JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- The saying “history repeats itself” has become all
too familiar to the 433rd Airlift Wing, as hundreds of Airmen and distinguished
guests gathered along the flight line here June 17 to welcome the Alamo Wing’s first
official C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft, bestowed “The City of San Antonio.”
The 433rd AW is the first and only U.S.
Air Force Reserve wing to receive Lockheed Martin’s modernized strategic airlifter.
Flashback 32 years
ago, on Dec. 1, 1984, a similar crowd gathered at Kelly Air Force Base, Texas, as the wing, then the 433rd Tactical Airlift Wing, welcomed
its predecessor, the first C-5A Galaxy, also named “The City of San Antonio” into
the Air Force Reserve Command’s inventory.
“This is a remarkable day for the 433rd Airlift Wing,” said
Maj. Gen. John C. Flournoy Jr., 4th Air Force commander, who piloted the
aircraft to Lackland. “The opportunity to take an older aircraft and bring it
up to today’s standards for aviation is absolutely
phenomenal. This was my first-time landing
in a C-5M and let me tell you it flies like a dream. It’s absolutely a
wonderful piece of modern technology in that cockpit, and it felt great!”
This particular C-5M is the first of nine aircraft that
will make up the Alamo Wing’s fleet by late 2018.
Distinguished guest, Tony Frese, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
Company Air Mobility and Maritime Missions vice president, noted that the
aircraft, produced by Lockheed Martin, is superior to its predecessor, the C-5A,
in every way.”
“The biggest step up the C-5M brings are the upgraded engines, which provide not only, about 22 percent improved thrust, but up to 20 percent more fuel efficiency,” he said. “That
converts into over 20 percent more range for this aircraft, much
shorter takeoff distances, much faster time, but also more reliability. Also, the
engines are 10 times more reliable than
the previous version’s engines. However, what
most people don’t realize is the other 70
improvements that have been made to other
systems of the aircraft, and they really
bring together the significant reliability of this aircraft.”
Tech. Sgt. David Ponce, 433rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
C-5M crew chief, who accepted the ceremonial key to the aircraft, said he is ready to get to work on the wing’s first C-5M.
“We’re really excited to get our hands on our own C-5Ms,” said the 16-year airlift aircraft
maintenance technician. “We’ve been
working on what we call ‘loaners’ from Dover and Travis (Air Force Bases), and
now we have our first one. I love my job as a dedicated crew chief and knowing
that the maintenance we provide on the aircraft makes a difference.”
Performance abilities aside,
one thing both the 1984 C-5A, tail number 69-0016, and today’s modernized C-5M,
tail number 70027, have in common is their unique “City of San Antonio” distinction.
They are the only two C-5s to be bestowed “The City of San Antonio,” a
testament to the solid relationship between the military and San Antonio
community. The name, along with a depiction of the famous Alamo, is
showcased on the aircraft to the left of the door.
During the ceremony, San Antonio City Council member Rey
Saldana, District 4, read a proclamation on behalf of the city to the 433rd AW welcoming its first Super
Galaxy.
“I’m a
member of the San Antonio community, and more than anything; we like to pride ourselves
on being called ‘Military City USA,’” he said. “It’s
not just a slogan for us."
“I’ve lived outside the Lackland Air
Force Base community my entire life, so to be invited in as an elected official,
and more importantly, as a San Antonio community member it means the world to
me, especially on a great day like this, where you get to get close up to the
mission and to see the arrival of the great C-5M Super Galaxy,” said
Saldana. “It’s amazing.”
As the ceremony came to a close, guests were invited to
explore the largest plane in the U.S. military fleet. This was especially exciting for Retired Gen. Thomas
M. Ryan Jr., former Military Airlift Command commander, who piloted that first
C-5A Galaxy to Kelly Air Force Base, Texas, home to the wing all those years
ago.
“It feels good to be here around a great bunch of people in
the 433rd,” said the 88-year-old command pilot who has flown more than 8,000
flying hours. “This brings back a lot of good memories.”
“The M is a great addition to the fleet,” he said. “They
finally have a modern, reliable plane to accomplish their mission. I’m happy for them.”
Col. Thomas K. Smith Jr., 433rd AW commander, mirrored
Ryan’s excitement for improved capabilities the C-5M will bring to his unit.
“Our mission at the 433rd Airlift Wing is to provide combat
ready troops to the active-duty military and our combatant commanders,” he
said. “This upgrade ensures us the ability to provide reliable, rapid global
mobility, one of the six Air Force core competencies. This is a great day for
us here at the Alamo Wing.”