[Twirrim]

I used to live in Kaneohe, Hawaii.

What you're describing matches my experience watching C-5M for the first time, heading in to land at what was Marine Corps Base Hawaii. I was out walking and watched one flying around the bay, turning in to land. Thought it was low and slow. I remember quite a feeling of cognitive dissonance, as subconscious parts of my brain were refusing to accept what my senses were really saying. Then this slowly dawning realisation no, it's bloody huge! I stopped in my tracks with my jaw dropping.

To some degree I still didn't believe it, until it had actually touched down at the strip in the distance, and I could see how it was in scale next to other planes and buildings.

I haven't seen the AN-225, guess I never will. Comparing specs I'm staggered.. I can't fathom what it would be like to see that one. C5 on left, AN-225 right:

Wingspan: 222' 9" <-> 290'

Length: 247' 10" <-> 275' 7"

[daveslash]

That was my experience with a C-5 as well. I was on a commercial airliner taking off from Bangor, Maine. We were taxing towards the runway and we had to pause and hold while a C-5 did a practice touch-and-go on the same runway we were about to takeoff on. Watching the shadow of the looming C-5 drift across the forest on approach was surreal.

[dctoedt]

As a kid, I lived for several years at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida (my dad was stationed there). The C-5A was tested there; we got used to seeing and hearing it passing right overhead in the landing pattern.