Antonov AN-124
 

Have never seen this up close until today as it came over my head into Brize Norton.

Huge!

RE: One better
 

Had the privelage of being able to walk around the AN224 Mira at EMA in December.

Now that is a real beast. We also had three AN124 and the 224 all sitting on the ramp at one time. A site to behold.

Best part was that 90 tonnes worth of boxes were unloaded by hand. The whole aircraft had been stacked form front to back. Same with the AN124's. Quite pathetic to watch around twelve loaders nibbling away at it for 2 days.:D

I beg to differ on what you've said above.

Firstly, the aircraft in an Antonov 225, not a 224.
Secondly, the loaders were not loading the aircraft with 90 tonnes of loose boxes by hand for 2 days. A few loose boxes were put on board by local kids as a P.R. excercise and the rest were shrinkwrapped and put on pallets which were loaded by forklifts. And the loading did not take 2 days - They started around midday-1pm, had finished by the evening and the aircraft departed 6-7am the next morning on schedule. The aircraft was only used to take the small 90 tonne load because it was at EMA having flown a large consignment into the UK from Asia - otherwise the AN-124 is normally used to take the load each year.

My wife and I whizzed to EGNX last December for an AN-225, which we had never seen before. It's a fantastic machine but was parked in an awkward postion for pics. However, what I managed from the other side of the airfield can be seen at:
http://www.brendan-mccartney.fotopic.net/c781536.html

I know they're not much cop but should give those unfamiliar with the aeroplane some idea of what it looks like.

Looks like I might be in one of those photos in a high-vis inside the aircraft. Certainly looks like the day I was in the aircraft - the weather was appalling with very heavy rain blowing in.
An incredible machine inside and out.

AWR... 2nd December. Yes, it was raining like there was no tomorrow - something like the tropical storms we get down here in the south! Envy you very much getting close up..

If you're in ATC give my regards to CJF, if he hasn't already retired..

I got on the '225 when it was at Farnborough in 1990(?)
The flight deck 'furniture' consisted of two permanent seats for the pilots plus an old armchair at the FE station! In the main hold, there was an ancient dining room table with about 6 assorted chairs around it; I won't say what was on the table but they were all empty, and the aircraft didn't fly that day.
The handlers at an earlier Farnborough show managed to break the An124's towbar by turning it through about 150 deg!

RE: Alpha Wiskey romeo
 

I apologise for my complete ignorance.

Maybe I am mistaken with the unloading of the "225" but seeing as though I worked for the Ramp department at EMA, I have it on good authority that the 124's were indeed offloaded in this painstaking process over a long period of time. I watched some colleagues doing just that!!

Maybe I was mezmerised by the night sky at EMA. Nice at that time of year!