CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Westover’s $90 Million remodeled planes are parked.
It has to do with the landing gear. All the C-5M’s across the country, including the ones at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee are on what the Air Force calls “stand-down”.
That means very limited flying, only when the landing gear stays down. These newly remodeled planes are having issues with a bearing set in the nose gear, causing the nose gear to not function properly. There were two incidents involving C-5M’s from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware that forced the Air Force to send out this order.
“Because we couldn’t guarantee the safety of our crews in the airplane to go ahead and stand down the fleet until they could get those parts manufactured,” said D. Scott Durham, Commander for the 439th Airlift Wing.
Commander Durham says the repairs could take weeks, or even longer. These parts need to be built.
Commander Durham told 22News he does not believe there was a mistake, just the parts are getting old.
“The gear is an 80’s design gear system and that was not part of the original scope of the refurb for the M Model,” said Commander Durham.
Once they get the parts, they can do the repairs at Westover.
Westover still has one C-5A model which is flying and it is at the Airshow in Westfield this weekend.
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