C-5M sets 41 world records

  • Published
  • By Capt. Marnee A.C. Losurdo
  • 512th Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  A Dover aircrew flying a C-5M Super Galaxy, named the Spirit of Normandy, unofficially set 41 world records in a single flight, taking off from the base before dawn today.
 
The results are pending certification by the National Aeronautic Association and should be finalized in about a month, said Kristan Maynard, the NAA official observer who documented the world record attempt. The NAA is the record-keeper for U.S. aviation. 

The crew, composed of eight 512th Airlift Wing reservists and four 436th AW active-duty members, was led by Maj. Cory Bulris, the aircraft commander and 436th Operations Group Program Integration Office chief for the C-5M. 

With a payload of about 178,000 pounds, the C-5M climbed to 12,000 meters in less than 28 minutes setting the altitude, payload and time-to-climb records during the one-and-a-half-hour flight. Because they were successful, the records "trickled down" to the lighter payloads and lower altitudes. 

"We are very proud of this accomplishment; and, it displayed the capability of the C-5M, the Air Mobility Command's newest airlifter," said Major Bulris, who added planning for this mission began almost two months ago. 

To prepare for the record-breaking run, the NAA weighed the aircraft, its fuel and cargo Friday. 

Mr. Maynard said he was impressed with the aircraft's record-breaking capability. 

"This doesn't happen very often; I'll to you that - not in one flight," he said. 

One of the records broken today was previously held by the Russians who set it in 1989 with a Tupolev Tu-160 aircraft, said Mr. Maynard. It's one of the more significant records broken - the altitude attained in horizontal flight. 

The C-5M crew also set a new record for the greatest mass carried to 2,000 meters, set by a C-17A in 1993. The crew also broke six other records previously held by the C-17.
 
A C-5M, which was used for the record-breaking flight, is a C-5 Galaxy that has received a modernized glass cockpit and avionics upgrade as part of the Avionics Modernization Program and new engines through the Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program. 

The C-5 Galaxy, one of the world's largest aircraft, has been the backbone of America's strategic airlift fleet since the late 1960s. However, years of wear and tear impacted the C-5s' reliability rates, yet testing revealed the C-5 fleet had 80 percent of its structural service life remaining. Rather than doing away with the aircraft, Lockheed Martin proposed a plan in September 1998 to update the C-5 Galaxy fleet with new avionics and engines. 

These improvements are predicted to raise the aircraft's reliability levels. 

"This aircraft is capable of significantly shorter take-offs than the previous aircraft," said Lt. Col. Mike Semo, 709th Airlift Squadron pilot and C-5M Program Office chief." We are able to take more cargo farther distances with greater reliability. They've also vastly improved to a glass cockpit, which results in greater situational awareness for the pilots. There are upgrades to navigation, safety equipment, communications and a new autopilot system. This really is a modern aircraft for a modern Air Force." 

Current Air Force plans call for Lockheed Martin to deliver 52 C-5Ms by 2016. Dover currently has three C-5Ms. 

While it's the Spirit of Normandy that's set to go down in the record books, future C-5Ms are sure to make a name for themselves as they continue to carry supplies and combat-ready military units around the globe at any time.