I was reading an article about how the Air Force has used the C-5 to transport over four million pounds of cargo to Afghanistan from Dover AFB an decided to do a little research on the aircraft. I remember the C-4 from my days in the Army. whenever we would deploy overseas the C-5′s and other transports would fly some of our equipment. Much of it woul be loaded on ships and transported that way also. I remember that the C-5′s were so heavy that when we loaded them up they had to be moved every few hours to prevent them from compressing the runway. I remember wondering at the time how in the world do you get something that heavy to fly?
The C-5 is one of the largest aircraft in the world. It’s stated mission is to provide heavy airlift over intercontinental distances, and to carry outsized and oversized cargo. This airplane can seat 73 passengers along with its heavy cargo. It is 247 feet long and 65 feet high. The kicker is that this plane can carry 270,000 pounds of cargo. It typically has an 8 man crew and a maximum speed of 579 MPH. It can be refueled while in flight and can fly at an altitude of 35,000 feet.
The Air Force ring customers who maintain and operate this piece of equipment come from both active and reserve components of the Air Force.
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