hands on one!).
Ray
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