Status of the An 225

[trojan rabbit]

Trojan Rabbit, the second point you made is the most far-fetched thing I have ever heard. The market DOES want jumbos - the bigger (A380) the more people it can carry in one flight, and the faster the money rolls in. They don't want a crappy little Dreamliner taking only a few hundred people across nations at one time - more flights would then have to be made, meaning they will LOSE money (more flights = pilots with higher paychecks).

Also, the Antonov An-325, would not be a jumbo. It would be a CARGO carrier, and the market would love that, as it means they can carry more cargo in one flight.

In the end...your logic simply does not work.

Well, It's not conventional :-/  It would need a  big runway!


Either way, we'll see how the Boeing pelican does...

[bok269]

Only reason the A380 isn't doing well is that well it cost alot. And to get an airline who is using the venerable 747 to turn those in would cost money for the pilots to time in the "things"(A380)

The reason Fedex and UPS have cancelled their A380 orders is not cost, but the delays to the aircraft that would put them in service past when they needed them.  Sure their are initial costs and conversions for the pilots, but that is standard whenever an airline puts a new type into service.  You have to spend money to make money.

[an-225]

Well trojan rabbit, you fail to take into account the size of most runways nowadays. We (YSSY) have quite a small runway (34L, by todays standards) and it has been extended so the Orbiter may land on it. Most major airports have quite large runways now.

Anyway, the Boeing Pelican, is, so far, just a test plane to test the efficiency of a WIG.

[elite marksman]

An-225, the length of the runway is not necessarily the limiting factor. If an aircraft were to become much larger than the 225, the wingspan may prohibit it from being used at many airports, especially those in the middle of already overcrowded cities (where, interestingly, most long-runway airports exist). The wingspan would present a problem because there may not be sufficient clearance between the runway and taxiway, or between parallel taxiways, causing the airport to reroute traffic temporarily while the aircraft is on the ground. Also, there may not be enough space on the cargo ramp to accommodate such a large aircraft while still having enough space for all the other carriers that need to use the space. In both situations, normal operation of the airport is likely disrupted, which will most definitely not make the regular customers happy.

Again, we return to the conclusion that such an aircraft is possible, but impractical.

[bok269]

The An-225 is supposed to be in MEM some time in the coming days.  It was originally scheduled for the 10th, but it didn't happen.  So I guess she is airborne once again.

[an-225]

The An-225 is supposed to be in MEM some time in the coming days.  It was originally scheduled for the 10th, but it didn't happen.  So I guess she is airborne once again.

Haha, thats great. No wonder I haven't been sleeping the past few nights - 225 wasn't airborne.  :P

[rootbeer]

You're all wrong. The Hercules flew for one mile at an altitude of 70 feet. The Man himself was in the left seat. It is still the biggest aeroplane that ever flew...

[bok269]

You're all wrong. The Hercules flew for one mile at an altitude of 70 feet. The Man himself was in the left seat. It is still the biggest aeroplane that ever flew...

Good call.

Although I guess you could then argue that the 225 is the largest continually operated aircraft.

[trojan rabbit]

Wait, what hercules?  Your not talking about the C-130, are you?

[bok269]

[quote]Wait, what hercules?

[an-225]

Rootbeer, it is the biggest in terms of WINGSPAN. Not in overall size. It is NOT the biggest plane ever flown - the biggest would technically be the Graf Zeppelin.

[pepper_airborne]

That is not a plane eh?

[an-225]

Technically, it is an aircraft, which is what this board is about.

[elite marksman]

But it's not a plane, therefore, cannot hold the title for the largest plane ever flown...

It can, however, hold the title for largest dirigible or aircraft ever flown.

[trojan rabbit]

[quote][quote]Wait, what hercules?