Posted on 04/20/2014 9:43:55 PM PDT by lbryce
Original Title:Antonov 225 Mriya Departs Manchester Airport, 26th June 2013 Antonov 225 (UR-82060) finally leaves Manchester Airport after being delayed 24 hours. The huge aircraft is seen departing runway 23L on Wednesday 26th June 2013. The aircraft certainly pulled the crowds in. Just before the Antonov crosses onto runway two, Thomson 787 Dreamliner, G-TUIC lands on 23R.
The Antonov 225 is currently the largest aircraft in the world.
(Excerpt) Read more at youtube.com ...
At the time, the aircraft was well maintained and in pretty good shape but the engineering was crude and the build quality rough compared to , say, a C-5 Galaxy.
The Russian pilots were a trip . They were some of the first to get out unsupervised as “civilians” world wide and lets just say that they did not exactly conform to the FAA ideal for rules following commercial pilots. In fact, they were pretty dismissive of much of any kind of rules at all , for that matter.
Russian aviation is a very different thing from what we are used to here in the states.
Wow,only one? That must have cost them plenty.
Really? Did Hitch called the Malaysian government where he commandeered the airplane?
Yes only one. In America if only one made that’s prototype.
It amazes me how they get those wings to flapping.....
Four Rolls-Royce Trents or GENx engines out-thrust the AN-225’s six Progress D18-T engines by more than 100,000 pounds.
Needs more girth, more engines.
Well, the lavatories weren't properly constructed when originally built and the storage overflow were built in rectangular shape while the the auxiliary fuel tanks were constructed in pyramidal rows of six, each auxiliary pyramid placed at 90 degree angle formation to each other for maximum dynamic flow. But the rectangular shaped lavatory storage overflow ended up at an obtuse angle configuration that corroded the overflow capacitors allowing the lavatory overflow to leak into the auxiliary fuel tanks, which was the same conditions that resulted in the blowout of the Kursk double-hulled submarine. I'm sure you realize the fuel toxicity generated put the aircraft in grave danger. Below are now declassified documents that explain the entire procedure.
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The lavatory compartments were rebuilt and completed today as of April 20, 2014 which the Russian Air Force chose to commemorate by flying the plane out 50 nautical miles and using the new upgraded lavatories in celebration.
Sort of. The US also had a history of putting one off or low number prototypes/development large cargo aircraft into operational service. Classic example was the single C-99, transport version of the B-36. Also the Lockheed Constitution, Martin Mars, Convair Tradewind.
Not to mention the earlier XB-15 and B-19 bombers, although the latter was also used as a testing platform in addition to occasional cargo hauling duties.
Technically the Space Shuttles never achieved “operational” status, and were pretty much prototypes, something NASA acknowledged after Columbia was lost.
Yeah. Just ask US Airways!
Anyone know if they've retrieved the black boxes?
Does anyone know what its useful payload is?
A bit over half a million pounds.
Thanks that is some serious tonnage
Not the most refined design, basically a stretched An-124 military transport, with larger wing, redesigned tail and a couple extra engines.
Still a single aircraft which is larger than Spruce Goose.
And in other breaking news...
George H. W. Bush is elected over Michael Dukakis, becoming the first sitting Vice President of the United States in 152 years to be elected as President of the United States.**
Probably more timely would be the news about the EADS E-Fan Maiden Flight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hP2FAEaEfG0
E-Fan: electric aircraft in progress
Two years after the first electric aerobatic plane and the smallest manned aircraft in the world with four electric engines, the all-electric Cri-Cri, the teams at EADS IW and Royan-based ACS (Charente Maritime, France) have gone a step further with E-Fan, a fully electric general aviation training aircraft.
“The introduction of the E-Fan electric aircraft represents another strategic step forward in EADS’ aviation research. We are committed to exploring leading-edge technologies that will yield future benefits for our civil and defense products,” said Jean Botti, Chief Technical Officer (CTO), at EADS.
The two-seat E-Fan has undergone a very intensive development phase of only eight months. It features two electrical engines driving shrouded propellers. Total static engine thrust is about 1,5 kN, with the energy being provided by two battery packs located in the wings. The length of the aircraft is 6.7 meters with a wingspan of 9.5 meters. It is the first electric aircraft featuring ducted fans to reduce noise and increase safety. Another innovation is the main landing gear. It allows electrical taxiing on the ground without the main engines and in addition provides acceleration during take-off up to a speed of 60 km/h. To guarantee a simple handling of the electrically powered engines and systems, the E-Fan is equipped with an E-FADEC energy management system.
“We believe that the E-Fan demonstrator is an ideal platform that could be eventually matured, certified to and marketed as an aircraft for pilot training,” explained Botti. EADS IW is developing the electrical and propulsion system together with partners like ACS, which is building the all-composite structure, the mechanical systems and conducted the aerodynamic studies. The French innovation institutes CRITT Matériaux Poitou-Charentes (CRITT MPC) and ISAE-ENSMA, as well as the company C3 Technologies have been responsible for the construction and production of the wings. The engagement of these companies is also an investment in French infrastructure, jobs and know-how. Furthermore, electrical engineering experts from Astrium and Eurocopter helped out with their expertise in testing the battery packs while the livery was designed by Airbus. The E-Fan project is co-funded by the Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile (DGAC, the French civil aviation authority), the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), the French Government (Fonds FRED), the Région Aquitaine and the Département Charente-Maritime of France.
http://insideevs.com/eads-e-fan-maiden-flight-video/
** GHW Bush was elected in November 1988. The Anatov 225 first flew in December 1988.
Very interesting. Taking a ceremonial first dump, to celebrate? I’m guessing there was no official photographer present to capture the moment.
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