People are always attracted by some kind of record - record-breaking aircraft always receive great attention
3rd place: Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a wide-body, double-deck jet passenger aircraft created by Airbus S.A.S. (formerly Airbus Industrie) is the largest production airliner in the world.
The height of the aircraft is 24.08 meters, length is 72.75 (80.65) meters, wingspan is 79.75 meters. The A380 can fly non-stop over distances of up to 15,400 km. Capacity - 525 passengers in three classes; 853 passengers in single-class configuration. There is also a cargo modification of the A380F with the ability to transport cargo up to 150 tons over a distance of up to 10,370 km.
The development of the Airbus A380 took about 10 years, the cost of the entire program was about 12 billion euros. Airbus says it needs to sell 420 planes to recoup its costs, although some analysts estimate the figure could be much higher.
According to the developers, the most difficult part in creating the A380 was the problem of reducing its weight. It was solved through the widespread use of composite materials both in structural structural elements and in auxiliary units, interiors, etc.
To reduce the weight of the aircraft, advanced technologies and improved aluminum alloys were also used. Thus, the 11-ton center section consists of 40% of its mass from carbon fiber reinforced plastic. The fuselage top and side panels are made from Glare hybrid material. Laser welding of stringers and skin was used on the lower fuselage panels, which significantly reduced the number of fasteners.
Airbus claims that the Airbus A380 burns 17% less fuel per passenger than “the current largest aircraft” (presumably referring to the Boeing 747). The less fuel is burned, the lower the carbon dioxide emissions. For an airplane, CO2 emissions per passenger are only 75 grams per kilometer traveled. This is almost half the carbon dioxide emissions limit set by the European Union for cars produced in 2008.
The first A320 aircraft sold was delivered to the customer on October 15, 2007 after a long acceptance testing phase and entered service on October 25, 2007, making a commercial flight between Singapore and Sydney. Two months later, Singapore Airlines President Chew Chong Seng said the Airbus A380 was performing better than expected and was consuming 20% less fuel per passenger than the company's existing Boeing 747-400s.
The aircraft's upper and lower decks are connected by two staircases at the bow and tail, wide enough to accommodate two passengers shoulder to shoulder. In the 555-passenger configuration, the A380 has 33% more passenger seats than the Boeing 747–400 in its standard three-class configuration, but the cabin has 50% more space and volume, resulting in more space per passenger.
The maximum certified capacity of the aircraft is 853 passengers when configured with a single economy class. The announced configurations have a number of passenger seats from 450 (for Qantas Airways) to 644 (for Emirates Airline, with two comfort classes).
2nd place: Hughes H-4 Hercules
Hughes H-4 Hercules (eng. Hughes H-4 Hercules) is a transport wooden flying boat developed by the American company Hughes Aircraft under the leadership of Howard Hughes. This 136-ton aircraft, originally designated the NK-1 and informally nicknamed the Spruce Goose, was the largest flying boat ever built, and its wingspan remains a record to this day. - 98 meters. It was designed to transport 750 soldiers when fully equipped.
At the beginning of World War II, the US government allocated $13 million to Hughes to produce a prototype of a flying ship, but the aircraft was not ready by the end of hostilities, which was explained by a shortage of aluminum, as well as Hughes’s stubbornness in creating a flawless machine.
Specifications
Crew: 3 people
Length: 66.45 m
Wingspan: 97.54 m
Height: 24.08 m
Fuselage height: 9.1 m
Wing area: 1061.88 m?
Maximum take-off weight: 180 tons
Payload weight: up to 59,000 kg
Fuel capacity: 52,996 l
Engines: 8? air cooling Pratt&Whitney R-4360-4A 3000 l. With. (2240 kW) each
Propellers: 8? four-blade Hamilton Standard, diameter 5.23 m
Flight characteristics
Top speed: 351 mph (565.11 km/h)
Cruising speed: 250 mph (407.98 km/h)
Flight range: 5634 km
Service ceiling: 7165 m.
