Antonov 225 at MSP

On Jul 1, 2014, about a day after my son returned from China, I heard that the largest plane around, the Antonov 225, had landed at MSP Airport.  I told Nathan that we had to go drive to the airport (2 nautical miles away from our home) and see this mammoth plane. He agreed as long as I promised not to talk to other airplane enthusiasts (I did).

UR-82060, named Mriya (Мрiя means "dream" in Ukranian), was the only operational Anatov-225 ever produced. Supposedly, it came to Minneapolis to deliver some outsized A/C equipment.  It was simply massive, with six engines and too many wheels to count. The An-225 set 240 world records, including hosting the highest altitude art exhibition in the world, consisting of 500 works by Ukrainian artists.

Sadly, this exact plane suffered substantial damage in the hangar at Hostemel, Ukraine, eight years after its visit to MSP, a victim of the battle of Antonov Airport in the war between Ukraine and Russia.