Ben From Switzerland, joined Aug 1999, 1391 posts, RR: 51 Posted (12 years 9 months 2 days 22 hours ago) and read 792 times:
I finally found it! A favourable (and nearly all correct) news story about a CIS/Russian aircraft. It's more unusual because even 'western' planes have been taking a battering in the 'popular media' lately! ...and it was on the BBC!!!
By the way, they say there were 5000 built, but some of my books say there are more like 10,000 - making it the most produced civil aircraft ever. Anyone else know the final production figure?
RIX From United States of America, joined Aug 2000, 1785 posts, RR: 1 Reply 2, posted (12 years 9 months 2 days 21 hours ago) and read 742 times:
An2 was the first plane I ever flew. It was a 20-minute observation flight above Riga, with altitude around 300m. I was very impressed and... exhausted in the same time as the flight was far from being smooth. The plane didn't use runway, just a grass field. I never flew it again, nor any other piston-engine or biplane. A turboprop An3 modification with 3-blade prop was created in, I think, 70's; I have no idea if it was any success.
DC-9CAPT From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 3, posted (12 years 9 months 2 days 20 hours ago) and read 738 times:
>>>"So, has anyone else got a similar story?"
YES.............
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Douglas DC-3 which has (NOT) crashed (RECENTLY) in the Gulf of Mexico is
well-known as a reliable workhorse.
Designed in Long Beach in the 1930s, the aircraft has been in service for more than 50 years as a utility and transport plane.
Its functional design is reminiscent of another era in aviation.
The DC-3 normally has a two crew members and can handle several tons of cargo, with a cruise speed of 120 knots.
The short take-off and landing abilities of the the DC-3 means it can
operate at a variety of fields
Still in service More than 1,000 were built in USA by 1945.
Since then, production continued under license in China and Russi.
About 300 are still in service with various freight companies
Many more examples are in service in in agriculture, forestry and
transportation due to the aircraft's reputation as a utilitarian and
reliable plane.
Okay, I took some literary liberties, but it just sounded too much like the DC-3.
AN-2 is a great airplane. Still used by a lot of countries' air forces as a SF insert platform because it has a very small radar cross-section (meaning it's difficult to detect on radar).
At an air show at New River in North Carolina several years ago, they had one there called "Big Bubinski". It was hotter than hell out on the flight line with 90+% humidity and zero wind (typical July day in North Cakolakky). Big Bubinski used less than 700 feet on the take-off roll.
RIX From United States of America, joined Aug 2000, 1785 posts, RR: 1 Reply 5, posted (12 years 9 months 2 days 4 hours ago) and read 726 times:
Well, the CIS was founded on December 1991 by Russia, Ukraine and Belorussia (and that was the formal end of the USSR), 9 more former Soviet republics joined it during next year or two (those three that never joined were Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania occupied by USSR in 1940 - they preferred to return to Europe). I have no much information (and actually no great interest) of what is going there but CIS still existed around 2 years ago, at least there was a message that Uzbekistan leaved it. So it existed no less than 7 years...
Back to the subject: An2 cabin is not pressurized (of course!), and once I heard about flight under rain and water dropped from the ceiling! Not sure though that was true...
Slawko From Canada, joined May 1999, 3799 posts, RR: 10 Reply 6, posted (12 years 9 months 2 days 4 hours ago) and read 723 times:
CIS also fell apart, after all the countries except Russia and Belarus realized the associating themselves with the Russian Federation would only cause them more truble in the International Market, Now Russia and Belarus have an association, non of the others want to have anything to do with.
"Clive Beddoe says he favours competition, but his actions do not support that idea." Robert Milton - CEO Air Canada
Well, I can tell you. That site is for the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth of the Independent States, which has it's headquarters in Minsk, Belarus.
If you are still going to dispute the existence of the CIS, then can you please explain to me why on 20-21 June 2000, in Moscow, there was a high-level inter-nation meeting in which Commonwealth leaders met in which a strategic stability document was signed, plus other things.
Now if you are going to argue the validity of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth of the Independent States, that is all well and good. But are you then going to try and convince us that the United Nations and all of these other International Organisations have also got it wrong?
Don't think so.
BTW...I am not having a go at you. Just making sure that you know what is current information and what isn't
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