Antonov AN 225

[CaptainKing]

Hi there,

Was wondering if aytone has flown the almighty Antonov An 225. If you have please share your experiences.

Thanks Much Appriciated.

[Tourist]

"Thanks Much Appriciated.

Last edited by CaptainKing : Today at 19:16. Reason: Spelling"

Just how bad must it have been before?:ooh:

[RETDPI]

Nonsense Tourist ,
It's the sort of mistake aytone could have made,
Shame on you!!

:)

[Aaronhewit1980]

I flew to Afghanistan in 2002 on an Antinov AN 225. I shall endevour to spin the entire dit in all it's glory, it's long but by God it was an experience!!

I was part of a small detachment who were required to accompany some "heavy kit" to Op Jacana. We were initially briefed that an Amercian Globemaster would be our transport of choice, however, on arrival at Brize we were informed that plans had changed somewhat. Subsequently found out plans had been changed for weeks prior but nobody thought to inform us, typical.

After waiting for 3 days, yes 3 days!! for the beast to arrive, I was outside that departure lounge have a crafty fag when the sky was filled with the most enormous aircraft I had ever laid eyes on. The craft landed and stopped which defied all laws of momentum and taxied around to a far side of the airfield. Another 10 hours of hanging around and yet another night at Brize followed. The following morning we were on the pan with our vehicles which once packeted up looked like a brigades worth.
"there's no f**kin way that lot is goin in any f**kin aircraft" one of the lads stated.
We lead the way followed by numerous monkey's driving the rest of the wagons. On arriving at the aricraft the sheer size of it is unbelievable, the nose was up and I took the liberty of standing in it's mouth, it really was a huge expanse of space and echoed if you shouted down into the cavernous cargo bay. We took hours to get everything loaded under the usual RAF anal approach. Once done it was yet again hands to waiting about stations.

After a further 3 hours we were told we would be departing within the next hour or so, a group of scruffy looking oiks wandered across from the dep lounge in what can only be described as 70's retro clothing. This of course caused much hilarity amongst all of us. The most desheveled of the bunch (and the only one carrying a brief case) turned out to be the senior pilot!!! Once the crew had arrived and checked the load over, which entailed pulling three of the chains securing the vehicles and slurring lots of russian we were told 30 minutes to departure. We had a russian interpretor in the form of some RAF type who asked if anyone was "into" planes. Of course I raised my mit and was escorted up what can only be described as a caving ladder to the flight desk, where I met the deshevelled pilot and Chewbaka from star wars who had obviously becane his flying carrier on one of these beasts. The flight deck was surprisingly complex, the only thing I have seen similar is some phot's of a nimrod I saw, lots of analogue style controls, very few digital instruments as far as I could see.

The journey begins, and we are gestured to the crew area accessed from another caving ladder to a moderately sized compartment just in front of the tail in the roof of the cargo space. Aside from the crew using our seats as a makshift underwear drying facility it was as comfortable as you would expect. Not a seatbelt in sight and because I thought it would be funny I pointed out that there were no lifejackets under the seats. As if we would have had any chance if she had ditched, I reckon we'd have had the most rediculous swim imaginable to get out anyway. The first we knew that we were airborne was the aircraft listing to aft and we all fell about the place. No "ladies and gentlemen take your seats for take off" here then. What made it all the funnier was we were sharing the flight with some RAF Chinook flight crews (someone really dipped out there then!!). We made numerous stops along the way without to much to tell about, that is until we reached Azerbaijan. I had only ever heard of Azerbaijan in an Eddie Izzard DVD so was quite keen to have a nosey about. We made our way down the ladder as we did every other stop and went to the rear door to get some fresh air. Once the crew had disembarked the two guards at the foot of the steps cocked their weapons and gestured we stay where we were. Who were we to argue!!! Smoked a fag at the door, not that I had to wait as the compartment upstairs was smoker friendly as the crew insisted on kicking the arse out of! We worked out after 5 hours we probably wouldn;t see the crew for a while so we jumped on top of the wagons and got a bit of head down. The next moment of clarity was the aircraft adopting the same position as when we had all fallen about at the very beginning of the journey at brize. Yes, they had started up the runway without informing any of us!!! Climbing the ladder first I used my leatherman to batter the hatch as hard as I could and moments later chewbaka opened the hatch chuckling and jibbering some Ruski at me, I have never been so close to committing a gross act of violence in peacetime since.

From that stage it went once again to a fairly mundane period of flight until we worked out we must be somewhere above afghanistan, thanks mostly to one of the RAF flight crew who with a gucci GPS had tacked our flight all the way. We were having what I believe was supposed to be coffee but didn't taste anything like it, think in actual fact the ruski's were having yet another laugh at our expense. However, delighting in their coffee as we were and GPS guy piped up that he thought we were around the area of Bagram, our destination. At this we rushed to the grubby windows and peered out, surely he must be wrong we were still at many 1000's of feet, then from the window next to mine another of the flight crew saw an airfield, yes Bagram directly below. The following 3-4 minutes are somewhat lost in my memory on acount of the fact I lost all bearings and possibly even conciousness. The nose dropped and we fell, the aircraft fell at an alarming rate, we all fell about the floor, red hot sort of coffee spilling over all participants. We managed to land and taxied a short distance past many fire tenders, I think they thought we wetre in the poo also. Once we had disembarked a jovial yank said he had been briefed that the incoming aricraft looked as if it had experienced a complete failure on finals. That was us and that was how it appeared from the ground. But alas we arrived "safe"

I have yet to experience a flight like it, many of my firends, collegues and even my wife have told me they have a deep hated/fear of flying, I regail the Antonov story and they become quite upbeat about cruising the airways. For me it fuelled my passion for flying, I'm now in the process of transferring from my current job in the Royal Marines to the AAC to hopefully fly for a living. I am fully confident that I will never have a flying experience which will match my Antonov tales but if they come close it'll be great!!! :bored::bored::bored:

[LFFC]

Has the An-225 really landed at Brize??

