avtur Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 The AN 225 is an occasional visitor to the UK where the AN 124 is a more frequent visitor. There is only one AN 225 flying, it is distinguished from it's AN 124 'little brother' by a couple of features which make it easy to differentiate the two. Overall size, while the 124 is very big (similar to C-5 Galaxy) the 225 'Mriya' is simply enormous! Plus there are a couple of design features which are quite different, the 124 has four engines and a conventional tail layout where the 225 has six engines and a twin fin layout. The 225 was seen at Manchester in June this year, it has also visited East Midlands in the past, however it's shear size limits the number of airports it can operate from. First there is it's absolute weight plus it's wide turning circle and wingspan. The 124 is a more frequent sight in the UK, there are a total of 25-30 124's in service around the world and they are often 'spot hired' for specific heavy lift tasks. The ones usually seen in the UK are operated by Volga Dnper or Antanov Airlines (who also operate the 225) Both companies specialise in the heavy lift tasks. Over the years I have dealt with the 124 on a number of occasions, inside it has a 30 ton gantry crane which can be used to lift loads from the ground onto the rear of the cargo deck. Knowing how weight sensitive everything on an aircraft is it's quite unreal to see such heavyweight equipment inside an aircraft. I just need to get to meet the 225 'in person' ... I live in hope! Edited By avtur on 11/11/2013 10:27:54 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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