Despite its nickname, the plane is built almost entirely from birch, or more precisely from birch plywood glued to a pattern.
The Hercules aircraft, piloted by Howard Hughes himself, made its first and only flight on November 2, 1947, when it rose to a height of 21 meters and covered approximately two kilometers in a straight line over Los Angeles Harbor.
After a long period of storage (Hughes maintained the aircraft in operational condition until his death in 1976, spending up to $1 million a year on this), the aircraft was sent to a museum in Long Beach, California.
The plane is visited by about 300,000 tourists annually. The biography of the aircraft's creator, Howard Hughes, and the aircraft's testing are shown in Martin Scorsese's film "The Aviator."
It is currently on display at the Evergreen International Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, where it was moved in 1993.
1st place: AN-225 What a plane! Of course, he's Russian!
This machine was designed and built in a very short time: the first drawings began to be created in 1985, and in 1988 the transport aircraft was already built. The reason for such a short deadline can be quite easily explained: the fact is that the Mriya was created on the basis of well-developed components and assemblies of the An-124 Ruslan. For example, the fuselage of the Mriya has the same transverse dimensions as the An-124, but is longer; the span and area of the wings have increased. The wing has the same structure as the Ruslan, but additional sections have been added to it. The An-225 now has two additional engines. The aircraft's landing gear is similar to that of the Ruslan, but it has seven instead of five struts. The cargo compartment has been changed quite seriously. Initially, two aircraft were laid down, but only one An-225 was completed. The second copy of the unique aircraft is approximately 70% complete and can be completed at any time, subject to proper funding. To complete its construction, an amount of 100-120 million dollars is needed.
On February 1, 1989, the aircraft was shown to the general public, and in May of the same year, the An-225 made a non-stop flight from Baikonur to Kyiv, carrying a Buran weighing sixty tons on its back. That same month, the An-225 delivered the Buran spacecraft to the Paris Air Show and created a real sensation there. In total, the aircraft holds 240 world records, including the transportation of the heaviest cargo (253 tons), the heaviest monolithic cargo (188 tons) and the longest cargo.
The An-225 Mriya aircraft was originally created for the needs of the Soviet space industry. In those years, the Soviet Union was building Buran, its first reusable spacecraft, an analogue of the American shuttle. To implement this project, a transport system was needed that could be used to transport large loads. It was for these purposes that “Mriya” was conceived. In addition to the components and assemblies of the spacecraft itself, it was necessary to deliver parts of the Energia rocket, which were also colossal in size. All this was delivered from the production site to the final assembly points. The units and components of Energia and Buran were manufactured in the central regions of the USSR, and final assembly took place in Kazakhstan, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. In addition, the An-225 was initially designed so that in the future it could transport the finished Buran spacecraft. The An-225 could also transport large cargo for the needs of the national economy, for example, equipment for the mining, oil and gas industries.
In addition to participating in the Soviet space program, the aircraft was to be used to transport oversized cargo over long distances. The An-225 Mriya will carry out this work today.
The general functions and tasks of the machine can be described as follows:
transportation of general purpose cargo (large, heavy) with a total weight of up to 250 tons;
intracontinental non-stop transportation of cargo weighing 180–200 tons;
intercontinental transportation of goods weighing up to 150 tons;
transportation of heavy bulky cargo on an external sling with a total weight of up to 200 tons;
use of aircraft for air launch of spacecraft.
The unique aircraft was given other, even more ambitious tasks, and they were also related to space. The An-225 Mriya aircraft was supposed to become a kind of flying cosmodrome, a platform from which spaceships and rockets would be launched into orbit. "Mriya", according to the designers, was supposed to be the first stage for the launch of reusable spacecraft of the "Buran" type. Therefore, initially the designers were faced with the task of making an aircraft with a payload capacity of at least 250 tons.
