51–59 of 59 posts
I saw this plane once in person, no picture will ever do it justice. That something that size can fly at all without being a dirigible is absolutely amazing.
Saw it both in flight and on the ground in Toulouse and it was oddly majestic.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I saw it a couple of times from the mountains near Toulouse, and this was my impression as well. It is fascinating to watch; it does not look like it should be able to fly, with its oversized belly and (relatively) tiny wings. It really looks more like a zeppelin than an aircraft.
Also, and this is probably an optical illusion, it appears to move so slow.
Still, it made the whole thing surreal.
It's amazing how small other planes look like when being loaded inside: https://simpleflying.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1280px-F... https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Airbus_b... https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/F-GSTD_B...
The 100K lb capacity is interesting. An 18 wheeler truck has 80K lb capacity, I would have thought it could carry multiple full capacity containers.
And that is why I always roll my eyes when a journalist uses the weight of a jet airplane to "translate" the weight of some heavy object. Airplanes are surprisingly light compared to their size. One cannot pick up an airplane[1] just like that so most doesn't realise this. 1: Notable exception :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9x1TRbeC_0
I saw this plane once in person, no picture will ever do it justice. That something that size can fly at all without being a dirigible is absolutely amazing.
This must be because you haven't seen the AN-225! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-225_Mriya
I saw this plane once in person, no picture will ever do it justice. That something that size can fly at all without being a dirigible is absolutely amazing.
This must be because you haven't seen the AN-225! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-225_Mriya
It's amazing how small other planes look like when being loaded inside: https://simpleflying.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1280px-F... https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Airbus_b... https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/F-GSTD_B...