I’ve often considered which aircraft I’d like to shoot at night and the An-225 Mriya or ‘Dream’ as it is known has always been right up there. I didn’t wake up on Tuesday 16th February thinking this would be the day, but as life can sometimes be so surprising I stood in awe as she touched down on the runway of my local airport, Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield early that evening. OK, so she might have graced us with her presence an hour earlier when the sun was still out as per the original flight plan, but that was a minor inconvenience; I never thought I would see her graceful magnificence over the skies of Doncaster.
The airport which is approaching the fifth anniversary of its first commercial flight in 2005 has hosted some interesting cargo visitors over the years, and the arrival of the biggest of them all is certainly a big coup for the airport, especially the Cargo & GA Director, Paul Rodwell. “The arrival of this magnificent aircraft reflects growing confidence for Doncaster Sheffield Airport as one of the UK’s leading freighter airports. The An-225 is the largest cargo freighter in the world and we are absolutely thrilled that it was able to land here in Yorkshire, which is a first for the region.
“The airline's decision to operate to Doncaster Sheffield Airport showcases the airport's ability to handle this type of oversized cargo. Our 3000m runway and our growing reputation will have certainly been factors in bringing the An-225 to Doncaster/Sheffield. We have been working closely with Nordic Air Charters who have arranged this charter flight on behalf of Wartsila in Finland. Nordic Air Charters have worked with Juhani Peltonen OY Freightgate to arrange this charter flight.”
The infrastructure is available at Doncaster Sheffield to handle such a movement and preparations amongst the various departments within the airport had been on-going for some time, with four stands worth of parking space allotted for the arrival of the aircraft from the Cape Verde Islands. The onward journey of its cargo, a 70 tonne generator for a power station in Lahore, Pakistan would continue the following day, sadly in very foggy conditions which disappointed a large crowd who had assembled around the perimeter of the airport.
The An-225 is truly one of a kind. Developed to transport the Buran orbiter space vehicle, it first flew on the 21st December, 1988. Its UK flying debut came at the Farnborough Airshow in 1990 and whilst construction commenced on a second aircraft, it was never fully completed. Hence UR-82060 is the only breath-taking example to grace the skies. The aircraft is based around its smaller, but equally impressive counterpart the An-124 Ruslan. Six Ivchenko Progress D-18T turbofan engines power the aircraft around the skies and 32 wheels in total cushion its impact on landing.
The aircraft is operated by Antonov Airlines which commenced operations in 1989 and whose main base is Gostomel Airport, Kiev. A number of Antonov types are operated, including the An-225 Mriya, An-124-100 Ruslan and An-22 Antaeus. The airline specialises in the transportation of oversized and super-heavy cargo and was the first airline to operate such aircraft on the commercial market.
The distinctive twin tail is an essential feature of the aircraft to carry both very heavy internal and external loads which would otherwise cause problems for the aerodynamics of a conventional single-tail design. The capacity of the aircraft was increased in an upgrade at the beginning of the millennium to a maximum gross weight of 640 tonnes. Having touched down at Robin Hood, it was expected to take between four to five hours to construct the ramps leading to the aircraft to load the cargo, arriving from Rugby based, Coverteam Ltd. Demand for commercial use of the aircraft is certainly high; slots are currently fully booked until April this year.
The kind crew of around 20 allowed the gathered media on board into the cargo area which was being prepared for the hard work required overnight. All I can think to describe it, is as an enormous cavern with its own smell of hard working metal. It may be a cliché but how this aircraft makes it into the air defies belief.
The arrival of the ‘Dream’ concludes a busy period for cargo operations at the airport. Other recent movements involved the arrival of 13 lions from Romania for the Yorkshire Wildlife Park through the services of Jet2. An Atlas Air 747-400 also visited recently with staging equipment for Lady Gaga’s UK tour which begins next month in Sheffield. The airport believes that cargo operators are becoming increasingly confident in using Robin Hood, clearly for even the biggest of operations.
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2010-02-24 - mike kopack
Great article and photography. very interesting.
packman mike
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