The Soviet shuttle was supposed to launch from the “back” of the plane. This method of launching vehicles into low-Earth orbit has many serious advantages. Firstly, there is no need to build very expensive ground-based launch complexes, and secondly, launching a rocket or ship from an airplane seriously saves fuel and allows you to increase the payload of the spacecraft. In some cases, this may make it possible to completely abandon the first stage of the rocket.
Various air launch options are currently being developed. They are working especially actively in this direction in the United States, and there are also Russian developments.
Alas, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the “air launch” project with the participation of the An-225 was practically buried. This aircraft was an active participant in the Energia-Buran program. The An-225 carried out fourteen flights with Buran on the top of the fuselage, and hundreds of tons of various cargo were transported as part of this program.
After 1991, funding for the Energia-Buran program ceased, and the An-225 was left without work. Only in 2000 did the modernization of the machine begin for use for commercial purposes. The An-225 Mriya aircraft has unique technical characteristics, enormous payload capacity and can transport large cargo on its fuselage - all this makes the aircraft very popular for commercial transportation.
Since that time, the An-225 has performed many flights and transported hundreds of tons of various cargo. Some transport operations can be safely called unique and have no analogues in the history of aviation. The aircraft took part in humanitarian operations several times. After the devastating tsunami, he delivered power generators to Samoa, transported construction equipment to earthquake-ravaged Haiti, and helped eliminate the consequences of the earthquake in Japan.
In 2009, the An-225 aircraft was modernized and its service life was extended.
The An-225 Mriya aircraft is designed according to the classical design, with high-raised, slightly swept wings. The cabin is located in the front of the aircraft, the cargo hatch is also located in the nose of the vehicle. The aircraft is made according to a two-fin design. This decision is related to the need to transport cargo on the fuselage of the aircraft. The An-225 airframe has very high aerodynamic properties; the lift-to-drag ratio of this aircraft is 19, which is an excellent indicator not only for transport aircraft, but also for passenger aircraft. This, in turn, significantly improved the aircraft's performance and reduced fuel consumption.
Almost the entire internal space of the fuselage is occupied by the cargo compartment. Compared to the An-124, it has become 10% larger (by seven meters). At the same time, the wingspan increased by only 20%, two more engines were added, and the aircraft’s carrying capacity increased by one and a half times. During the construction of the An-225, drawings, components and assemblies of the An-124 were actively used, thanks to which the aircraft was able to be created in such a short time. Here are the main differences between the An-225 and the An-124 “Ruslan”:
New center section;
fuselage length increased;
the single-fin tail was replaced with a double-fin;
lack of a tail cargo hatch;
the number of main landing gear struts has been increased from five to seven;
external cargo fastening and pressurization system;
two additional D-18T engines were installed.
Unlike the Ruslan, the Mriya has only one cargo hatch, which is located in the bow of the aircraft. Like its predecessor, Mriya can change the ground clearance and angle of the fuselage, which is extremely convenient during loading and unloading operations. The chassis has three supports: a front two-post and two main ones, each of which consists of seven posts. Moreover, all racks are independent of each other and are produced separately.
To take off without cargo, the plane needs a runway 2400 meters long, with cargo - 3500 meters.
The An-225 has six D-18T engines suspended under the wings, as well as two auxiliary power units located inside the fuselage.
The cargo compartment is sealed and equipped with all the necessary equipment for loading operations. Inside the fuselage, the An-225 can transport up to sixteen standard aviation containers (each weighing ten tons), fifty passenger cars, or any cargo weighing up to two hundred tons (turbines, especially large cargo vehicles, generators). On top of the fuselage there are special fastenings for transporting large cargo.D
Technical characteristics of An-225 "Mriya"
Wingspan, m 88.4
Length, m 84.0
Height, m 18.2
Weight, kg
Empty 250000
Maximum takeoff 600000
Fuel weight 300000
Engine 6*TRDD D-18T
Specific fuel consumption, kg/kgf·h 0.57-0.63
Cruising speed, km/h 850
Practical range, km 15600
Range, km 4500
Practical ceiling, m 11000
Crew of six people
Payload, kg 250000-450000.
