I think I saw one of those land at Moffatt some years back. It was a freaking monster.
This one is in Ukrainian livery, they possess some too
I saw it land at Long Beach once...
They had to sit there and rev the turbines while holding the wheel brakes for several minutes, to the point that the fuselage was visibly bobbing up and down and the wings were shaking, just to get that barge off the ground before the runway ran out. It’s impressive in a way, but it’s a caricature in a way, too. Overkill for overkill’s sake, especially the rear landing gear.
I have seen one of those parked at ATL when they came over for airshows in the mid 90s.It is a monster.
Would feel much better flying in a Boeing......
I missed why this is being posted today,if the flight occured in June ‘13. Why?
Eli Lilly chartered one back in the early 2000’s to move some equipment to San Juan. I got an up close and personal on it.
Great looking airplane, but a piece of crap up close. Threadbare tires, busted rivets, pilot seats mounted on wooden blocks, fans screwed into the cockpit dash, due to inop air conditioning, etc.
The American Trans Air mechs worked on it for free, just to have it in their logbooks. Was on the ground, broke, at IND for almost 3 weeks.
That’s an effing big plane.
I was a passenger on a C5A Galaxy back when it was the largest cargo plane in the world. Looks like this thing could carry a few C5As in it’s cargo bay.
Imagine what it could haul with efficient, low carbon engines.
It amazes me how they get those wings to flapping.....
Four Rolls-Royce Trents or GENx engines out-thrust the AN-225’s six Progress D18-T engines by more than 100,000 pounds.
Needs more girth, more engines.
Does anyone know what its useful payload is?
And in other breaking news...
George H. W. Bush is elected over Michael Dukakis, becoming the first sitting Vice President of the United States in 152 years to be elected as President of the United States.**
Probably more timely would be the news about the EADS E-Fan Maiden Flight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hP2FAEaEfG0
E-Fan: electric aircraft in progress
Two years after the first electric aerobatic plane and the smallest manned aircraft in the world with four electric engines, the all-electric Cri-Cri, the teams at EADS IW and Royan-based ACS (Charente Maritime, France) have gone a step further with E-Fan, a fully electric general aviation training aircraft.
“The introduction of the E-Fan electric aircraft represents another strategic step forward in EADS’ aviation research. We are committed to exploring leading-edge technologies that will yield future benefits for our civil and defense products,” said Jean Botti, Chief Technical Officer (CTO), at EADS.
The two-seat E-Fan has undergone a very intensive development phase of only eight months. It features two electrical engines driving shrouded propellers. Total static engine thrust is about 1,5 kN, with the energy being provided by two battery packs located in the wings. The length of the aircraft is 6.7 meters with a wingspan of 9.5 meters. It is the first electric aircraft featuring ducted fans to reduce noise and increase safety. Another innovation is the main landing gear. It allows electrical taxiing on the ground without the main engines and in addition provides acceleration during take-off up to a speed of 60 km/h. To guarantee a simple handling of the electrically powered engines and systems, the E-Fan is equipped with an E-FADEC energy management system.
“We believe that the E-Fan demonstrator is an ideal platform that could be eventually matured, certified to and marketed as an aircraft for pilot training,” explained Botti. EADS IW is developing the electrical and propulsion system together with partners like ACS, which is building the all-composite structure, the mechanical systems and conducted the aerodynamic studies. The French innovation institutes CRITT Matériaux Poitou-Charentes (CRITT MPC) and ISAE-ENSMA, as well as the company C3 Technologies have been responsible for the construction and production of the wings. The engagement of these companies is also an investment in French infrastructure, jobs and know-how. Furthermore, electrical engineering experts from Astrium and Eurocopter helped out with their expertise in testing the battery packs while the livery was designed by Airbus. The E-Fan project is co-funded by the Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile (DGAC, the French civil aviation authority), the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), the French Government (Fonds FRED), the Région Aquitaine and the Département Charente-Maritime of France.
http://insideevs.com/eads-e-fan-maiden-flight-video/
** GHW Bush was elected in November 1988. The Anatov 225 first flew in December 1988.
