Did I just see a C-5 Galaxy at SFO?
June 23, 2010 5:22 PM Subscribe
I'm pretty sure I just saw a C-5 Galaxy on the runway at SFO. Did I?
Riding the shuttle back home on the 101, I glanced out the window and saw a large, four-engined jet with wings mounted at the top of the fuselage. The wings pointed towards the ground at ~20 degrees, presumably because of their weight. I saw a similar airplane at Moffett Field about a week ago. Neither appeared to be taxiing.
So, can anyone confirm that this was a C-5 Galaxy? What resources are useful for figuring something like this out? Would it be possible to figure out why it was at SFO?
Finally, for bonus points, what is this wing configuration called? Wikipedia fails to mention anything in the description of the Galaxy or similar planes like the de Havilland Dash 8.
Riding the shuttle back home on the 101, I glanced out the window and saw a large, four-engined jet with wings mounted at the top of the fuselage. The wings pointed towards the ground at ~20 degrees, presumably because of their weight. I saw a similar airplane at Moffett Field about a week ago. Neither appeared to be taxiing.
So, can anyone confirm that this was a C-5 Galaxy? What resources are useful for figuring something like this out? Would it be possible to figure out why it was at SFO?
Finally, for bonus points, what is this wing configuration called? Wikipedia fails to mention anything in the description of the Galaxy or similar planes like the de Havilland Dash 8.
Never mind; I'd never noticed that an An-124 doesn't have a t-tail like the C-5 and 17.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 5:40 PM on June 23, 2010
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 5:40 PM on June 23, 2010
Is the president coming to town? Any time he comes to Pittsburgh, a C-5 arrives the day before, presumably with his motorcade in it. We have an Air National Guard base as well as an Air Force Reserve base at PIT, and that is where the C-5 and Air Force One park when he is in town.
I think a C-5 travels with the vice president, as well.
posted by dforemsky at 5:44 PM on June 23, 2010
I think a C-5 travels with the vice president, as well.
posted by dforemsky at 5:44 PM on June 23, 2010
Best answer: The wings pointed towards the ground at ~20 degrees, presumably because of their weight.
No, the wings are deliberately designed with anhedral (negative dihedral). High-wing aircraft have too much natural stability, and need anhedral wings to regain some agility.
posted by randomstriker at 5:47 PM on June 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
No, the wings are deliberately designed with anhedral (negative dihedral). High-wing aircraft have too much natural stability, and need anhedral wings to regain some agility.
posted by randomstriker at 5:47 PM on June 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Bonus round: Wings like that are simply high wings, or shoulder wings.
Super bonus round: when the tip of the wing sits lower than the root, the wing is anhedral.
Wikipedia
posted by One Thousand and One at 5:47 PM on June 23, 2010
Super bonus round: when the tip of the wing sits lower than the root, the wing is anhedral.
Wikipedia
posted by One Thousand and One at 5:47 PM on June 23, 2010
Best answer: I think Medvedev's in town, would that explain it?
posted by avocet at 5:49 PM on June 23, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by avocet at 5:49 PM on June 23, 2010 [3 favorites]
Best answer: I get notified by FlightAware any time an An-124 or Il-76 lands at Moffett Field or SFO. Over the weekend both types landed at SFO, probably as support for Medvedev. The An-124 is probably what you saw.
posted by zsazsa at 6:50 PM on June 23, 2010
posted by zsazsa at 6:50 PM on June 23, 2010
It might be related to the Russian Naval visit going on in San Francisco right now:
http://en.rian.ru/world/20100621/159504728.html
posted by desl at 6:51 PM on June 23, 2010
http://en.rian.ru/world/20100621/159504728.html
posted by desl at 6:51 PM on June 23, 2010
Also, it's highly likely you saw the same plane at both Moffett aand SFO. A few days ago an An-124 flew from Moffett to SFO. I'd post more details but I'm on my phone. More later!
posted by zsazsa at 6:55 PM on June 23, 2010
posted by zsazsa at 6:55 PM on June 23, 2010
Best answer: There was an Il-76 at SFO on Sunday, for sure.
The airliners.net forum is awesome for this kind of minutiae, and particularly good for breaking news situations, like a plane ditching in the Hudson River. Those guys know more about the airline business than you will ever hope to absorb.
posted by intermod at 7:51 PM on June 23, 2010
The airliners.net forum is awesome for this kind of minutiae, and particularly good for breaking news situations, like a plane ditching in the Hudson River. Those guys know more about the airline business than you will ever hope to absorb.
posted by intermod at 7:51 PM on June 23, 2010
Not so much the Russian Navy, President Medvedev is in SF this week.
posted by ericales at 11:46 PM on June 23, 2010
posted by ericales at 11:46 PM on June 23, 2010
Response by poster: Awesome. Thanks for the information, guys.
posted by kdar at 9:10 AM on June 24, 2010
posted by kdar at 9:10 AM on June 24, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
C-5s and C-17s look pretty different, but I could easily confuse a C-5 and an Antonov, and there are civilian Antonov operators. The big military transports all have to look an awful lot alike because of the demands the job places on the aircraft.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 5:38 PM on June 23, 2010