Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New media
New media comments
Latest activity
Classifieds
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Log in
Register
What's New?
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Navigation
Install the app
Install
More Options
Advertise with us
Contact Us
Close Menu
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Forums
The Water Cooler
General Discussion
B-52
Search titles only
By:
Reply to Thread
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Message
<blockquote data-quote="SMS" data-source="post: 3256325" data-attributes="member: 42"><p>Agreed, it was a work horse, but I think it's use as a work horse aggravated the situation. I flew all over the world on them, but in the late 90's my unit was directed to stop using them (or more precisely, told we would not be able to use them) for domestic missions in order to help decrease the workload being placed on that air frame. We started exclusively using C-17's and C-5's for overseas missions around that time too. This GAO report speaks to some of the air frame stress issues I remember being kicked around in the late 90's. <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/160/152847.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gao.gov/assets/160/152847.pdf</a> (the report is about Desert Storm, but touches on the discovered issues).</p><p></p><p>Excerpt:</p><p>"However, another critical factor was the discovery in 1989 of generalized random cracking in the wings that has been attributed to the added stress on the aircraft’s structure encountered during certain types of missions. In April 1991, an Air Force study group completed a wing crack assessment and concluded that the C-141 was operating beyond an acceptable level of risk for military aircraft. Although the group also noted that ongoing inspections and repairs had temporarily reduced the risk of catastrophic failure, the level of risk still exceeded acceptable standards for military aircraft. As a result, most of the C-141s have been operating under weight and mission restrictions."</p><p></p><p>So, in the end, the cost to keep that heavily used air frame in service was too high to justify with the C-17 on the horizon.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="SMS, post: 3256325, member: 42"] Agreed, it was a work horse, but I think it's use as a work horse aggravated the situation. I flew all over the world on them, but in the late 90's my unit was directed to stop using them (or more precisely, told we would not be able to use them) for domestic missions in order to help decrease the workload being placed on that air frame. We started exclusively using C-17's and C-5's for overseas missions around that time too. This GAO report speaks to some of the air frame stress issues I remember being kicked around in the late 90's. [URL]https://www.gao.gov/assets/160/152847.pdf[/URL] (the report is about Desert Storm, but touches on the discovered issues). Excerpt: "However, another critical factor was the discovery in 1989 of generalized random cracking in the wings that has been attributed to the added stress on the aircraft’s structure encountered during certain types of missions. In April 1991, an Air Force study group completed a wing crack assessment and concluded that the C-141 was operating beyond an acceptable level of risk for military aircraft. Although the group also noted that ongoing inspections and repairs had temporarily reduced the risk of catastrophic failure, the level of risk still exceeded acceptable standards for military aircraft. As a result, most of the C-141s have been operating under weight and mission restrictions." So, in the end, the cost to keep that heavily used air frame in service was too high to justify with the C-17 on the horizon. [/QUOTE]
Insert Quotes…
Verification
Post Reply
Forums
The Water Cooler
General Discussion
B-52
Search titles only
By:
Top
Bottom