C-5 Galaxy joins lineup for Wings Over Homestead Air Show, Nov. 7-8

  • Published
  • By 482nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. --  One of the largest aircraft in the world and the largest in the Air Force inventory will be on display during the "Wings Over Homestead Air Show" on Nov. 7-8.

South Florida residents will be able to climb into and explore the gigantic C-5 Galaxy and walk through the vast cargo bay to see the Air Force's airlift mission.

The Galaxy and its crew provide combat-ready military units to any point in the world. It has the ability to carry 36 standard pallets and up to 81 troops simultaneously. The Galaxy also carries all of the Army's air-transportable combat equipment, including such bulky items as its 74-ton mobile scissors bridge from the United States to any theater of combat on the globe. Ground crews are able to load and off-load the C-5 simultaneously at the front and rear cargo openings, reducing cargo transfer times.

Other aircraft on display during the airshow will include: the B-52 Stratofortress, KC-135 Stratotanker, Navy Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-15 Eagle, C-130 transport aircraft, an Army H-60 helicopter, and many other vintage military aircraft.

Other features of the C-5 are:

-Able to operate on runways 6,000 feet long (1,829 meters)

-Five landing gear totaling 28 wheels to distribute 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

-The C-5 has the distinctive high T-tail, 25-degree wing sweep, and four TF39 turbofan engines mounted on pylons beneath the wings. These engines are rated at 43,000 pounds of thrust each, and weigh 7,900 pounds (3,555 kilograms) each. They have an air intake diameter of more than 8.5 feet (2.6 meters). Each engine pod is nearly 27 feet long (8.2 meters).

-The Galaxy has 12 internal wing tanks with a total capacity of 51,150 gallons (194,370 liters) of fuel -- enough to fill 6 1/2 regular size railroad tank cars. A full fuel load weighs 332,500 pounds (150,820 kilograms). A C-5 with a cargo load of 270,000 pounds (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 refueling.