An-124 takes off at Canberra Airport

This enormous An-124 took off at Canberra Airport just before 6am on 18 January 2023 after picking up a number of large white containers at RAAF Fairbairn. There were hundreds of Canberrans at the airport to see the beast get off the ground. We were lucky to have arrived with 20 minutes to spare.
The An-124 Ruslan (Nato name Condor) is a large, strategic airlift, four-engined aircraft that was designed in the 1980s by the Antonov design bureau in the Ukrainian SSR, then part of the Soviet Union (USSR). The An-124 is the world's 2nd heaviest gross weight production cargo airplane and heaviest operating cargo aircraft, behind the destroyed one-off Antonov An-225 Mriya (a greatly enlarged design based on the An-124) and the Boeing 747-8. The An-124 remains the largest military transport aircraft in service.
#An124 #Antonov #Canberra Airport #bebravelikebucha

[@rosemaryfriedw124a8]

Poor Ruslan, he just lost his sister because of the russian

[@mareilleward8670]

Mireille, Gorgeous thing it is, the power, amazing the weight of it, fascinating invention.. Still baffles me... Stay strong Ukraine, 🙏

[@AussieJetSetter]

Spectacular capture there mate of an absolute beauty!

[@rachelsaviation346]

Wooahhh 🤩

[@rachelsaviation346]

I do plane spotting up at Williamtown Newcastle and the antonovs are always amazing 🥰🤩 my favourite aircraft!

[@lovacable]

What an a amazing plane! I can only imagine how intimidating looks from close.

[@asasmith2696]

Sounds like an a330 powered by PW4000

[@tiitsaul9036]

I missed it by couple of minutes this morning. It just took off when I got there. I'm very sad

[@capitalaviation]

It went early. A real shame