Rare flight for the biggest plane in the world
The undisputed superstar of the skies -- the biggest airplane in the world -- is taking flight on a rare delivery mission across three continents. The Ukrainian cargo jet named "Mriya" is one of a kind. There is no other. That's why the gawkers showed up Tuesday in Prague. They watched in awe as this big boy defied gravity before it touched down at Vaclav Havel Airport in the Czech Republic. Officially designated as the Antonov An-225, the plane was developed in the 1980s to carry the Soviet version of the space shuttle on its back. When the shuttle program ended, the plane morphed into the world's coolest flying moving van. While in Prague, workers will load Mriya with a generator weighing 130 tons for delivery to Australia. This monster has six jet engines. Its wingspan measures 88 metres. Mriya's cargo hold is actually longer than the Wright Brothers' historic flight in 1903. Its maximum total weight at takeoff: 640 tons. To carry all that weight Mriya has 32 wheels spread across its oversized landing gear. It's rare to see it in action. Lately, Mriya has been making deliveries once -- maybe twice -- a year. If you need to fly something big -- like gargantuan oil industry equipment or a giant electric generator -- this is the plane you want.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2016-05-12/general/rare-flight-for-the-biggest-plane-in-the-world
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Rare flight for the biggest plane in the world
The undisputed superstar of the skies -- the biggest airplane in the world -- is taking flight on a rare delivery mission across three continents. The Ukrainian cargo jet named "Mriya" is one of a kind. There is no other. That's why the gawkers showed up Tuesday in Prague. They watched in awe as this big boy defied gravity before it touched down at Vaclav Havel Airport in the Czech Republic. Officially designated as the Antonov An-225, the plane was developed in the 1980s to carry the Soviet version of the space shuttle on its back. When the shuttle program ended, the plane morphed into the world's coolest flying moving van. While in Prague, workers will load Mriya with a generator weighing 130 tons for delivery to Australia. This monster has six jet engines. Its wingspan measures 88 metres. Mriya's cargo hold is actually longer than the Wright Brothers' historic flight in 1903. Its maximum total weight at takeoff: 640 tons. To carry all that weight Mriya has 32 wheels spread across its oversized landing gear. It's rare to see it in action. Lately, Mriya has been making deliveries once -- maybe twice -- a year. If you need to fly something big -- like gargantuan oil industry equipment or a giant electric generator -- this is the plane you want.<br/>
