The Wiki for Antonov-124 opens with this impressive reference (to the B747-8F), "...Until the Boeing 747-8F, the An-124 was, for thirty years, the world's heaviest gross weight production cargo airplane and second heaviest operating cargo aircraft, behind the one-off Antonov An-225. The An-124 remains the largest military transport aircraft in current service....". That sums up the nature of this Russian heavy aircraft.

A long while ago, I'd posted an entry for An-225 (An-124's successor - six years younger than An-124, but ~50% heavier, and actually world's heaviest (operational) aircraft), and I recall folks, here, commenting on its immense proportions, along with its massive landing gear-system consisting of (un-imaginable) 32 total wheels! For comparison, the An-124, here, has 24 wheels, B747 has 18, and A380 has 22.

BTW, in the context, here, the name of the Russian Aeronautical Engineer, Victor Tolmachev, is worthy of mention. Imagine this: During his tenure at the (prolific) Antonov Design Bureau, Victor Tolmachev's eventual resume would comprise the design, engineering and updating of almost every Antonov airplane, including the An-2, An-8, An-10, An-12, An-14, An-22, An-24, An-26, An-28, An-32, (this) An-124, and the giant (one and only) An-225 Mriya. He would then go on to become the Technical Director at Volga-Dnepr, an Airline, highly regarded as a world leader in heavy and specialized cargo transport. Victor Tolmachev passed away about a year ago, on June 7, 2018.

Here, I'm sharing a few images of the An-124, which, in appearance, somewhat resembles the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. The An-124 first flew on 24 December, 1982. 55 units were built between (1982-2004), but it remains actively in service at this time. For its undercarriage arrangement, the aircraft uses a strut suspension for the 24 (=(2x2)+(2x10)) wheels (see images). The suspension has been calibrated to allow landing on rough terrain and is able to kneel to allow easier front loading. Pilots have stated that the aircraft is light on the controls and easy to handle for an aircraft of its size.

For livery, I've chosen, for this post, aforementioned Volga-Dnepr (operator of a unique fleet of twelve An-124s). The Cargo Airline has a proven track-record of carrying it all: from (giant excavators, mini power-plants & factories, airplanes, and helicopters) to (whales and elephants)! It's also notable that Volga-Dnepr already owns and operates a fleet of five (modern) 747-8Fs (with an existing order for another five).

The test-flight, here, is very short, starting from RWY-34R (KSEA), heading straight out for ~20 miles/4000 feet, and then making an 180 degrees (wide) turn-around back to capture the ILS for RWY-16L. Hope you enjoy these (virtual) sightings of this impressive plane. The (SIM) aircraft (available from the Flightsim.com Library) is an adaptation of the (original) model by FW developer Thomas Ruth, to whom, I owe much of my (early) interest in (and learning about) Russian aircraft. Thanks for viewing. [FW(An124)/Orbx(PNW-fall)/REX]

What a beast 😉

Lovely set and a wonderful aircraft. The Project Tupolev Tu-154 is the sim that got me hooked on Russian Aviation.

May I  show you my An124 sim.

 

3 hours ago, edetroit said:

Lovely set and a wonderful aircraft. The Project Tupolev Tu-154 is the sim that got me hooked on Russian Aviation.

May I  show you my An124 sim.

 

Your sim is amazing. I am sure that there are many who would wish to have its details etc. released to the community at large.

Is it compatible with FSX/P3D, or is it only FS2004?

Wonderful video...thanks! The whole thing looks so real...Great ND/FMC Combo in the cockpit!

10 hours ago, LecLightning56 said:

Your sim is amazing. I am sure that there are many who would wish to have its details etc. released to the community at large.

Is it compatible with FSX/P3D, or is it only FS2004?

Thankyou, the only sim I use is FS2004. I m happy to release my paints but not my panels.

4 hours ago, P_7878 said:

Wonderful video...thanks! The whole thing looks so real...Great ND/FMC Combo in the cockpit!

Thankyou, all my panel work relies on the rarest of the rare. Well shot high definition cockpit photos and then pilots who are willing to help me.

Great Shots.....I'd hate to get the bill when it's due for new tires!! lol

Great plane, great pictures!

What is interesting is the fact that what we call "Russian" planes are in fact Soviet planes, with Antonov being situated in Kiev, in today's Ukraine. On may ask why almost no modern Russian (civil) plane is really successful, with even the Sukhoi Superjet having reliability and maintenance problems.

Bernd: Agree, it's a beast indeed...though a smaller one compared to An-225.....

Patrick: To add to the thoughts about (your bill due for) the "wheels"...🙂....on these giants, while I was looking into e.g. AN-225 a bit, I came to know that, it being the only one of its kind in the world, it has to carry its own spare wheels, wherever it flies. This means carrying up to "5" extra ones on board, so, add 32+5="37" total wheels typically on board that plane. Here, below, is an interesting link. And, notice the TWA, AA, USAir, America West, "VIRGINIA FOR LOVERS" stickers slapped onto the interior surfaces:
https://thepointsguy.com/news/photo-tour-antonov-an-225-largest-aircraft/

Harald: Thanks. Yes, you're absolutely correct. (BTW, I think I do recall an instance in the past, where you had pointed out a discrepancy across Wikis...🙂...). Anyway, the Wiki, here, does (correctly) say An-124 to be actually of "Soviet Union" origin...Also, I'd noted there some interesting (3-way) dynamics going on among (Antonov-Ukraine-Russia) w.r.t. the future fate of An-124. It will be nice for this plane to modernize/westernize to a modern glass-cockpit, but, of course, like Ed, here, (and you), I, (and many), will continue to be fascinated by its current cockpit...which seems to be doing the job so well...

Edited August 6, 20196 yr by P_7878