Just look at this aircraft.

[astroron]

Contrary to my last post which was a bit dated,this one is fairly recent ;)
I sat stunned watching this video:eyepop:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmD5w7z8iDk
Cheers:thumbsup:

[Dennis]

Thanks for the link Ron.:thumbsup:

When the aircraft turned at the end of the taxiway I was gob smacked. It made the Emirates A380 look small as it passed it in the background. Did you see the rear stabilisers vibrating as the engines were spinning up ready for take-off?

It must have been using impure vodka in the engines as it sure was dirty when it took off!:)

Cheers

Dennis

[Larryp]

An awesome sight, Ron!

[glenc]

Lots of wheels under it.

[mithrandir]

Looked like a fairly stiff crosswind too.

[astroron]

I have to say I have never seen a more awesome aircraft in my life,just staggeringly awesome,
Yes Dennis, it made all those other aircraft in the video look small.
The power of those six engines must be immense :eyepop:
Cheers:thumbsup:

[astroron]

There area few video's of this aircraft on UTube,but this one impressed me.
It is at the Paris Airshow 1989 with the Russian "space Shuttle Buran" on board.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3m1xtcjFxA
Cheers:thumbsup:

[Dennis]

Hi Ron

Here are a few photos of an AN-124, the baby brother of the AN-225. I grabbed these at Brisbane airport back in 2012.

Cheers

Dennis

[rcheshire]

The Russians like big smokey aeroplanes with lots of wheels.

[astroron]

Thanks Dennis, I used to see it a bit at Brisbane Airport when I did deliveries to the airport in 1994.
One was stuck at the airport fore a few days as it had punctured a couple of tyres and was waiting for replacements to be flown in.
It was parked down by the old international terminal, by the Quantas freight yard.
Cheers mate :thumbsup:

[Dennis]

Hi Ron

I’m not surprised – take a look at the 2 tyres on the left, from the nose wheel cluster!:eyepop::lol:

Cheers

Dennis

[guggle]

How's the noise..!!

[LewisM]

If I can find them, I have an AN124 doing a few STEEP turns at Richmond Bicentennial Airshow. Sure made the US C-5 seems wimpy in comparison (which it is).

Russian aircraft are (generally) odd, but VERY VERY capable. Here's a well known video of an Interflug IL62 DELIBERATELY landing on a grass field to be displayed as a museum: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCZRwv_568Y

I have had several opportunities to fly in and FLY Russian aircraft (AN2, Yak 18T for example) and they have always been odd, but VERY pleasureable and handle remarkably well - I dare say MUCH nicer stick and rudder than just about any American type I flew, and on a par with the DeHavilland types I have flown in terms of sheer pleasure (the Yak 18 handles not much differently to the Chipmunk, if not better). The AN2 was exhilarating in a different way - roraring radial behemoth biplane with extreme STOL ability. To make it better, ALL that flying was in Siberia :)

The one that will ALWAYS stay in my mind was the rolling start takeoff in a TU154 out of Novosibirsk - firewalled it. NEVER have I felt such a feeling of pure brute acceleration in my whole life than that take off! Поехали!