Posted: 3/21/2011 11:24:39 AM EDT
| Is it true it was referred to as FRED bc it was a collossal waste of $$? |
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Is it true it was referred to as FRED bc it was a collossal waste of $$? "The C-5 is also known as FRED (fucking, sometimes written as "fantastic", ridiculous, economic/environmental disaster) by its crews due to its maintenance/reliability issues and large consumption of fuel." |
The last sound a Herky Crew Chief wanted to hear was the distinctive whine of Fred in the pattern.
They were guaranteed to suck-up all available resources till it limped out again. 
The Ol' Crew Chief ETA - & don't get Me started on Fred's "Gods Gift to All Mankind Flight Crews"  
I think They must have gone to a special School to learn how to be such Insufferable A$$holes. |
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Quoted: I rode on a C-5 once. We made it from Kuwait to Rota, then Rota to Rota when we had to turn around because a reverse bucket was stuck down, and upon landing the brakes caught on fire, and a fuel leak started.The last sound a Herky Crew Chief wanted to hear was the distinctive whine of Fred in the pattern. They were guaranteed to suck-up all available resources till it limped out again. The Ol' Crew chief |
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I rode on a C-5 once. We made it from Kuwait to Rota, then Rota to Rota when we had to turn around because a reverse bucket was stuck down, and upon landing the brakes caught on fire, and a fuel leak started.
The last sound a Herky Crew Chief wanted to hear was the distinctive whine of Fred in the pattern.
They were guaranteed to suck-up all available resources till it limped out again.
The Ol' Crew chief I spent 4 hours on New Years Day '85 @ Lajes in the Azores waiting for a lousy 4,500 gallons of fuel & watched 5 fuel trucks sitting behind one of those Aluminum Overcast waiting to refuel it after the Army of Specialists finished Their tasks. That Beast tried to get over the pond & it came back 3 times IFE for a false Warning light problem. |
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The last sound a Herky Crew Chief wanted to hear was the distinctive whine of Fred in the pattern.
They were guaranteed to suck-up all available resources till it limped out again.
The Ol' Crew Chief ETA - & don't get Me started on Fred's "Gods Gift to All Mankind Flight Crews"
I think They must have gone to a special School to learn how to be such Insufferable A$$holes.[/quote] What's the difference between a C-5 and it's crew? The plane stops whining when the engines are shut down. 
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I rode on a C-5 once. We made it from Kuwait to Rota, then Rota to Rota when we had to turn around because a reverse bucket was stuck down, and upon landing the brakes caught on fire, and a fuel leak started.The last sound a Herky Crew Chief wanted to hear was the distinctive whine of Fred in the pattern. They were guaranteed to suck-up all available resources till it limped out again. The Ol' Crew chief I spent 4 hours on New Years Day '85 @ Lajes in the Azores waiting for a lousy 4,500 gallons of fuel & watched 5 fuel trucks sitting behind one of those Aluminum Overcast waiting to refuel it after the Army of Specialists finished Their tasks. That Beast tried to get over the pond & it came back 3 times IFE for a false Warning light problem. Yea, I had been in Iraq for about 7 months, and just wanted to get home. We had to unass the plane and run out into the field until they could get the brakes out. So finally, they clear us to get our stuff, we get into the terminal, and there's no place for us to stay on base. We ended up sleeping in the terminal for a week waiting for them to fix the plane (and the infamous 'they' wouldn't bump us to another flight). No clothes but the rotten cammies we had on our backs. (2003 coming back from the invasion). Oh they aircrew had their freaking bags off and hightailed it out to town for a week with their arms full of civvie's........ |
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My buddy flies C17s, and has broken down in Hawaii two of his last three trips. Tough Life. When I was a 141 FE I never had the opportunity to break in a prime location. On my last trip (in 1987) we landed in Mogadishu and discovered an upper inboard spoiler stuck fully open. The drive quadrant had shattered. The aircraft commander asked, "Do you want to call for a maintenance team and go into crew rest?" We said, "Are you crazy?  Look around us."
I spent a couple hours on top of the wing under that east African sun digging out broken parts and bolting down the offending panel. We had to call on the HF for an extension of our duty day so we didn't burn out, but we sure as heck weren't staying there. |
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My buddy flies C17s, and has broken down in Hawaii two of his last three trips. Tough Life. When I was a 141 FE I never had the opportunity to break in a prime location. On my last trip (in 1987) we landed in Mogadishu and discovered an upper inboard spoiler stuck fully open. The drive quadrant had shattered. The aircraft commander asked, "Do you want to call for a maintenance team and go into crew rest?" We said, "Are you crazy? Look around us."
