WATCH: Gargantuan C-5 Galaxy’s Death Defying Take Off From A Super Short Runway

With a plane this large and runway this short it seems impossible for this gargantuan jet to get enough speed to leave the ground before piling up on the hills at the runway’s end. It’s a close call, but somehow the pilot pulls it off.

As explined by warhistoryonline:

Witness a spellbinding takeoff of one of the largest military aircraft in the world, the majestic C-5, from Ilopango Airport (MSSS), El Salvador. Watch, and listen, as the C-5’s engines build up to 43,000 pounds of thrust and the largest aircraft in the United States Air Force inventory soars into the air amidst billowing clouds, an impressive display of the enormous C-5’s STOL capacity, with a smooth takeoff from Ilopango’s 7300ft runway.

With a wingspan of 222 feet 9 inch) and a length of 247 feet, the C-5’s dimensions are truly epic. Besides its sheer immensity, the C-5 is identifiable on the runway by its distinctive high T-tail and 28 wheels that distribute its enormous weight.

Manufactured by Lockheed Martin, the C-5 is the largest airlifter employed by the United States Air Force and is the only airlifter with intercontinental range. It has the capacity to carry an entire fully-equipped military unit 1,250 nautical miles without aerial refueling.

The United States Air Force has employed C-5s since 1969. These airlifters have supported military operations in critical conflict zones, including Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and Yugoslavia. The spacious cargo hold of the C-5 also facilitates transportation of combat equipment and supplies for humanitarian aide. Two C-5C variants support the NASA space shuttle program.

Renowned for its beautiful engine sonic and runway-blasting takeoff, a C-5 takeoff and landing is truly a sight to behold.”