Spectacular loading Slider

Spectacular loading

 

March 3, 2014 | Markus Lackner

Two Felbermayr cranes were used at the beginning of March for the loading of the second largest transport aircraft in the world. The stage for this spectacular operation was the Linz-Hörsching airport in Upper Austria.

The heaviest of the total of three parts with which the Antonow 124-100 was loaded weighed more than 60 tons. It seems barely conceivable that the legendary transport aircraft could still take off with such a burden. However, when you consider that this plane has a maximum load capacity of 120 tons, it becomes clear that we are talking about a highlight of aeronautical engineering: a load volume of around 1.014 cubic metres makes the aeroplane the second largest transport aircraft in the world – that corresponds to the loading capacity of a dozen curtain-side semitrailers. The height of around 21 metres and the wingspan of 73.3 metres are also impressive.

Two Terex cranes with a maximum loading capacity of 120 tons were used to load the plane. To this end, the components were lifted onto a ramp and ultimately pulled into the plane using pulleys and secured. The plant sections are destined for a fertiliser production factory in Saudi Arabia.