An-225 is a Soviet transport jet aircraft with an ultra-high payload developed by the Design Bureau named after. O.K. Antonov, is the largest aircraft in the world.
Ukrainian aircraft "Mriya" An - 225
It is the largest in the world and the only flying example of the An-22 model.
The huge transport plane can carry up to 250 tons of cargo, which is four times the maximum payload of a Boeing 747. There is enough space inside the An-225 to fit the entire body of a Boeing 737. It also surpasses in various respects the world's largest passenger aircraft, the A380-800: While the latter has four engines, a wingspan of 80 meters, and a take-off weight of 560 tons, the giant An-225 has six engines, a wingspan of 88 meters, and the starting weight is 600 tons. The largest aircraft in the world also has a record number of wheels - as many as 32! The machine was put into operation in 1988. Plans to fly another plane never materialized. Its construction began in the 1990s, but was never completed. There were attempts to resume it several times, but in 2012 the project was frozen because, due to the financial crisis, the number of orders for transport services decreased significantly. The second copy of the An-225 is still in the hangar to this day.
Construction of the first An-225 began in Kyiv during the Cold War between the USA and the USSR, when both superpowers invested huge amounts of money in the development of new weapons and vehicles.
Giant's story
The aircraft was intended to transport military goods, as well as components of Soviet missiles and the Buran spacecraft to Baikonur. In December 1988, the giant made its first flight. But soon the Soviet Union collapsed, and with it the military’s dreams of creating a whole series of huge transporters collapsed. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, worldwide disarmament began, and the need for such machines disappeared. We also had to save on space flights. In 1994, funding for the Energia-Buran space program ceased, and the aircraft was mothballed. The engines were removed and installed on a smaller model - the An-124. And only seven years later the huge machine was again fit for flight. Later it was planned to develop a project for a larger version of the aircraft - the An-325 with eight engines, but the idea was not realized. Projects for aerospace systems around the world are being developed on the Antonov base.
The An-225 is not only the largest, but also the heaviest aircraft in the world How does he fly
The six super-powerful D-18T engines installed on it consume three tons of kerosene per hour. Despite its enormous weight, a three-kilometer runway is enough to accelerate the Mrie. The total area of the wings, each of which is almost 90 m wide, is equal to the area of a football field. The giant's speed is 805 km/h. It can stay in the air for 18 hours and cover a distance of over 15,000 km. However, when fully loaded, an aircraft in the world is only capable of flying from 2,500 to 3,000 km. Its tanks hold 300 tons of fuel.
The maximum payload of the machine is 250 tons, which corresponds, for example, to the weight of more than 200 cows. What can fit in the cargo area?
The giant plane is controlled by a crew of six people. It is serviced by 11 technicians. In 2009, Mriya delivered a generator weighing 190 tons, intended for a gas turbine power plant, from the German city of Han to Yerevan (Armenia). This achievement is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. Transportation of cargo that does not fit into the cargo compartment of the AN-225 occurs using the “hookpack” system, that is, they are attached to the top. In the passenger version, Ukrainian designers planned to make three decks with seats for 800 passengers.
Video of one of the largest aircraft in the world
Every flight is a big event
The huge machine is used to transport special cargo. Much more often, transportation is carried out by a smaller aircraft - An-124. “Mriya” is usually remembered when it is necessary to transport a large cargo entirely. When a giant arrives at its destination, it is always a special event. Journalists and crowds of curious people gather at the airport. This was the case, for example, in June 2013, when Mriya first landed at the airport in the Swiss city of Basel.
These planes were also once record holders.
1.Dornier Do X (1929). It was the largest, fastest and after the First World War. Designed by the German company Dornier. In 1933, Germany abandoned the use of these machines, as they were considered insufficiently economical and safe, and also unsuitable for military purposes. After this, only two examples were built and sent to Italy. German designers planned to create a new, improved model based on the Do X - the Dornier Do 20, but due to World War II this project was not implemented.
