This Week in Aviation History June 9

The world’s heaviest and largest aircraft, the Soviet-built Antonov An-225, flew from Kiev to Paris on this week in 1989 carrying the Soviet space shuttle on its back. The combined weight of 1.2 million pounds set a record for the greatest weight ever lifted into the air.

The Hughes H-4 Hercules, more commonly known as the “Spruce Goose,” had a greater wingspan and a greater overall height, but was considerably shorter, and due to the materials used in its construction, also lighter. In addition, the Hercules only flew once and never climbed above 70 feet, making the An-225 the largest aircraft in the world to take off multiple times. The An-225 is also larger than the Airbus A380 airliner, and considerably bigger than the Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter and Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, the nearest equivalent heavy airlifters.

The massive An-225 was developed in the 1980s for the Soviet space program. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the An-225 was eventually put back into service as a commercial transport aircraft by Ukraine-based Antonov Airlines. Its charter commercial flight carried 216,000 prepared meals for American military personnel stationed in Oman in 2002. Since then, the An-225 has become the major workhorse of the Antonov Airlines fleet, transporting objects once thought impossible to move by air, such as locomotives and 150-ton generators, and has become a valuable asset to international relief organizations for its ability to quickly transport huge quantities of emergency supplies during disaster relief operations. Beginning in June 2003, the An-225, along with An-124s, delivered over 800 tons of equipment to aid humanitarian efforts in Iraq. The An-225 has also been contracted by the Canadian and U.S. governments to transport military supplies to the Middle East in support of Coalition forces.

This Week in Aviation History

6/9/08

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