Flying the C-17 - What's it like?

[Lumber Yak]

My favorite military transport airplane is the C-17. I love how it looks... I once saw a formation of C-17s blast off out of Frankfurt - I was surprised they would take off in formation out of a mainly civilian airport.

I have seen pictures of the C-17 cockpit - nice EFIS and stick. The flight deck looks very wide and comfortable for those long flights...

What is it like flying this aircraft? How do you like it vs. what you flew before it? How does it compare with other aircraft you have flown? How do you like the stick vs. a traditional yoke?


Looks like a great airplane - I'd love to hear your stories or opinions about it...


Thanks

 

[Purple Haze]

A great airlifter

I loved flying the C-17. It is a solid replacement for the tried & true C-141 which, I'm told, is far less comfortable, but a legendary lifter. My only frame of reference is the DC-9. I love the simplicity of round dials, but once you get used to the glass, you can manage a much more complex mission with two pilots and one loadmaster. Once it gets airborne, it handles like a sports car -- seems impossible, but fly-by-wire is a beautiful thing. Very impressive roll rate and you haven't lived till you put all four of those bigs fans in reverse at altitude and take the fast elevator down. The cockpit is the same dimensions as a DC-10: same windows with the addition of "knee" windows near your feet. The worst part is the preflight, which is improving. When I left it, we still had to manually program the FMS with every stinkin point (with winds & temp) from takeoff to landing during the preflight, in order to calculate precise fuel burn. It is knats-anus accurate, but on a leg of 11-13 hours, that is some serious button pushing (it does not recognize routes = one point at a time). The systems are remarkably similar to the DC-9, only on steroids. In most cases very well thought out and very few major maintenance problems. Many folks think the range is poor, but in my experience it is nearly identical to a C-141. Flying 300+ knot low level routes with a HUD and landing on 3500 foot runways were other highlights. It will be around long enough for our grandkids to fly it (maybe their kids, too).

Now I've done it, I want to get out of my side-saddle and go fly........nahhh, too much like work!

 

[j41driver]

Lumber Yak,

Do you have a bunch of extra time? Every time you post something on here you are asking what it is like to fly this jet or that jet. Geez!