The U.S. Air Force's C-5 Galaxy Plane Turns %0 Years Olf This Year

The US Air Force C-5 transport jet hits the big 5-0. Did we say big? Yes. Freakishly big.

CNN: Happy 50th birthday to America's biggest military airplane

Marietta, Georgia (CNN)One of the largest airplanes in the world -- a jet that forever changed America's military and airline industry -- is turning half a century old.

When you see a C-5 Galaxy on the ground for the first time, the first thing that strikes you is... it's freakishly huge.

Length: 247 feet. Wingspan: wider than a Boeing 747-400. The pilot sits about three-and-a-half stories high in the cockpit, and the plane's T-tail stands as tall as a six-story building.

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WNU Editor: 50 years already!?!?!?! 

The U.S. Air Force Wants To Bring More C-5 Galaxy Planes Back Into Service

The Spirit of Global Reach, Team Dover's first C-5M Super Galaxy, was delivered Feb. 9, 2010 during a delivery ceremony at Dover Air Force Base, Del. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jason Minto)

DoD Buzz: Air Force Wants More C-5s on the Flightline

The Air Force plans to activate more C-5M Super Galaxies after removing a number of the cargo planes from active service due to budget constraints, officials said.

A few years ago, the size of the fleet was more than 100 aircraft; today, it’s half of that, according to Gen. Carlton Everhart, the head of Air Mobility Command.

Over the next few years, the Air Force plans to allocate funding to move at least eight of the Lockheed Martin Corp.-made strategic airlifters out of backup status, according to Lt. Gen. Jerry D. Harris, the service’s deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and requirements.

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More News On The U.S. Air Force Wanting To Bring More C-5 Galaxy Planes Back Into Service

The Air Force Is Calling Its Largest Plane Back To The Tarmac -- Task & Purpose
Air Force Now Wants to Get Sidelined C-5 Galaxy Transports Back In the Air -- The Drive
The Air Force is Reactivating the Giant C-5 Galaxy -- Popular Mecahnics
The Air Force is calling its largest plane back to the tarmac -- Business Insider
US Air Force Moves to Beef Up C-5 Aircraft Fleet -- Sputnik

Lockeed Martin Delivers Final F-22 Raptor And C-5 Galaxy Planes

Lockheed Martin Delivers Final F-22 Raptor -- FOX News

MARIETTA, Ga. - It was a big moment for the Lockheed Martin plant in Marietta. The plant delivered the final F-22 warplane to the United States Air Force on Wednesday.

Thousands in the area were employed to build the plane in recent years. Work on the plane began in 1991 and at the end, 195 F-22 Raptors were built.

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Update: Final F-22 delivery ceremony at Air Force Plant 6/Lockheed Martin -- Divds

WNU Editor: The C-5 story is here.

USAF’s C-5 Galaxy Gets Modern Upgrades With…GPS!

C-5 Galaxy with a Tomcat

From Autopia/Wired:

Say you have 60 tons of cargo, or a half dozen Apache helicopters you need moved across the Atlantic.

Who you gonna call?

Well Lt. Col. Scott Erickson is happy to help. And thanks to his new cargo carrying behemoth, he can get you there quicker and can carry more supplies than he could have just a few years ago.

For more than a decade Lt. Col. Erickson has been flying the massive C-5 Galaxy for the U.S. Air Force. The giant cargo plane has been around for a while, and after nearly 40 years of service, the Pentagon recently decided to upgrade the largest plane in the fleet. And the difference for the pilots was noticeable the first time they flew the new C-5M model.

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My Comment: I had the opportunity to stand inside a C-5 .... the pictures can never capture the sense of how big it is.