Page 9 - October 2018
P. 9
The Remarkable CC-177
Written by
Will Chabun
At the 2009 CAHS national convention, their final and the C-5A Galaxy
speaker reported that he was always eager to talk at
length about his new steed — that’s how impressive
the new CC-177 transport was. “I’m always looking to
talk about the airplane,” said Capt. Jeff Jackson, a
crew commander and instructor with the Canadian
Forces’ 429 Transport Squadron at 8 Wing Trenton.
“It’s a fantastic airplane and I just love flying it.”
Tracing the history of the CC-177, Jackson said it goes
back to the 1970s, when the U.S. Air Force wanted to
this requirement for an Advanced Medium STOL
Specifically, it had to be a jet aircraft of about the
Transport (AMST) a STOL replacement for the capable
C-130 Hercules. same size as the C-141, but with the C-5’s ability to
carry “outsize” cargo and the Hercules’ agility.
Responding were Boeing, Lockheed and McDonnell
The design prepared by McDonnell Douglas (which
Douglas. In time, the USAF refined its requirement to
an aircraft that could replace three Lockheed was later acquired by Boeing) was chosen and a
contract for the construction of the C-17 was signed
products:
in 1985. To speed development and control costs, “a
lot of the stuff in this aircraft is from other aircraft
that McDonnell Douglas built,” said Jackson. “The
cockpit is from a DC-10.”
The C-17 is 10 feet wider and 20 feet longer than the
C-141, though it can carry 100,000 lbs. more cargo
than the latter. Its cargo bay is 12.25 feet high (even
the C-141 Starlifter, higher between the wing box and the aft and) and 18
feet wide, compared with 13.5 feet for the C-141,
which means the CC-177 could handle two tractor-
trailer units, side by side. “You could have a hockey
game in the back — it’s that big!” said Jackson. The
storage area on the C-17’s tail ramp, for example, can
carry 40,000 lbs. — equivalent to an entire Herc load.
And compared with the Herc, the C-17 can carry
three times more, into a field of only 3,000 feet,
thanks to its highly efficient wing.
the C-130 Hercules
