They even designed a tactical boat for the Navy SEALs around the C-5 capacity. It fits with inches to spare!

It’s right next to the APU (auxiliary power unit), so it’s either the APU or one of the ATM (air turbine motors).

You think that’s bad? I grew up next to a major Strategic Air Command base that was full of F-111s, B-52s and legions of tankers. The C-5 is pleasant compared to F-111s on afterburners and KC-135s with the old water-injected low bypass engines clawing their way off the runway.

It was absolutely true. My Dad was a C-5 pilot (aircraft commander) for many years and I definitely remember his aircraft going down for maintenance in some pretty inconvenient locations. There were plenty of times he’d be stuck in Germany, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Diego Garcia or some other crazy place, quite literally…

Yes. My father went from KC-135 to C-5 during his time in the Air Force (Strategic Air Command, Military Airlift Command, Air Mobility Command, etc).

The Patriot Wing is my father’s old C-5 unit! He flew with them for many years, including Desert Shield/Storm and a whole mess of other operations and deployments. Always happy to see the 439th repped.

Damn you Kinja, that reply was supposed to go in another thread!

My father (retired C-5 pilot) flew cargo into Iran a few times around that time, I’ll have to check with him and figure out what year it was.

That said, there were SCUD attacks against the base my father was flying into during Desert Storm. If I’m remembering it right, he spent most of Shield and Storm flying equipment into Saudi Arabia, aka “The Beach”. He spent some quality time in bunkers with his crew, waiting for the all-clear.

They don’t tend to put them in positions where they could get shot at. This is strategic airlift, not tactical. Think hauling outsized, specialized cargo to major airbases, with the added bonus of being able to haul a bunch of passengers on the upper deck.

My father was a C-5 aircraft commander for many years, and I’m excited as hell to finally see FA do a writeup on one of the aircraft that was a constant fixture of my childhood and young adult years.

My father was an old tanker pilot who transitioned to the C-5, and I grew up listening to what we called the Whistle Pig on a nearly constant basis. I was just back visiting my folks a few weeks ago and there was a C-5B out doing locals that kept passing over their house. One of the most distinctive aircraft sounds…