Page 11 - October 2018

The aircraft can back up on the ground and because On the capabilities of the heads-up display (HUD)
reverse thrust is directed upward at a 30 per cent system, Jackson said, “it’s amazing … once you get
angle, relatively little dirt, debris is kicked up. used to it, you don’t even need to look inside. It
looks pretty daunting at first, but it’s pretty simple
The C-17/CC-177 is powered by four Pratt & Whitney
once you get the hang of it.”
PW100 engines.
All this capability requires only two pilots and a single
loadmaster, said Jackson, who added that its
navigation systems are accurate to within 16 feet.
“The ‘nav’ trade sought to get into the aircraft, but
there’s basically nothing for them to do.” The CC-177
has defensive systems against IR-guided surface-to-
air missiles. As for radar-blinding chaff, “you couldn’t

carry enough to hide this airplane!” Jackson said.
It has a high-lift wing, slats and externally blown flaps Because its engines can be reversed in the air, it can
that hang down in the exhaust stream, ”so the made a very rapid 30-degree descent, leveling out at
exhaust from the engines is creating lift,” said Jackson, 2,000 feet and landing.
who joined the Canadian Forces in 1997 and was in
Like American C-17s, the Canadian versions are
the first class to graduate from the NATO Flying capable of being refueled in mid-air, “but we don’t do
Training in Canada (NFTC) program at 15 Wing Moose
it in the Canadian Forces — and the cost of it is very
Jaw. “That’s what gives it its slow-flying capability and,
high. I’ve been told that whatever you pay for fuel on
with that slow-flying ability, the ability to get in and the ground, it’s nine times more expensive in the air.”
our of short-field runways carrying very heavy loads.”
That said, the aircraft is what Jackson calls “a pig on
He added it could fly on only two engines, both on the
same wing. gas”, using 20,000 lbs. in the first hours of flight, and
then 15,000 lbs. every hour thereafter.
In Afghanistan, approaches and landings are typically
For maintenance crews familiar with the venerable C-
done at night so as to conceal the aircraft from
insurgents. The aircraft’s comparative quietness 130, “it’s a monumental task for them to learn the
systems because it’s a monumental change from the
helps, as does its ability to descend very rapidly from
Herc,” he said.
30,000 feet to 1,000 feet while covering only 30
kilometers. “It’s a change of 40 years in technology. It’s a very
smart aircraft. It lets you know what’s going on —
The CC-177’s maximum payload is 164,500 lbs. and its
and you just manage accordingly.”
fuel capacity is 245,000 lbs, giving it a range of about
6,000 miles. Maximum gross takeoff weight is
585,000 lbs. Empty, its weight is 282,000 lbs. Its
cruising speed is Mach .76 — “a little slower than the
airliners out there, but twice as fast as the Herc,”
Jackson said. It is “completely fly-by-wire” and the
pilots have fighter-style sticks instead of airliner-style
control yokes. There are four flight control systems Twigg & Company Chartered
backing up each other; there are also four Professional Accountants
multifunction cockpit displays including global terrain- 650 Regency Center
avoidance systems and four independent GPS devices. 333 - 25th Street East
In all, there are more than 40 different computer Saskatoon, SK S7K 0L4
systems aboard, “and they know everything,” said
Jackson. “If a system malfunctions, it fixes itself and Main Number 306-244-0808
then informs the crew.” Fax 306-244-0004
Email: twigg.ca@sasktel.net