I spent a couple hours on top of the wing under that east African sun digging out broken parts and bolting down the offending panel. We had to call on the HF for an extension of our duty day so we didn't burn out, but we sure as heck weren't staying there. Then you weren't much of an engineer, were you?
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I've flown on a C-5 a few times. They were used to transport our aircraft and equipment. One of the hardest landings ever was on a C-5, I could have swore the landing gear tore through the airframe.  That's when you ask the pilot, "So, Mav, did you catch the 2 wire?" |
| When I was a kid they would fly over my daddy's farm in N GA during testing,with fighter jets off the wings.One night one flew over and shed parts and sheet metal for miles.We picked up 6 2 X 2 ft. pieces with rivet holes torn out.They had helicopters flying for days trying to retrieve the stuff.A pickup with AF markings came by for what we found. |
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My buddy flies C17s, and has broken down in Hawaii two of his last three trips. Tough Life. ]When I was a 141 FE I never had the legitimate opportunity to break in a prime locationOn my last trip (in 1987) we landed in Mogadishu and discovered an upper inboard spoiler stuck fully open. The drive quadrant had shattered. The aircraft commander asked, "Do you want to call for a maintenance team and go into crew rest?" We said, "Are you crazy? Look around us."
I spent a couple hours on top of the wing under that east African sun digging out broken parts and bolting down the offending panel. We had to call on the HF for an extension of our duty day so we didn't burn out, but we sure as heck weren't staying there. Then you weren't much of an engineer, were you?
Fixed.
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My buddy flies C17s, and has broken down in Hawaii two of his last three trips. Tough Life. ]When I was a 141 FE I never had the legitimate opportunity to break in a prime locationOn my last trip (in 1987) we landed in Mogadishu and discovered an upper inboard spoiler stuck fully open. The drive quadrant had shattered. The aircraft commander asked, "Do you want to call for a maintenance team and go into crew rest?" We said, "Are you crazy? Look around us."
I spent a couple hours on top of the wing under that east African sun digging out broken parts and bolting down the offending panel. We had to call on the HF for an extension of our duty day so we didn't burn out, but we sure as heck weren't staying there. Then you weren't much of an engineer, were you?
Fixed. 
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Quoted: Quoted: I knew a few C-5 pilots. Seems they were constantly complaining about the plane breaking down and stranding them somewhere. You should ask em why it always breaks down in Hawaii, Guam, Ramstein, and Elmendorf (in the summer, technique only). Funny how that works, isn't it? Our C-17 crews here fly all over PACAF and I swear they know their per-diem rates better than their EPs. Our break rate in Singapore and Thailand is about 500% higher than in Diego Garcia or Wake Island, wonder why? 
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If you see four C5s and three of them are on jacks, what's that tell you? The base ran out of jacks.
I've never had the misfortune to ride in a C-5. I know our planes are starting to show their age, but nothing like C-5s... yet. As an ACM, it was a nice ride...as long as the crew let you sit up front where you belonged. Usually, though, they were assholes who treated ACM's like regular passengers and made you ride in the back. |
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I crew chief'd -141's out of McGuire for 5.5 years, went all over Europe and S. America/C. America, never broke ANYWHERE. At least nothing I couldn't fix enough to keep going.
I crew chief'd FRED's outta Travis for 2 years- damn near 100% breakdowns. HATED that POS. Only reason I stayed flying was I hated my bosses more. 
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| I only had 1 experience with a c5. Waiting at the hold line in a kc-10 for one to land. On the lakebed. No nose gear. Got to listen to the radio calls and watch at the same time. Pretty amazing. Makes sense now. pilot got a medal for svaing lives and the aircraft. |
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I knew a few C-5 pilots. Seems they were constantly complaining about the plane breaking down and stranding them somewhere. You should ask em why it always breaks down in Hawaii, Guam, Ramstein, and Elmendorf (in the summer, technique only). Funny how that works, isn't it? Our C-17 crews here fly all over PACAF and I swear they know their per-diem rates better than their EPs. Our break rate in Singapore and Thailand is about 500% higher than in Diego Garcia or Wake Island, wonder why? So true. When I worked for TALCE it was funny to see the LM/FE come down the crew ladder with a moral patch that read “Per-diem, anywhere, anytime!” Australia had a really bad MC rate for some reason. But of course I went to Kuwait (KCI) one time the MC rate was awesome. Actually had a FCC ask me if I had a part for the MLG. I didn't and they off loaded the AC of 18 pallets and flew back to Sig with the gear down just so they wouldn't be stranded there. Something about the crappy accommodations on Camp Doha.
