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The World's Biggest Airplane, the Russian Antonov 225


THIS AIRPLANE WAS AT THE NIAGARA FALLS AIRPORT RECENTLY (TWICE)

TO LOAD COMPRESSORS TO FLY DIRECTLY TO SAUDI ARABIA

32 wheels! -- Cost's more than my house to rotate the tires!

The below rotator slide presentation is of the Russian behemoth when it came into Medford , OR , to pick up two Sikorsky fire fighting helicopters to take overseas -- $1,000,000 to transport them. While they were loading the helicopters, the Russian pilots (two crews), went into town to buy cigarettes by the case and Levis jeans. It is amazing something this huge can stay in The air. The Wright brothers would never have dreamed it.


General characteristics

* Crew: 6
* Payload: 250,000 kg (550,000 lb)
* Door dimensions: 440 x 640 cm (14.4 x 21 ft)
* Length: 84 m (275.6 ft)
* Wingspan: 88.4 m (290 ft 2 in)
* Height: 18.1 m (59.3 ft)
* Wing area: 905 m2 (9,743.7 ft2)
* Cargo Volume: 1,300 m3 (46,000 cu ft))
* Empty weight: 285,000 kg (628,315 lb)
* Max takeoff weight: 600,000 kg (1,323,000 lb)
* Powerplant: 6× ZMKB Progress D-18 turbofans, 229.5 kN (51,600 lbf) each
* Takeoff run: 3,500 m (11,000 ft) with maximum payload

Performance

* Maximum speed: 850 km/h (460 knots, 530 mph)
* Cruise speed: 800 km/h (430 knots, 500 mph)
* Range:
o With maximum fuel: 15,400 km (9,570 mi)
o With maximum payload: 4,000 km (2,500 mi))
* Service ceiling: 11,000 m (36,100 ft)
* Wing loading: 662.9 kg/m² (135.5 lb/ft²)
* Thrust/weight: 0.234

The An-225 Mriya is a strategic airlift transport aircraft which was built by the Antonov Design Bureau, and is the largest fixed-wing aircraft ever built. The design, built to transport the Buran orbiter, was an enlargement of the successful An-124 Ruslan. Mriya means "Dream" (Inspiration) in Ukrainian.

The Antonov An-225 is commercially available for flying any over-sized payload due to the unique size of its cargo deck. Currently there is only one aircraft operating but a second mothballed airframe is being reconditioned and is scheduled for completion around 2010

The An-225 was designed for the Soviet space program as a replacement for the Myasishchev VM-T. Able to airlift the Energia rocket's boosters and the Buran space shuttle, its mission and objectives are almost identical to that of the United States' Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

The An-225 first flew on 21 December 1988. The aircraft was on static display at the Paris Air Show in 1989 and it flew during the public days at the Farnborough air show in 1990. Two aircraft were ordered, but only one An-225 (tail number UR-82060) is currently in service. It is commercially available for carrying ultra-heavy and oversize freight, up to 250,000 kg (550,000 lb) internally or 200,000 kg (440,000 lb) on the upper fuselage. Cargo on the upper fuselage can be 70 metres (230 ft) long. A second An-225 was partially built during the late 1980s for use by the Soviet space program. If the second An-225 is completed, it will be built with a rear cargo door and the tail will be redesigned as a single tail. It would then be more effective for cargo transportation. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990 and the cancellation of the Buran space program, the lone operational An-225 was placed in storage. The six Ivchenko Progress engines were removed for use on An-124s, and the second An-225 airframe (nearing completion and awaiting engines) was also mothballed.

Rick Miller
    Hi There, I'm Rick Miller from Comprehensive Photography. I'm very pleased to see almost 50,000 visits since my site was started on January 29th 2009 (about 215 per day). PLEASE CHECK OUT SOME GREAT PHOTOS, ARTISTIC NUDES, via link NUDE ART — MY BLOG AND SOME VERY NICE MOVIES!

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A NICE THOUGHT
Photos
Why do we take them?
By Mary Banas
Jan 22nd 2007

    Some may remember posing for an "impromptu" photo opportunity during every family gathering. You stood there frozen, with cemented smiles as you wondered if Aunt Thelma would ever take the photograph. Cheese...... then Bam! You were blinded by the bright flash bulb. Auntie had the right idea. She wanted to memorialize every event. It didn't matter if the developed film never made it out of the card board envelopes. What was important is that she enjoyed taking photos.

    Amateur photographers everywhere are still snapping pictures as a favorite pastime. Photography is a good means to chronicle someone's life. A picture tells a thousand words, so what an excellent way to document special moments, highlights and milestones.

    Over time, our memory isn't as iron-clad as it once was. With photographs you can still recall the special moment even when the memory fades. Photography is good for your well being. Reflect on all the studies that talk about how beneficial laughter is to your health. Now consider your emotions when you see photos of a new baby, or a wedding, or any of the other adorable photos that are found in email in-boxes on a daily basis. They make you happy! Photos elicit positive emotions. Think about the people who were in south Texas during the winter of 2004. I'm sure they were happy to be down there when they had snow for the first time in over 100 years. There were people outside taking pictures at midnight; what an opportunity!

    Have you ever seen deer on the side of the road? Not too many bucks will stop long enough to be photographed. If you're fortunate enough to see sitting deer, you better hope to have a camera with you; as they likely won't be sitting there waiting for you the next time you drive by.

    While some people still prefer film cameras, digital cameras now come in any size or budget. For the novice photographer who merely enjoys taking photographs as a way to relax or capture those one of a kind moments, suitable digital cameras are available for under $100. Some people are still using 1.3 mega pixel digital cameras. By today's standard, that is considered a dinosaur. However it would still work if the photographer just wanted to take an occasional photo to list items for sale on eBay. Today many amateur photographers are using digital cameras with 4-6 mega pixels. As a rule of thumb, the higher the mega pixel, the higher the price tag. Notwithstanding, higher mega pixel cameras also come with more bells and whistles and have a higher resolution. Most all digital cameras also have a timer and ability to make very small movie clips. Many also have zoom lens features.

    With digital photography it is fun to play around with new technology. Create a screen saver of your best photo with Image Box from CoolUtils. If you came back from Hawaii and have lots of great photos that you want not to just show to your friends but amaze them - make an astonishing slideshow. Imagine all pictures will be shown one by one with different effects, accompanied by music and your comments. With ImageBox every photo stops being a snapshot but becomes a living part of the presentation. Your friends will be amazed! Don't think about how difficult it is – you will create your first slideshow in 6 minutes. There are software programs that allow you to make digital images look better than real life by removing unwanted blemishes, moles, or wrinkles. Experiment with the software to add or remove people or objects from the photo. New technology provides the ability to alter a photograph so that it looks like an oil painting, pencil sketch, negative, sepia, black and white, charcoal drawing and a plethora of other options.

    While it is possible to make a living as a photographer, the majority of camera users simply take photos because they enjoy it. It's true that time will not stand still. The taunting school aged children had it right when they responded to stares, "Take a picture why don't you – it'll last longer!" Now you do the same - stop reading and go take a picture... it'll last longer! REGISTER

Thank all of you so much for helping me to do something I love and enjoy. Please REGISTER and tell me what you think of the site.

Sincerely

Rick Miller