Tipping the scales for the 445th Airlift Wing's heaviest move

  • Published
  • By Mary H. Allen
  • 445th Airlift Wing
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio --  The 445th Airlift Wing aircrew took off on a C-5 aircraft for a first time heavy duty cargo mission to transport the Advance SEAL Delivery System (ASDS), a type of Navy submarine, Dec. 11. 

"This will be the most interesting thing I have ever hauled, it's usually pallets," Capt. Adam Fink, 89th Airlift Squadron pilot said. The mission is to fly into Travis AFB, Calif. to pick-up some heavy duty winches then off to McChord AFB, Wash., to receive the submarine, then to Hickam AFB, Hawaii, to deliver the submarine to its final destination, Pearl Harbor. 

It's been a long day for the aircrew, arriving at McChord AFB, Wash., early in the morning. As the C-5 visor opens and the ramp lowers, the sight of a Navy semi-truck in the cold and rain approaches. The sub was on the semi-trailer looking too long to fit inside of an airplane. Six loadmasters from the wing waited anxiously. "This is the biggest load I've ever hauled," Master Sgt. Dennis Lott, a loadmaster with the 89th Airlift Squadron said. This is his last flight as well as he will retire soon. 

Weighing in at 55 tons and measuring 65 feet long the ASDS is designed to transport Navy SEALS. With the semi-truck and trailer plus the ASDS the load tips the scales at 198,000 pounds. 

The host platform for this battery-powered submarine is a nuclear powered submarine, either an SSN or one of the newer SSGNs. "The ASDS is designed to be transported to and from a submarine base via C-5 where it is installed on the back of the larger host submarine. The host then transports the ASDS to an area of interest where the ASDS will launch and operate independently before returning to the host platform," Cmdr. Curt Leyshon, SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One said. 

As the semi-truck creeps up the ramp the loadmasters hook chains to the load and winch it into the cargo department, eyeing it as it approaches the top of the C-5. It was inches away from the top, but it slid in with no problem, with plenty of clearance on the sides. "It took us only one try to load it," Master Sgt. John Wesley said with 22 years of experience. The size and weight of the cargo was impressive and not having any problems came with experience. The Navy commander was happy with the outcome. "The load itself went very, very, well comparing it with some of the more recent evolutions," Commander Leyshon said. 

Taking off with a heavy duty load close to the maximum takeoff weight comes with a lot of planning for the pilots. "Taxiing up to the runway will be pretty tough," Captain Fink said. 

"Nobody in this unit, especially young kids, has actually taxied an aircraft heavier than 650,000 pounds. They have never done it before. Most of the older guys in the unit have never done it before," Lt. Col. David Deluca, 89th Airlift Squadron pilot said. 

"It's amazing a C-5 can hold more fuel than the C-141 could in maximum gross weight. So when you taxi the airplane that is 760,000 pounds, which is 12,000 pounds less than maximum ramp weight, the plane is unbelievable. The break out power, the power you need to take the aircraft from a stop to a movement, is extensive," Colonel Deluca said. 

"The planning was immense, taking in consideration the gross weight, pressure, temperature, altitude, precipitation, deicing, which may reduce your power for take off thrusts," Colonel Deluca said. Step by step through the planning process from the air traffic controllers to the flight engineers was extensive. 

"The climb was unbelievable; we couldn't meet the required air traffic control climb gradient requirements so a waiver was granted for departure because of the gross weight," Colonel Deluca said. Maj. William Gorczynski, 89th Airlift Squadron pilot, did a great job on the takeoff, the colonel said. 

Once at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, the loadmaster's off loaded the submarine. After tipping the scales with this heavy duty load, it was nice to lose a few pounds, cargo pounds that is. 

After completing the mission with the submarine, the aircrew was off again to pick up another load, two Marine CH 53 Helicopters, then off to South Korea. From the Navy to the Marines we deliver to the total force-that is what we do, deliver.