Russian Antonov 225

[LR25]

Ah yes..C-5ski!

C-5ski is the 124.

 

[EuroWheenie]

Just to nitpick, but it's not the "Russian" An-225 but rather the Ukranian ditto. Small difference to you perhaps, but equal to someone saying the "Mexican" Boeing 747.

As for the operator, that will be Antonov Airlines and she's available for charter if you've got enough money to spend. We chartered her once to carry 3 FMC Commander 30 high-loaders from BAH to SDA, a total load of around 90 tons. Got all three onboard safely when the loadmaster proclaimed, in thick Ukranian accent, that he needed a bit of ballast to get the trim right. We sent the boys out looking around for some sandbags, until we figured out his idea of "a bit" was in the region of 45 tons!

She's a really, really big girl but oddly graciously looking too. 25 man crew (or thereabouts) most of whom live onboard the aircraft for up to 2 months at a time. You can often smell her before you see her!

Incidentially, Antonov Airlines is also the operator of the sole An-22 flying - the biggest turboprop ever made. The sound she generates is absolutely marvellous - 8 massive counter-rotating props driven by 4 equally massive turboprops of 1950ies vintage doesn't half go unnoticed. Best fuel-to-noise converter this side of a Saturn 5 rocket

 

[GravityHater]

Can you believe wiki?
"One built"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_225

 

[chief9404]

Does Air Foyle still operate them?

 

[belchfire]

Just to nitpick, but it's not the "Russian" An-225 but rather the Ukranian ditto. Small difference to you perhaps, but equal to someone saying the "Mexican" Boeing 747.

As for the operator, that will be Antonov Airlines and she's available for charter if you've got enough money to spend. We chartered her once to carry 3 FMC Commander 30 high-loaders from BAH to SDA, a total load of around 90 tons. Got all three onboard safely when the loadmaster proclaimed, in thick Ukranian accent, that he needed a bit of ballast to get the trim right. We sent the boys out looking around for some sandbags, until we figured out his idea of "a bit" was in the region of 45 tons!

She's a really, really big girl but oddly graciously looking too. 25 man crew (or thereabouts) most of whom live onboard the aircraft for up to 2 months at a time. You can often smell her before you see her!

Incidentially, Antonov Airlines is also the operator of the sole An-22 flying - the biggest turboprop ever made. The sound she generates is absolutely marvellous - 8 massive counter-rotating props driven by 4 equally massive turboprops of 1950ies vintage doesn't half go unnoticed. Best fuel-to-noise converter this side of a Saturn 5 rocket

The An-225 graced the Paine Field Airshow (back when there was a Paine Field Airshow) and was collecting aid for an earthquake somewhere. The crew were being good capitalists. It must have broken every rule in the book but they were selling Soviet Vodka and Cigarettes in the shade under the wing. I got to walk through that 6 engined monster and couldn't believe on observing the huge wire bundles that the USSR hadn't invented cable ties...

Thigh diameter, hand-laced wire bundles!

Damned thing is so big that a friend of mine mistook it for part of the terminal at night from over the runway on the published missed approach-in fact it dwarfed the terminal!