The Antonov AN124,one of the largest super freighter in the world , at JFK Airport taking a load of heavy equipment overseas. This cargo flight was arranged by a Korean firm who purchased compressor units from Elliott-Turbo that are replacng those lost in January 2017 at a refinery at Abu Dhabi National Oil Company complex.
The AN124 is a beautiful beast to behold with her nose opening large enough to load tons of heavy industrial equipment.
A crew of twelve from the Antonov as well as Worldwide Flight Service (WFS) ßpersonnel were on hand to open both the fore and aft doors to accommodate loading the heavy shipment. She is 226 feet in length with a wingspan of 224 feet and a payload of 330,000lbs with a top speed of 537 mph.
The Antonovs were designed by the Antonov Design Bureau in the Ukrainian SSR within the Soviet Union during the 1980s. After successfully fulfilling their Soviet military missions they was reconfigured to be used as a commercial aircraft cargo company. It’s larger sister, the Antonov An-225, was developed in the 1980s to carry the Soviet version of the space shuttle on its back. The Antonov AN124 planes are used by both Volga-Dnepr Airlines and Antonov Airlines.
