337th AS train to fly the C-5M

  • Published
  • By by Senior Airman Monica Ricci
  • 439th Airlift Wing
WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE, Mass. --  The nest is still empty at Westover, but come summertime, our birds are expected to start making their way home.
It’ll take some getting used to. The familiar whine of the C-5B Galaxy’s engines that has saturated the air at Westover for decades will be reduced to a much quieter hum when the first of eight C-5M Super Galaxies returns in June.
With the new C-5M, comes key upgrades: off-the-shelf engines, LED lighting, and improved electrical, hydraulic and fuel systems are just a few of many.
If you ask the flight crews what they’re most excited about, however, it’s the reliability the rejuvenated aircraft promises. In the C-5B’s absence, the base has received five C-5A “loaners” to keep Westover’s mission moving.
“We’ve gone down from 16 aircraft to eight, and now to five with the A models,” said Lt. Col. Tim Robinson, operations officer from the 337th Airlift Squadron. “Training has suffered, we’ve had to cancel multiple locals [training missions].”
In preparation for the big return, a cadre of pilots, engineers and loadmasters are headed to Dover Air Force Base, Delaware to get spun up on all things C-5M. Once they’re done, they’ll return and train the rest of Westover’s crews.
The base will also be receiving a brand new C-5M simulator to replace the current C-5B simulator as early as March. Robinson said simulators provide a more cost-efficient way for pilots to train, and provide a platform for pilots to practice emergency situations they otherwise wouldn’t be able to in the air.