INTO SERVICE
On June 6, 1970, the USAF’s
rst operational C-5A (68-
0212) was delivered and
assigned to the 437th Military
Airlift Wing at Charleston AFB,
South Carolina. The military
was keen to show off its new
super airlifter, so the 437th
was sent to Europe for a brief
tour from July 24 to 28 of that
year, stopping off in Spain,
West Germany and the UK- RAF Lakenheath being the
British base visited.
On a less positive note, a Lockheed
employee was killed when the rst prototype
caught re during engineering work on a fuel
tank at Marietta on October 17, 1970. Another
worker was injured and the
aircraft was a write-off.
Aircraft were owing off the
production line at a steady
rate and the 75th Military
Airlift Squadron, 60th Military
Airlift Wing (MAW), received
its initial operational C-5 at
Travis AFB, California, on
October 24. The rst Galaxy
ight simulator was installed
at the base soon after, going
‘live’ the following year. The
443rd Military Airlift Wing also
received the type at Altus AFB, Oklahoma.
An aircraft from the latter unit encountered
a major problem on September 29, 1971
when an engine became detached while
being powered up. Thankfully it happenedhttp://www.aviation-news.co.uk 59The last C-5M Super Galaxy to join the 60th AMW eet, 68-0216, formerly
a C-5C, arriving at Travis AFB on April 17, 2018. USAF/MSgt Joey SwaffordAbove: The C-5A Galaxy prototype, 66-8303,
during an early air test. This aircraft was written
off in a re on October 17, 1970. Lockheed
Below: A tired-looking C-5A 68-0217 in
international airspace during July 1991.
AirTeamImages.com/ATI Collection58-63_galaxyDC.mfDC.mf.indd 59 03/07/2018 11:23