U.S. C-5M Galaxy Lands At Poznan International Airport For The First Time

Published on: March 14, 2021 at 5:20 PM
The C-5M Galaxy departs Poznan on Mar. 13, 2021. (All images, credit: Jacek Siminski/TheAviationist)

First ever visit for the gigantic C-5M Galaxy to the Poznan-ลawica International Airport.

On Mar. 13, 2021, USAF C-5M Galaxy (Reg: 86-0025, Spirit of Global Reach) made its first-ever landing at the Poznan-ลawica International Airport (EPPO), flying from Portsmouth (KPSM). The aircraft arrived in Poznan around 3 AM, and departed the after 4 hours, around 7 AM. The visit was a part of the US airlift operations aimed at transporting the military assets to the NATO Eastern flank. ลawica has become one of a few civil airports that have been used for that purpose for quite some time now.

Notably, C-5M is also a Code F aircraft. ICAO classification within that regard states that Code F airframes have wingspans of at least 65 meters. Furthermore, the outer main gear wheel span is of 14 but less than 16 meters.

The C-5 on the ground at Poznan, before taking off after the stopover.

Interestingly, the C-5 is one of the five types of aircraft classified under Code F. Code F aircraft include: Antonov An-124 and An-225, C-5A Galaxy, and also Airbus A380 and Boeing B747-8. This is also the third Code F aircraft type that has visited the ลawica Airport. The airport in Poznan has already hosted An-124 Ruslan and An-225 Mriya in the past.

The capacity that ลawica offers, along with its position in Poland, close to strategic road transport routes (A2 highway and S5 and S11 express routes), renders Poznan as a place that has a great potential to become a strategic transport hub for receiving the reinforcements. Furthermore, close to Poznan one can find two important airbases (Powidz, EPPW, and Poznan-Krzesiny, EPKS), both of which further reinforce the logistical potential available.

Another dramatic shot of the C-5M during its visit to Poznan.
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Standing contributor for TheAviationist. Aviation photojournalist. Co-Founder of DefensePhoto.com. Expert in linguistics, Cold War discourse, Cold War history and policy and media communications.
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