2. Tupolev ANT-20 “Maxim Gorky” (1934) A 1930s behemoth with eight engines and a wingspan almost like a modern Boeing 747. It was built in Voronezh and was intended primarily for propaganda. It was equipped with a film installation, a darkroom, a printing press, etc. Additionally, the vehicle could transport up to 72 passengers.
The largest machine with turboprop engines, which is still the most commonly used. It flies at high subsonic speeds. - a “hump” in which the pilot’s cabin is located above the main passenger deck. For transport models it is somewhat shorter.
Previously it was the most powerful transport aircraft. When it lands at foreign airports, it probably arouses no less interest than Mriya. The wingspan is 64 meters and the unloaded weight is 114 tons.
Before its introduction, the A-380 was the second largest aircraft in mass production. It remains the world's largest military aircraft. It is called the “little brother” of the An-225. The An-124 made its first flight abroad in 1985. It was presented to the public at the Paris Air Show. The vehicle is highly valued by both Russian military aviation and commercial cargo transportation organizations. The upper deck can accommodate 88 passengers.
Modern man cannot imagine his existence without airplanes. To date, more than two thousand aircraft have been designed, which have their own characteristics and purpose. They differ in size, functionality and support. The difference is amazing. If you compare a small plane designed for one pilot and a passenger airliner, the first will seem like just a speck of dust against the background of the second. Today there is the largest Boeing in the world - the Boeing 747.
The Boeing 747 is the first large passenger aircraft to become popular around the world. Pilots and passengers even come up with various nicknames for it; for almost 40 years, the Boeing 747 has held the record for passenger transportation. To date, there is only one record left behind him - this is the maximum length for an aircraft. The Boeing 747 first saw the light of day in 1969, and its history began from then on. Specialists and designers are still designing and improving this model to this day.
Background to the Boeing 747
In the early 1960s, the world began to actively develop in terms of trade, large, large-scale air transportation was needed. The predecessor of the Boeing 747, the Boeing 707, could no longer cope with the volume of traffic. The flow of people wishing to fly quickly and comfortably increased every day, Boeing designers began to develop an analogue.
Joe Sutter in 1965 was the main developer who explored the consumer market as much as possible. After his research, he was the senior designer in charge of the Boeing 747. In those years, there was no bet on passenger transportation; inventors dreamed of sonic airplanes. Therefore, from the very beginning, the Boeing 747 was a cargo aircraft and only then a cargo-passenger aircraft. The designers designed all the aircraft as cargo planes, and this is precisely what they focused on. They freed up space as much as possible, and even moved the cockpits to accommodate more cargo.
In 1966, Boeing designers first showed a mock-up of a new aircraft labeled 747. In its original form, the aircraft had two decks, but many problems arose with this design. Soon an option was proposed: to make it in the form of a capsule, enlarging the sides. After the final version was presented, an order was received for the production of the Boeing 747 from PanAm in the amount of 25 units.
This company made some changes to the design of the aircraft, thanks to it the length of the wings and the design of the landing gear were changed, and it was also decided to increase the weight to 308,443 kilograms.
Main characteristics
The Boeing 747 has four jet engines, an interesting body and large dimensions. The main advanced characteristics set Boeing apart from other aircraft, and, undoubtedly, today it is the leader in transportation and the most sought-after aircraft in the world. It is worth highlighting some perfections:
- Aerodynamics have been improved.
- New solutions make it possible to reduce inductive resistance.
- The interior design has been changed, a comfortable cabin for the crew and a comfortable cabin for passengers.
One of the noticeable improvements to this aircraft are the wings, which have changed in size and become more functional. After a number of changes, the wings became 6 feet high, the airfoil was slightly turned up and protruded outward. After all the innovations, flight duration has increased and fuel consumption has decreased. Due to these savings, Boeing has reduced fuel consumption by up to 4%. If you calculate the total amount for all time, it turns out to be a huge amount. The Boeing 747 is the fastest passenger aircraft, whose speed can reach 940 km/h.
Specifications
The Boeing 747 is much more spacious than its counterparts due to the modified deck. These innovations make it possible to accommodate 1,075 passengers, with high levels of comfort in both business and economy class. Today, the cockpit has also been completely changed: all instruments have been replaced with new digital elements, due to which the number of pilots has been reduced to two people, and the control of the aircraft has become simplified. All important information was displayed on the LCD screen.
On board the aircraft, for ease of movement, straight staircases were designed rather than spiral ones, which made movement as easy as possible.
The interior of the aircraft has also changed. Now passengers had more free space, which made flights more comfortable. Shelves for luggage and personal items have been increased in volume. In addition, special broadcasting systems for watching films and videos were installed on board the aircraft.
Due to the fact that the upper deck was lengthened, several additional exits were installed on it. The parts of the new Boeing are updated engines from well-known manufacturers, characterized by good quality and endurance. Thanks to this, they received a Boeing with a maximum speed of 940 km/h and a weight of 350 tons.
Boeing 747 technical data:
- The total length of the aircraft is 70.7 meters.
- The height of the aircraft is 19.5 meters.
- The wingspan is 120 meters.
- The width of the cabin for passengers is 6 meters.
- Wing area – 1022 sq.m.
- Speed – 940 km/h.
- Flight range – 12500 km.
- Weight without passengers - 175,000 kg.
- The height inside the aircraft is 13755 m.
Economy class has 580 seats. The aircraft crew included two pilots and one engineer. Due to the popularity of the model, Boeing was invented for cargo transportation and Boeing passenger, but with a shorter flight duration.
The purpose of the Boeing 747
Since the start of Boeing production, carrier companies have been distrustful of the airliner. At the same time, some organizations began to develop smaller aircraft with three engines. Many believed that they would be able to displace the Boeing, because the large dimensions of the Boeing called into question its efficiency on long-haul routes. Also, due to its large dimensions, the infrastructure of some airports could not match the record holder. Of course, passenger transportation companies were concerned about the high fuel consumption that the Boeing required to fly. Some airlines immediately refused to purchase the aircraft, fearing that ticket prices would rise due to high fuel consumption.
Boeing 747 – king in the sky
Companies' concerns about this were justified, because in 1970, during the fuel crisis, fuel prices jumped sharply. Due to this, passenger traffic has been reduced to the maximum extent possible. The Boeing 747 went on flights half empty. Some airlines resorted to a trick: they decided to remove several rows of passenger seats and install bars and musical instruments in these places in the hope of attracting as many passengers as possible in this way. But, as practice has shown, this turned out to be not enough. Many of the airlines converted the planes into cargo planes or resold them to other owners.
In populated countries today, the Boeing 747 is used on short-haul flights or to destinations that are in high demand. Of course, the Boeing 747 is still used for long flights. The national company of Japan had the largest number of Boeings, namely 73 units. At the moment, all equipment has been written off, and the last flight of the Boeing took place in March 2011.
In Russia, the Boeing 747 was operated by the largest private airline, Transaero, which ceased operations in 2015, and by the largest cargo carrier, AirBridgeCargo.
The history of aviation begins at the end of the eighteenth century - after all, it was at the junction of eras that the English designer developed the design of an aircraft. Modern airliners bear little resemblance to their predecessors. Today, aviation industry leaders compete to produce giants. The largest aircraft in the world, the An-225 Mriya, amazes with its size and carrying capacity. Let's study the rating of the largest airliners in more detail.
Let's start with a brief description of the leader of the list among civil aviation aircraft that specialize in passenger flights. Today, the first place in this area is held by the invention of the European company Airbus - the A380 board. The ship was developed over 10 years, and in 2005 this giant successfully completed its first voyage.
With a fuselage length of 72.75 m, a wing spread of 79.75 m and a body height of 24 meters, this aircraft is capable of lifting up to 853 people into the air.
A distinctive characteristic of the model is its economical fuel consumption - the flight range of this airliner is 15,400 kilometers. It is noteworthy that in order to achieve this goal, engineers ordered a batch of machines specially created for the model. After all, a reduction in fuel consumption can only be achieved with an ideally adjusted shape of the wing and fuselage. Actual aviation fuel consumption here is 855 liters per 100 km when fully loaded.
Note that the Airbus A380 800 replaced the thirty-five-year-old leader in this area -. Moreover, the current record holder is capable of transporting 7% more passengers while reducing the cost of producing the aircraft within 15%. However, it took the designers about 2,000,000,000 euros to create the first model.
The aircraft was first put into operation by Singapore Airlines. The vessel successfully completed its first intercontinental voyage from Singapore to Sydney, which had an excellent effect on customers. In addition, such a model transports up to 150 tons of cargo over a distance of up to 10,370 kilometers. Note that the empty aircraft weighs 280 tons, and the maximum take-off weight on board reaches 560 tons.
Leaders in size
The world's longest aircraft for passenger transportation is the predecessor of the aircraft described above, the Boeing 747 aircraft. This is a wide-body, double-deck airliner, whose body length reaches 76.3 meters with a side height of 19.4 m and a wingspan of 68 and a half meters.
Such a successful project was launched in the early seventies of the last century by an American company. And until the Airbus A380, the aircraft remained the largest passenger airliner in the world.
At the time the model appeared, the project to create this aircraft had become so expensive that the company had to take out loans. However, all the costs were fully paid off - and today these ships are in demand and popular. The calling card was the “hump” in the front part of the hull - this is where the designers placed the upper side deck. The aircraft also remains the leader in speed characteristics in its class among subsonic passenger airliners. The speed of this board reaches 910–950 km/h.
Heavyweights in the world of aviation
Now let's determine the largest cargo aircraft in the world - the photos presented in the article will help readers see the true scale of this technology. Let us describe the characteristics of global leaders in more detail.
Record holder for cargo transportation
The most load-lifting aircraft in the world - developed by the Antonov Design Bureau, model An-225 Mriya. The airliner successfully passed flight tests back in 1988, and from 1989 to the present time it has been operated in the field of cargo transportation. The hull length of this vessel reaches 84 meters, and the wing spread is 88.4 m. According to these parameters, the modification is second only to the Hughes H-4, which was designed back in 1947.
The empty weight of the An-225 aircraft is 250 tons, and the take-off weight of the airliner reaches 640 tons.
In 2004, the modification was included in the Guinness Book of Records, as it leads in 240 parameters at once. It is noteworthy that the aircraft was designed on the basis of a project by another giant, which was the world's largest cargo aircraft, the An-124 Ruslan. Moreover, to this day only a single copy of the heavyweight “Mriya” has been constructed. True, even one airliner is actively used for commercial purposes and rescue operations.
Although at the end of 2016, an agreement between Ukraine and China was signed on the joint release of the second updated experimental model and further cooperation in this industry.
The An-255 is designed to carry up to 88 passengers who accompany the cargo and six crew members. Initially, the aircraft was planned to be used for the space industry, so the Mriya project is a universal technology. It is a record holder for weight and carrying capacity, a leader in the transportation of mono cargo and large equipment.
Largest serial heavyweight
The largest cargo aircraft in Russia, which was mass-produced and in use today, is the . It is on the basis of the design of this airliner from the OKB im. Antonov and developed "Mriya". Concerning "Ruslana", the first such board appeared in 1982. Initially, the function of the equipment was to transport intercontinental and ballistic missiles, but today the ship is used as a military transport aircraft.
An-124 "Ruslan" is slightly inferior to "Mriya" in size and payload capacity
Since 1987, the modification has been actively used by the Russian Air Force and the Ukrainian Antonov Airlines. Throughout the history of the production of such airliners, the world has seen 55 Ruslan models. The vessel has a length of 69.1 meters. Moreover, its height is 24.5 m, and its wingspan is 73.3 m. The efficiency of the airliner allows it to fly 4,800 km when fully loaded, and the maximum flight range here is 11,600 meters.
The vessel's cruising speed is 800–850 km/h with a maximum permissible acceleration of 865 km/h. The empty weight of the airliner is 178.4 tons, and the maximum take-off weight of this modification is 392,000 kilograms.
The design features of the vessel allow loading through the bow compartment
There are two decks on board the equipment. The upper tier of the liner is designed to carry 21 passengers accompanying the cargo, stationary and interchangeable cabins for the crew. The lower deck of the vessel is a sealed cargo compartment with a capacity of 1,060 m³. If we talk about the records of this model, in 1985 the aircraft became a leader in 21 positions for transporting cargo over long distances. Over the entire period of operation, 4 such aircraft were lost.
Western analogue of An-124
If we consider popular Western projects that compete with Ruslan, here aviators call the airliner Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. This modification occupied a leading position in the world until the appearance of the An-124 project in 1982. However, similar airliners are still successfully used by the US Air Force today. Moreover, the manufacturing company produced 131 units of such equipment.
The third largest heavyweight in the world is the American model Lockheed C-5 Galaxy
The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a military transport aircraft that has increased payload capabilities and ranks third in the world ranking of aviation heavyweights. After all, an empty airliner that weighs 169.643 tons has a maximum take-off weight of 379,657 kilograms. At the same time, the dimensions of the aircraft are very impressive. The height of the hull here is 19.85 m, the length is 75.54 m, and the wingspan is 67.88 m.
The transport is capable of transporting 270 soldiers and 118,387 kg of cargo simultaneously over a distance of 5,526 km. Moreover, the maximum practical flight range of this model is 10,895 m.
This is a modification of a double-deck side, the power plant of which is provided by four engines. The cruising speed that the ship is capable of reaching reaches 888 km/h. Here, on the upper tier of the aircraft, there is a crew cabin for 5 people and seats for passengers. The lower sector of the airliner is designed for transporting cargo. The length of this deck is 36.91 m and the width is 5.79 meters.
Leader in wing length
Since the current record holder "Mriya" was unable to break the world aviation record for wingspan, we will describe the characteristics of the aircraft that holds this position. Model Hughes H-4 is a wooden structure developed for the American military in 1947. The only copy of this modification can be seen in the Oregon State Museum. Moreover, since its inception, aircraft have been used only once in history, conducting an experimental flight.
Today, the only example of the Hughes H-4 airboat is in the Oregon State Museum.
The dimensions of the airliner are impressive - the body length is 66.45 m and the height is 24.08 meters. Moreover, the record wingspan here is 97.54 m. The ship was intended to transport military personnel and is designed to transport 750 soldiers in full gear and three pilots. The maximum take-off weight of the giant is limited to 180 tons, and the useful weight that the board is capable of lifting is 59,000 kg.
The design of this airboat appeared at the beginning of the Second World War, but the designer never managed to bring the equipment to readiness by the deadline. It took $13,000,000 to develop and manufacture the aircraft, and storing the aircraft cost the designer $1,000,000 annually.
As you can see, aviators are constantly competing to produce the best aircraft that can perform universal missions. In the near future, the release of the modernized giant “Mriya” is expected. Perhaps this modification will break a personal record and become the largest airliner in the history of aviation. Details about the classification of flight equipment are available here.
Airbus A380 - the largest passenger aircraft in the world 
The cabin of this giant can accommodate up to 853 passengers. 
Among passenger aircraft, the longest airliner remains the Boeing 747 
AN-225 "Mriya" - world record holder for dimensions 
With a maximum take-off weight of 640 tons, Mriya becomes the world's highest-lifting airliner
