There are big aircraft and then there’s the Antonov airlifters. Originally made by Soviet Ukraine, these jets are seriously large and are only called into service when there are enormous loads which need to be transported from one place to another. The Antonov An-225 is the largest jet in operation in the world and is just massive. It’s little sister, the An-124, isn’t quite as large but still is no slouch.
Every once in a while the An-124 comes through the DFW area, although it usually lands over in Fort Worth at Alliance Airport. Friday, though, the An-124 was going to be landing at DFW! Ok honestly that’s not that unusual either but this time I was going to be there for it!
There were an assortment of planespotters out at Founders Plaza to watch the huge jet make its final approach and land. Flightradar24 indicated the jet was flying over us on its way to its final pattern. I had rented a Canon 300mm f2.8 for the holidays (I mean why not, right?) and threw on a 2x teleconverter and then attached my Sony a6500 to it, for that illustrious 900mm f5.6 focal length, and pointed it to the sky, where I saw the huge jet making its way toward its final approach!
It would be landing at the runway next to Founders Plaza so I made my preparations, removing the 2x teleconverter from my a6500 and attached a 110mm lens to my Fuji medium format camera. After a tiny regional jet got out of the way the Ukrainian beast made its final approach.
Is that landing gear not crazy! Notice the nose of the jet has two sets of landing gear side by side instead of the usual one.
The last bit of grass surrendered to runway and the massive landing gear sets eventually bore the weight of the massive jet as it gracefully touched down at DFW.
It was my first time to see the incredible jet in person! Someday I’m going to try and get a tour for you all but for now please enjoy these pictures of the week!
I remember seeing this awesome aircraft at Tulsa Airport, it does pop by once in a while. I love watching it take off.
We get the An-124 every so often at FLL on it’s way to SJU. It parks really close to the highway for a couple of days so we get a great look. Amazing photos (as usual!)
Landed in ATL on 12/21 and two were parked there one with its nose up. Got pics to prove!
I managed to be on a hill within about 1/4-mile of a flyby of the last Space Shuttle atop a 747 on its final voyage to its final destination (museum). Similar feeling, I guess, with some nostalgia for when we thought of Space in terms of more than dollars and cents.