Antanov 124
 

Don't care what one might think of the Russian (remember they were the first one in space), if you watch DISCHD Mighty Airplane, one can only be impress with the plane...


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1344037861.jpg

It is impressive. It came to OKC for a air show. I got to walk through it. It is simply massive. The Russian crew came to our photo lab to get some Film developed and prints made. We took them to a local ice cream store. They ate ice cream by the quart. They tried every flavor. They had a bunch of it packed on dry ice when they left.

saw one in Africa delivering some drilling equipment. Massive!!!!

Another blind leap of engineering was the Guppy:
The Super Guppy at NASA/Johnson Space Center
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1344046543.jpg

One of them is sitting in Dulles right now. Saw it today..

the Antanov that is..

I rememBer the Guppy and the Super Guppy flying into HSV in the 60's transporting rocket parts to NASA's MSFC installation. I've got a pic of the original Guppy somewhere.

The original Guppy was built at my local airport - VNY. I remember seeing them as a little kid.

That's the AN-124, we see it often in Denver. It picks up rocket boosters here from Lockheed-Martin and ferries them to Florida. I can tell when one flies over... sound is somewhat unique.

It's big, but It is dwarfed by the Antonov AN-225 with 6 engines. It's the largest airplane in the world. It was designed to carry the USSR space shuttle. I think there are only a couple in existence. See below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8d5x6uOKwA

[QUOTE=tcar;6892704]That's the AN-124, we see it often in Denver. It picks up rocket boosters here from Lockheed-Martin and ferries them to Florida. I can tell when one flies over... sound is somewhat unique.

Hello.
What's the rest of the story ?

NASA still has one of those here in Houston. We went past it about 4 months ago on TX-3.

Here's the pictures I promised, was the strangest aircraft I saw in person as a child.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1344135149.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1344135173.jpg

An-225
 

The AN-225 has been used by the Canadian Military to transport material to the Far East. I beleive there is only one in existance as stated. Once I saw it parked next to a C-117 on the tarmac at CFB Trenton (ON) and there is a significant difference in size. I have heard from some of the Load Masters that have been in it that it is in scary condition and they even barbeque meals in it!!!!!

The second one was started but was not finish, then both were stored and resurrected, the first one flew again but the second one was abandoned again...

A bit bigger then the 124; Antonov An-225 Mriya - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

23 Years ago:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1344209460.jpg

2 Years ago:



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1344209855.jpg

The Antonov (dont' know which one, think it a six engine) flies in and out of Medford a few times a year. We have a company here called Erickson Air Crane that remanufactures Sikorsky helicopters for commercial, often fire-fighting purposes. They fly them in and out on an Antonov.

I try to hang out behind the airport and watch it land when it comes in. It is absolutely phenomenal. This is such a big plane that it looks as if it is a building in the sky compared to mere commercial jets. It sounds different too, nothing like the regular commercial air craft that come here.

The plane is so big that they actually open the nose and tail, then drive a truck through it towing the big helicopters. In one end, out the other.

Absolutely AWESOME air craft.

angela

If it had six engine, you saw the only AN-225 that ever flew (still flying).

Nope, my memory was faulty. I looked up a news story on it landing in Medford.

It was the 4 engine AN-124. Still - an absolute BEAST!

angela

It stopped here a couple years ago to refuel. The story going around was they payed in cash. Had a suitcase full of Benjamin's. :)

We used it in the '90s to ship stuff out of MSFC also. I got to climb all over it once at Redstone Army Air Field. We watched it take off (loaded) and the rate of climb was almost imperceptible. I was nervous. :)

Yep. The other strange thing was watching parts being loaded on barges in the Tennessee River.;

Lets give a little attention to the Lockheed Galaxy (C5) made here in this country. The C5 is bigger, faster and has more range & payload than the 124. The C5 cargo compartment is pressurized where the 124 is not. Only the cockpit on the 124 is pressurized. The C5 like the 124 was made for the military but since the colapse of the soviet union, the 124 has been "rented" out to Russian carriers. I have 7500 hour's in the Galaxy & have had more than one tour on the 124. Back in the day...USAF C5's & the 124 would often be parked on the same remote ramp, mostly in the middle east to get these big airplane outta the way. Often we would have the chance to exchange tours with the Russians. Believe me, side by side, the C5 is eons ahead of the 124 in design and function. Now that the Galaxy has been relegated to downsize and some headed to storage as surplus, a lot of intrest is being place on selling them for civilian use for "oversized" air frieght, much like the 124. Lotsa life left in the Galaxy all with probably less than 20,000 hour and 14,000 cycles. Even some foregion carriers are looking to purchase surplus C5's.