World’s Largest Airplane—the Antonov AN-225–lands at Mirabel, Quebec, on June 4, 2020.

Описание: As part of its global mission to deliver medical supplies to countries battling COVID-19, the massive Antonov AN-225 lands at Mirabel, Quebec, on June 4, 2020. This is the world’s largest airplane.

Full gallery: https://ericadams321.com/antonov-an225

More from my article at skiesmag.com:

The distinctive twin-tail, 600,000-pound cargo aircraft, with its six turbofan engines, 290-foot wingspan, and cavernous interior, had been grounded for about 18 months for maintenance and upgrades, until March of this year. These enhancements included new engine control systems, LCD instrumentation, LED lighting, and a host of other improvements that will help the aircraft—only one of which was ever built, in 1985—stay in service for a decade or more longer. Its return to flight allowed plane-spotters and general aviation enthusiasts to resume their tracking of the aircraft, potentially even seeing it pass through their local airports just as the rest of the world’s airplanes were being themselves grounded due to the shocking drop-off in commercial aviation in the wake of the pandemic.

Indeed, Mriya’s movements have been one of the few bright spots in aviation over the last several months, as the AN-225 has been in virtually continuous service flying personal protective equipment from China to different locations around the world. Including fueling stops, Mriya—which means “dream” in Ukranian—has in its over 30 flights so far visited Paris, Anchorage, Leipzig, Warsaw, Montreal, and Athens, along with Tianjin, China, where it collects supplies, and Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, its frequent stopovers between Europe and Asia.

Registered UR-82060, the hulking blue and white high-wing airplane has become something of a rock star in its current life, much more than it ever was previously. Each stop has drawn significant crowds for its arrival and departure. The visit to Montreal, in particular, turned into something of a frenzy, with news outlets and hundreds of enthusiasts—at this point, it’s safe to call them fans—turning out.

In addition, FlightRadar24 has blogged about the aircraft, and a 12,000-member Facebook group that tracks the AN-225’s whereabouts and which has existed for several years now, dubbed simply “Antonov An-225 Mriya,” has seen a surge in members and posts since the return-to-flight in March, including tons of photos and videos of its comings and goings.

In fact, the AN-225 routinely ranks as one of the most-tracked individual aircraft on FlightRadar24, and the mystery that often surrounds it is part of the appeal. While most of its flights today are pandemic-related, its usual cargo can vary wildly from massive industrial machines to military
cargo. (In fact, it’s not particularly optimized for its current missions of flying medical supplies, but low fuel prices have made it a viable and attractive option right now.) As a result, aviation enthusiasts spend a lot of time trying to determine what it’s carrying and for whom. Antonov doesn’t publish its flight schedule, let alone its contents—especially if the client is sensitive. So it becomes a global guessing game to determine what the aircraft is up to.

Finally, there are several very human factors that influence current interest in Mriya’s flights. Aviation enthusiasts don’t have a lot to cheer on right now, and people are undeniably bored and restless at home. If the largest airplane in the world drops into to a given airport, you can bet crowds are going to show up to see it. To that point you can add the pure physical thrill of seeing such a massive aircraft flying over your head—if you’re able to secure a position on the end of the runway. Mriya moves with a combination of stateliness and exhilarating energy that can only be fully grasped in person. So stay-at-home orders or no, people are going to find a way to experience this spectacle. It’s a rare treat that will brighten a lot of moods in otherwise very dark times.