Just back from long trip SYD->SF->NY->Frankfurt(drive)Pisa->Heathrow->Singapore->SYD Coming out of Pisa International was cool to see an Antonov.. pretty quick to drop that nose as it was up when walking out to the plane, then down by time we taxied past. Also refreshing to BE able to walk out on the tarmac AND take pics without issue.. some places that's all cool, others go near-postal.. taking pics while walking out, like what is the problem with that? Anyway here's some tourist style pics from Pisa.. enjoy! might throw in some other randoms too. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Must be! Top right of pic shows it's still outside factory angle limits Image Unavailable, Please Login
Also meant to mention the SYD->SF was actually SYD->LA->SF with the LA->SF leg disrupted by POTUS. We taxied seemingly forever and eventually parked in some odd far away corner of LAX for long enough for the engines to be shut down.. and *eventually* got clearance to get going again.. but after the many hours over the Pacific just completed I just wanted to get this next leg done and to the hotel in SF!
That AN-124 is operated by Volga Dnepr which is a cargo only airline that has a bunch of them along with IL-76s and now a few 747s as well. I spent quite a while talking with their sales reps yesterday at the Airlift/Tanker Association conference about its capabilities and what differentiates it from the C-5. According to them it is much more reliable as it does not use hydraulics to "kneel" the landing gear which is a famous weakness of the C-5. Instead the 124 has a jack screw mechanism that partially retracts the nose gear allowing on load from the front. At the rear of the aircraft there is a 60k lb capacity overhead crane which can travel the length of the cargo compartment for onloading or to reposition cargo. They gave me a full set of aircraft models in the Volga Dnepr color scheme and I will try and remember to post some pics later.
Cool! Thanks for the detailed info.. I don't "hang around" airports as such but I'm unaware of Antonovs operating downunder but I guess if they do heavy lifting perhaps they might.. either way nice to see something a little different "in the wild" like this on my way home!
The Volga Dnepr seem to be the high end of the Russian transport business which is why you see them in the US.... Lots of it seems to be military contract stuff so I dunno what might get one down to Australia. Some of the low end operators are downright scary and probably aren't allowed. One carrier was banned at a field in Iraq after they landed IL-76s on taxiways four separate times.
I have used both a C5 and the Antonov to transport My helicopters. Really for me its all the same **** just one crew drinks vodka and you can't understand them.
When I first moved to Charleston six years ago, Antonovs were a common sight flying in and out. The US military had contracted with the operator (probably Volga Dnepr) to fly armored vehicles to the Middle East. The story at the time was that the Antonovs could accomplish this far more economically than the C-5s (which I think are getting pretty old anyway) or C-17s. I haven't seen any since Iraq wound down. Very cool planes.
I think the re-engined C-5Ms will be much more economical and will give the Antonovs a run for their money. They also have updated avionics and systems and a thorough structural overhaul. A few of the older aircraft may be offered to commercial interests to see if they are willing to pay for the upgrades; if so, the long-proposed L-500 version may still come to fruition.
We see them here (Denver) at DIA fairly regularly. They pick up new Lockheed-Martin rocket boosters that are made here and fly them to Florida.
124s are being upgraded also "Upgrades to An-124 aircraft include new avionics suite, a navigation system, strengthened airframe, increased range of up to 5400km, a new SRPPZ-2000 terrain warning awareness system and a new braking system, which enables it to make 30% shorter landing runs."
They used to deliver large airplane assemblies to Boeing (Paine Field) on a regular basis. I don't see them much any more. I'm not sure if it's because the Dreamlifter is available now or not..