I have lots of stories like that. |
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I knew a few C-5 pilots. Seems they were constantly complaining about the plane breaking down and stranding them somewhere. You should ask em why it always breaks down in Hawaii, Guam, Ramstein, and Elmendorf (in the summer, technique only). Funny how that works, isn't it? Our C-17 crews here fly all over PACAF and I swear they know their per-diem rates better than their EPs. Our break rate in Singapore and Thailand is about 500% higher than in Diego Garcia or Wake Island, wonder why? Wake Island was actually a pretty good place to crew rest. If you brought them fresh milk and other goodies, the guys in the Det there would take ya water skiing and have a big cookout right on the beach. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I knew a few C-5 pilots. Seems they were constantly complaining about the plane breaking down and stranding them somewhere. You should ask em why it always breaks down in Hawaii, Guam, Ramstein, and Elmendorf (in the summer, technique only). Funny how that works, isn't it? Our C-17 crews here fly all over PACAF and I swear they know their per-diem rates better than their EPs. Our break rate in Singapore and Thailand is about 500% higher than in Diego Garcia or Wake Island, wonder why? Wake Island was actually a pretty good place to crew rest. If you brought them fresh milk and other goodies, the guys in the Det there would take ya water skiing and have a big cookout right on the beach. We fly out-n-backs there every week. Our guys just take their fishing gear. They never break there though.
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I knew a few C-5 pilots. Seems they were constantly complaining about the plane breaking down and stranding them somewhere. You should ask em why it always breaks down in Hawaii, Guam, Ramstein, and Elmendorf (in the summer, technique only). Funny how that works, isn't it? Our C-17 crews here fly all over PACAF and I swear they know their per-diem rates better than their EPs. Our break rate in Singapore and Thailand is about 500% higher than in Diego Garcia or Wake Island, wonder why? Wake Island was actually a pretty good place to crew rest. If you brought them fresh milk and other goodies, the guys in the Det there would take ya water skiing and have a big cookout right on the beach. We fly out-n-backs there every week. Our guys just take their fishing gear. They never break there though. Back in my day, we'd fly a shuttle there one day, then three days later actually have a scheduled rest there. Had a lot of fun there
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You guys are so negative. All the C-5's I've ever seen were always FMC. Firmly Mounted to Concrete that is.  
Awesome! Never heard that one. I always thought it stood for: Fugger Might Crash. I once said that to a fellow Herky CC. His reply was two words. (I also told Him His Pig was merely several thousand rusty rivets flying in close formation.) The Ol' Crew Chief |
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I've flown on a C-5 a few times. They were used to transport our aircraft and equipment. One of the hardest landings ever was on a C-5, I could have swore the landing gear tore through the airframe. Rode back from Rhein Main to the states twice on hop on leave. Worst plane flights of my life. Loud screaming depenedent children Ugh! |
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Quoted: Quoted: I've flown on a C-5 a few times. They were used to transport our aircraft and equipment. One of the hardest landings ever was on a C-5, I could have swore the landing gear tore through the airframe. Rode back from Rhein Main to the states twice on hop on leave. Worst plane flights of my life. Loud screaming depenedent children Ugh! Ugh. On my last flight home from the desert, we stopped in Germany for fuel and an overnight stay. We had to bring Space-As home with us. I HATE screaming kids or parents that let their kids run wild on the plane. |
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Didn't they get grounded for a year or so, just after they went into service, because of cracks in the wing root? (I also told Him His Pig was merely several thousand rusty rivets flying in close formation.) It was an issue with how the rear cargo doors latched that caused one to go down leaving Vietnam. |
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Quoted: I have flown on a C-5 three times, once going to a DET in Hawaii, once going to Rosey Roads and once going to Christchurch, NZ from Antarctica. Never broke down, never had any problems, the flights were great. You must have had a Reserve crew in a hurry to get back to their civilian jobs |
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Quoted: Quoted: Didn't they get grounded for a year or so, just after they went into service, because of cracks in the wing root? (I also told Him His Pig was merely several thousand rusty rivets flying in close formation.) It was an issue with how the rear cargo doors latched that caused one to go down leaving Vietnam. An investigation showed that the ramp latches had been cannibalized from another aircraft and the technicians that installed them, signed the job off without rigging them. Only a couple of locks were latched and eventually broke loose. Ramp and door system on the C-5 is one complicated MoFo. If I remember correctly, Ramp and Door school when I was at Dover was 4 to 6 weeks long. |
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Didn't they get grounded for a year or so, just after they went into service, because of cracks in the wing root? (I also told Him His Pig was merely several thousand rusty rivets flying in close formation.) It was an issue with how the rear cargo doors latched that caused one to go down leaving Vietnam. An investigation showed that the ramp latches had been cannibalized from another aircraft and the technicians that installed them, signed the job off without rigging them. Only a couple of locks were latched and eventually broke loose. Ramp and door system on the C-5 is one complicated MoFo. If I remember correctly, Ramp and Door school when I was at Dover was 4 to 6 weeks long. Operation Babylift. 153 dead  .
A C-5A Galaxy 68-0218 flew the initial mission of Operation Babylift to bring Vietnamese orphans to the US in the few remaining days before the Republic of Vietnam fell. The C-5 departed Saigon-Tan Son Nhat Airport shortly after 4 p.m. on April 4, 1975. Twelve minutes after takeoff, there was what seemed to be an explosion as the lower rear fuselage was torn apart. The locks of the rear loading ramp had failed, causing the door to open and separate. A rapid decompression occurred. Control and trim cables to the rudder and elevators were severed, leaving only one aileron and wing spoilers operating. Two of the four hydraulic systems were out. The crew wrestled at the controls, managing to keep control of the plane with changes in power settings by using the one working aileron and wing spoilers.The crew descended to an altitude of 4,000 feet on a heading of 310 degrees in preparation for landing on Tan Son Nhut's runway 25L. About halfway through a turn to final approach, the rate of descent increased rapidly. Seeing they couldn't make the runway, full power was applied to bring the nose up. The C-5 touched down in a rice paddy. Skidding for a quarter of a mile, the aircraft again became airborne for a half mile before hitting a dike and breaking into four parts, some of which caught fire. 175 of the 328 aboard survived.
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I've flown on a C-5 a few times. They were used to transport our aircraft and equipment. One of the hardest landings ever was on a C-5, I could have swore the landing gear tore through the airframe. That's when you ask the pilot, "So, Mav, did you catch the 2 wire?" After a rather bouncy return to Terra Firma courtesy of a Butter Bar in the Right-hand seat, I heard the following: FE: "Sooooooo, Looo-tennent......How shall I log this......say, one Takeoff aaaaaand ...about four landings?" CP:
Ol' Crew Chief:
The Ol' Crew Chief |
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My best C-5 flight was when I deadheaded from Clark to Hickam. I was DNIF and pretty doped up on drugs for a chest wall infection.
I remember getting on the airplane at Clark, crawling into a bunk, and waking up an hour after we landed at Hickam. I was so out of it, the primary crew decided to leave me alone instead of waking me up once we arrived. |
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My best C-5 flight was when I deadheaded from Clark to Hickam. I was DNIF and pretty doped up on drugs for a chest wall infection. I remember getting on the airplane at Clark, crawling into a bunk, and waking up an hour after we landed at Hickam. I was so out of it, the primary crew decided to leave me alone instead of waking me up once we arrived. I had pretty much the same experience form Buenes Aires to Panama- but it was rum cake instead of meds!!
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My best C-5 flight was when I deadheaded from Clark to Hickam. I was DNIF and pretty doped up on drugs for a chest wall infection. I remember getting on the airplane at Clark, crawling into a bunk, and waking up an hour after we landed at Hickam. I was so out of it, the primary crew decided to leave me alone instead of waking me up once we arrived. I had pretty much the same experience form Buenes Aires to Panama- but it was rum cake instead of meds!! I had a great crew rest in BA. It was the other FE's home town. He introduced me to his grandfather, who was a Captain on the second-place team in WWII. I also remember the steak I had at a reataurant called la Chacra. It was an incredible slab of cow.
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