Huge gallery about a huge plane

"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
01/24/2014 at 08:06 • Filed to: PLANELOPNIK

The Antonov 225 Mriya is currently the largest airplane in the sky. Someone shared this incredible gallery about it on reddit. It's a marvel of engineering

http://gelio.livejournal.com/193025.html

DISCUSSION (19)

Scott Keelan > Jayhawk Jake
01/24/2014 at 08:30

So much to take in in that last picture. For such a large plane those windows look awfully small. That is an appropriately large amount of annunciator lights on the center overhead panel. I can only imagine the amount of systems involved in this plane. Old fashioned gauges! Those fans indicate a lack of air conditioning. That would make for one uncomfortable flight station on the ground in warm climates.

The second picture of the loading ramp assembly is pretty impressive, especially if the cargo area is pressurized considering all of the moving parts involved.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Scott Keelan
01/24/2014 at 08:37

What's got me is the 2nd to last picture, what do all those people doooo???

Slave2anMG > Jayhawk Jake
01/24/2014 at 08:38

Until you see it in the aluminum, you can't imagine the size of this thing. It landed at Raleigh-Durham Airport (10,000 foot runway) to load a gas turbine that was going to Tanzania.

Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
01/24/2014 at 08:44

Not counting the pilots, my guesses are:

Upper Right: Flight Engineer, and that's based on all of the damn gauges & switches he has in front of him.

Lower Right: Possibly a second FE.

Lower Left: Possibly a loadmaster

Mid Left: Possibly another loadmaster or radio operator.

Upper Left: Navigator

Jayhawk Jake > Slave2anMG
01/24/2014 at 08:47

I saw it at RDU once.

It was in town a few months ago delivering some oil field equipment...it's MASSIVE. Looks like a ship at a dock more than an airplane.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole
01/24/2014 at 08:48

man, I hope those guys get some upgraded equipment soon, to bring them into this century.

Scott Keelan > Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole
01/24/2014 at 08:49

I concur with these assumptions.

Jayhawk Jake > Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole
01/24/2014 at 08:49

It's a flight engineer, a loadmaster, a navigator, and a radio operator, plus captain and first officer.

EDIT: OH and from the source, I believe there is a student navigator. It mentioned that one of the people in pictures was a navigator instructor. So that explains the extra guy

Jayhawk Jake > Scott Keelan
01/24/2014 at 08:50

I want to say the cargo bay is unpressurized, but I actually have no idea.

MonkeePuzzle > Jayhawk Jake
01/24/2014 at 09:51

anyone care to comment on this?

"The aircraft has automatic fly-by-wire air starting system. Auxiliary power plant consisting of two TA-12 turbofans installed in the left and right chassis fairings provides independent power to all systems and starts the engines."

Are they saying there are TWO MORE engines, in addition to the 6 for flight, that just power auxiliaries? I can't see them pictured.

GTI MkVII > MonkeePuzzle
01/24/2014 at 10:03

APUs are generally tucked away. On more "pedestrian" jets, they're often in the tail cone (you can see the exhaust/heat waves when they're parked at the terminal).

Jayhawk Jake > MonkeePuzzle
01/24/2014 at 10:08

Yes, that's exactly what they are saying.

APUs, or Auxiliary Power Units, are small turbines that are used to power the plane, primarily for start up and running environmental systems prior to start (like when the plane is sitting at the gate)

I'm not sure where they are installed, I suppose it means it's behind the gear, which is where it is on a C-17

Kinja'd!!!