The rebirth of a giant.

[Von Due]

From Jane's
http://www.janes.com/article/63341/china-and-ukraine-agree-to-restart-an-225-production

The AN-225 was a one-off for transporting the Soviet space shuttle but after the Buran program was shut down, the only 225 in existence has been looking for work. I am really curious about what uses China has for multiple 225s. This is not a plane for sending mail to remote areas. Seeing the increasing goals and accomplishments of the Chinese space program, this is interesting indeed.

[Jimbuna]

Interesting, she is a bit of a beast.

[Von Due]

Interesting, she is a bit of a beast.

A bit of a beast is an understatement :)

That shuttle is no Lada in size
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/05/10/16/340377D700000578-3583171-image-a-75_1462895941915.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qT4voMl8efQ/UA1QUFJB2EI/AAAAAAAAAQs/iccZ0psZhIo/s1600/an225-5.jpg

Wicked piece of engineering but a bit too specialised for normal cargo runs. Could be China is planning to step on the space program accelerator.

[mako88sb]

Our company used it back in 2012 shipping a lot of fair size natural gas compressors to Nigeria:
http://www.vancouversun.com/touch/m-photo.html?id=6296383&p=1

There was a TV special about the AN-124 & An-225 being used for specialty cargo trips and if I recall correctly, they were in constant use when not being maintained. I don't know how much the current oil slump has affected that however?

[Von Due]

Our company used it back in 2012 shipping a lot of fair size natural gas compressors to Nigeria:
http://www.vancouversun.com/touch/m-photo.html?id=6296383&p=1

There was a TV special about the AN-124 & An-225 being used for specialty cargo trips and if I recall correctly, they were in constant use when not being maintained. I don't know how much the current oil slump has affected that however?

Thanks for the correction and headsup. I also learned that the 225 was being used to ferry sections of the Energiya rocket and is being used by Antonov Airlines for oversized cargo. The 124 was made in larger numbers and is a more regular heavy freighter.

[Commander Wallace]

Like Texas, everything is bigger in Russia. The Tu-160 " Blackjack " bomber is the largest bomber in the world just as the An 225 is the largest in it's class.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-160


http://www.wallpaperup.com/uploads/wallpapers/2014/09/12/441157/c020e99b70ccba608b0fe5df106d96e9.jpg

[Eichhörnchen]

When I was a kid, Airfix (along with other model kit manufacturers) produced kits of the big airliners of the day in 1:144 scale. In other words, one inch of plastic model for every 12 feet of the real plane; this was of course to cut down on the size of the model, and was one half of the more usual scale of 1:72 (one inch to six feet).

In more recent times, however, kit makers have been far less shy about producing models of big aircraft in 1:72 scale (beginning, I suppose, with the Heller kit of the Being 707, a magnificent thing of about two feet in length). So I was just pondering the size of such a model of the An-225: it would be over 45 inches long!

[Von Due]

When I was a kid, Airfix (along with other model kit manufacturers) produced kits of the big airliners of the day in 1:144 scale. In other words, one inch of plastic model for every 12 feet of the real plane; this was of course to cut down on the size of the model, and was one half of the more usual scale of 1:72 (one inch to six feet).

In more recent times, however, kit makers have been far less shy about producing models of big aircraft in 1:72 scale (beginning, I suppose, with the Heller kit of the Being 707, a magnificent thing of about two feet in length). So I was just pondering the size of such a model of the An-225: it would be over 45 inches long!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRI2y0cwHd0

Proper big for a model. Also the breed of models where the owner drives a Lambo to the rc club, with the crew in a trailer truck behind him :)

[Eichhörnchen]

That was amazing... I really enjoyed that. What a beautiful location for R/C model flying, too :)

[Jimbuna]

Great link :sunny:

[Platapus]

Can you imagine the wake turbulence on that one? :doh::doh: