Text and Photos; Ferran Marín
Since my adolescence, I’ve always been in awe of this four-engine titan. Time and again, I tried, but to no avail, to see and photograph one. On my trips to Russia, I came very close to achieving my goal, but… unfulfilled. As an alternative, I considered monitoring movements on FR24, using contacts, to find an Antonov Design Bureau Airlines/Airlines aircraft operating between an African country and France. It was too complicated.
Just when I thought I’d found the solution, attending an open house in Hostomel (Ukraine), the human barbarity translated into an invasion of its neighboring country decreed by the Kremlin riddled the airfield and bombarded all my hopes of coming face to face with the leviathan, once again… my dreams were dashed. Given that time inexorably passes and I couldn’t achieve my goal, I found it interesting to visit what is currently on display at the Technic Museum in Speyer. Good decision, Urra!!! Even more so considering that on that day and at that time the museum was not very crowded and I was able to leisurely photograph every nook and cranny of an Antonov 22.
SPEYER MUSEUM (GERMANY)
On December 29, 1999, thousands of spectators and media representatives gathered on the grounds of Speyer Airfield to witness a very special spectacle: the landing of a gigantic Antonov An-22 wide-body turboprop aircraft.
With a wingspan of 64 meters and a running weight of 114 tons, the An-22 is the largest propeller-driven aircraft in the world. Landing in Speyer on a runway just 1,300 meters long was therefore a challenge for the experienced test pilots, who boarded the Antonov in kyiv and first flew nonstop to Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport. The meticulous preparations, during which even the roof of a building on the grounds of the Speyer Technik Museum had to be removed for safety reasons, were worth the effort.
After just two test approaches, the pilots landed the aircraft precisely on the runway and brought it to a complete stop. Transport to the adjacent museum grounds again required precision work. Specialists from the Kübler company in Schwäbisch Hall, known for their extensive experience in heavy transport, successfully completed this task.
The An-22 was designed as a civil and military transport aircraft to transport loads of up to 100 tons to remote regions without a fixed runway. In an emergency, a solid grass runway was sufficient for takeoff and landing. The enormous cargo area, 33 meters long and 4.4 meters wide, can comfortably accommodate three fully loaded gravel trucks.
