Missions take 445th Airlift Wing's C-5 Galaxy around the world

  • Published
  • By Stacy Vaughn
  • 445th Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  A 445th Airlift Wing C-5 Galaxy flew around the world, picking up and delivering cargo for two weeks in June in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Aircrew members assigned to the 89th Airlift Squadron and two crew chiefs assigned to the 445th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron had the opportunity to add more stamps to their passports because their aircraft flew on missions that took them to Colorado, Germany, Iraq, Afghanistan, Diego Garcia, Japan, Korea, Alaska and California before returning home.

The crew originally set out on one mission. The crew's aircraft commander, Capt. Frank Saul, knew of cargo planes flying out of California that were taking on missions flying further and further west; basically, taking them around the world. He saw this as the perfect opportunity to extend their trip to take on another mission to do just that. Plus, at the same time, it would save another unit from being tasked if they could take on this second mission.

"I called someone I knew at the Tanker Airlift Control Center at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., and asked him if they had anything going further west bound; going all the way around the world. He looked into it and got back to me, and said they had a mission that they could use our support on. They contacted our current ops, and we got the approval through maintenance, operations, and scheduling to accept the mission. The crew was excited and willing to stay with the trip for a few more days," Captain Saul said.

The first leg of the around the world mission had the crew delivering Army supplies from Colorado to Afghanistan. On their way to Afghanistan, the crew stayed the night in Iraq in make shift sleeping quarters built out of old shipping containers that were retro fitted into trailers.

The second leg of the trip included an overnight stay in Diego Garcia for crew rest before picking up cargo at two different locations in Japan. The captain said most of the cargo they picked up included household goods that needed to be shipped back to the United States.

"Basically, the cargo we picked up in Japan was composed of anything that had to be moved from the Pacific back to the States. We picked up roughly 40,000 pounds of cargo at each location, filling up most of the plane, and flew it to the United States," Captain Saul said.

The crew stopped in Alaska for crew rest before dropping off the cargo in California. After dropping off their last load, it was time for the aircrew to make one more trip and that was to fly home to Wright-Patt.

"This was an amazing experience. We traveled in two hemispheres, flew near the 38th parallel, and passed through several time zones. It was a lot of work but very rewarding in the end," Tech. Sgt. Joshua Roland, flight engineer, said. "We experienced a lot of different cultures in one trip and sampled different cuisines--eating Japanese food one day followed by German the next day," Sergeant Roland added. 

Master Sgt. Bryan Ayers, flight engineer, said when they got home, he was able calculated the total flight time and location.

"This was the most amazing flight I've ever had in my career.  We flew 24,880 nautical miles, which equals about 115% around the world.  We flew in 26 time zones; crossed four world oceans; and flew in both hemispheres," Sergeant Ayers said.

Captain Saul, Sergeant Roland, and Sergeant Ayers concurred that everyone on the flight did a great job and that the C-5 performed exceptionally well for such a long flight.

"I love my job and this was a great trip. Our unit went above and beyond by volunteering to pick up the second mission," Captain Saul said.