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/An-225_Mriya.jpg/800px-An-225_Mriya.jpg

[Wycombe]

Sure has, plenty of evidence on You Tube if you want to!

YouTube - Antonov AN225 - RAF Brize Norton (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqZUBf6-4LM)

[Navy_Adversary]

AH1980
Great read, many thanks.

[fallmonk]

You see them occasionaly at preswick airport , pasted one time and it was parked next to a JAL cargo 747 ! makes it look like a toy ! :ok:

[FrustratedFormerFlie]

Not an Antonov, but another clip to put you off getting into any large Russion-built transports. This called REALLY using the whole of the runway!
YouTube - Russian plane Australia Weight and Balance issue (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um1cSJ650uM&feature=related)

[Eric T Cartman]

Couple of pics at Prestwick July 2007

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo354/oldbloke60/An2252007-07-09_022.jpg

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo354/oldbloke60/An2252007-07-09_027.jpg

[VP8]

Will you lot stop mocking my beautiful beastie:}

VEEPS

[PIK3141]

VEEPS

How's the health of your AN225 and AN22, since here at PIK we've only had IL76 (Algerian), AN12 and AN124 this past couple of days ?

[VP8]

Antaeus in Dock waiting for new props and the big boy is happy as ever:ok:

Veeps

[CaptainKing]

Thanks for the responses guys!

With all due respect though I was sort of asking for experience with regards to flying the giant.

Thanks anyway
Further input much appriciated.

[theloady]

..some time ago i was in Istambul Sabiha Gocken SAW offloading the maindeck of the747..i've seen this big monster on the taxyway opposite the cargo ramp ..
Our aircraft become a little fly ...

[xxgunnerxx]

CaptainKing,

I don't doubt that anyone from this forum actually manipulated the controls during flight. There's only one bird built, and I am pretty sure that the crew flying are of Ukranian descent of no more than 30 people.

[Trojan1981]

Is there any way of finding out where the AN-225 is going to be at any time? I have never seen it.

[CargoOne]

I think 30 people is an overestimation. If we talking only about pilots (there are many other people in flight crew) I would expect there are just around 3 crew / 6 pilots current on AN225, and somehow I guess they are not reading pprune.

[inducedrag]

How do they do their recurrent any sim available?

[Phantom Driver]

AH1980-
Good wheeze! But also a little poetic license maybe?!...

CaptainKing-
Do a search on "Flight International" and I think you will find a Pilot Report on "Flying the AN 225". It was quite a few years ago; I still have a copy, but unfortunately not at hand (presently away from base).

[antonovman]

The AN225 is crewed by the AN124 pilots, a few of them
I used to fly on it as a Flight Manager, a pain in the ass and a lot of work
It is simply too big

[spanish no fly]

A great way to fly. Take the mick out of it, but ask the question, what has the west got to rival it? Big Fat 0!
Like Antonovman, I used to fly with the Ukranian (not Russian) crews on the range of Antonov aeroplanes as Antonovman said, hard work and big, but hey, fella, it was fun at times. I expect the marine who wrote the story post felt a bit inadequate and wanted to be noticed.
The aeroplanes are strong and the loads they can carry are mindboggling. The crews, flight deck and technical, are very friendly and work hard, even if outsiders don't think so. I have been with a 124, when it has taken over 24 hours to load due to the complexity of the cargo, and the techs have climbed in the back and flown off with no ground rest. Antonovman, and VP8 (to a lesser degree ;)) can confirm that.
So, don't knock the Antonovs. Bear in mind that to us, foreign peoples and cultures seem strange. But think how we seem to them.
Antonovman and VP8, send me a pm.
Brgds

[Papa Sierra]

I agree with the comment from VP8 and the more indepth observations of Spanish No Fly (is it "uncle" by any chance?). I have also flown in Mriya on several occasions including its first official commercial flight Stuttgart to Thumrait (200T of MRE's). My most memorable flight was Linz-Charlon Vatry-Shannon-Gander-Montreal (Mirabelle)-Phoenix. Our cargo was a single piece Turbine 185T's along with 45T's ancilliary equipment for a Dam project in Arizona. Not too "shabby" a load by any standards. SNF is exactly right in what he says about the crews and technicians, they look a bit rough and ready but they are extremely hard working and very professional operators and lets face it do you need to be a Gucci model to fly an aeroplane? All they do is take the mystique out of flying! Once they get to know you, you couldn't ask to work with better people. The "Bootie" who thought he'd had a rough ride has obviously forgotten the joys of paxing in the back of a RAF C130 for any length of time. It all goes to show when you want to move outsize loads, "Size does Matter".

[spanish no fly]

Papa Sierra,
Si, senor.....:ok:

[aseanaero]

How much runway does the AN-225 need at MTOW ?

[VP8]

Depends on a few factors, Height of airfield, Temperature etc

Veeps

[The AvgasDinosaur]

How much runway does the AN-225 need at MTOW ?
How much have you got ?
Big plane - nothing else can do what the 225 does.
Be lucky
David
until they get the second one out of mothballs at Gostomel:eek::ok:

[Wayitup]

Looks like a certain company reunion on this thread...Antonovman.....VP8....PSierra etc.....second your comments.....lovely a/c....too big really as it was a pain in the ass (time wise) to load but a beauty to look at.....crews scruffy but professionalif a little on the 'cowboy' side at times....:rolleyes:

Hope all is well guys...drop me a PM let me know

RC