Wednesday, May 18, 2016

The Antonov An-225 Mriya... the one that got away!



 "Are you sure it's coming this way grandad?' All being well it was coming this way and after climbing a hill, clambering through a fence and 'hobbling' up another hill we arrived at what was going to be a prime spot! Until! The call went up that the wind had changed and 'it' would be arriving from the north.. it was a bit like a comedy sketch as we all scrambled back down the hill, into cars and off again in search of that other perfect spot :)


The enthusiasts on the bridge were standing their ground and in retrospect perhaps we should have too because by now we were stuck in heavy traffic and getting nowhere fast with the imminent arrival of 'our reason for being there'! With less than five minutes to go we pulled off the main road.. stopped the car, jumped out just in time to see it in the very far distance! I stood my ground, I was done with the running :) you can just see, by the first power-line, my only shot of 'our reason for being there'! 


Bill kept running and with his long lens managed to catch the shot below, landing wheels down, excellent! The Antonov An-225 Mriya, built in the 1980's to transport the Buran spacecraft, mothballed for 8 years and now refurbished and back in the business of transporting oversized payloads, which is why it was touching down in Perth at 11.50am on Sunday morning, delivering a 117 tonne generator for one of the mining companies. Bill and I were among thousands of keen plane spotters eager to catch the spectacular arrival! If you are an aviation enthusiast you can see it touching down here.. and taking off pre-dawn yesterday morning on it's way to Italy here.. it's an amazing sight! Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe...



26 comments:

  1. Yes, Ingo was talking about the event the last days also. He saw it on the news.
    Looks impressive for sure, Grace!

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  2. Good landing! Always nice to see unique airplanes. ( We have had a few around here too.) I have been to two air shows, and it is fascinating.

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  3. Wow, you managed to catch it! Wish I could have been there to see it too, it must have been amazing!
    Sami

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  4. I've never heard of this plane, but I admire your fortitude and perseverance and must say that you got one heck of a great shot of this sky ship!

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  5. Incredible! I would have been there too if I lived there. When there are 20,000 people showing up, you know it is special. I was amazed at the amount of wheels it has.

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  6. I'm impressed by your enthusiasm, Grace! What a plane!!

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  7. Believe it or not it even made the news on the BBC. Not often that a plane landing on the other side of the world makes the news.

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  8. Believe it or not it even made the news on the BBC. Not often that a plane landing on the other side of the world makes the news.

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  9. How impressive! You lucky duck!

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  10. The crazy things we do to get the perfect, unusual photo. That plane is quite incredible.

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  11. I saw that on CNN earlier, impressive plane it is.

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  12. Wow that is some beast, how on earth does it get off the ground!

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  13. I heard about the crazy traffic jams, and you were stuck in one.

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  14. I'd love to see that aircraft. Biggest I've seen is the C5 used by the U.S.A.F. and it is quite impressive, especially if one gets to tour all the inside.

    I saw this on the news when the AN-225 was in your country.

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  15. That footage made our local news & you were there. AWESOME!!

    Cheers

    P.S. My Brother Just Landed On The Other Side Of Your Wonderful Continent For 17 Days Of Rainforest, Great Ocean Road, & Catching Up With Friends.

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  16. OMG what a rush to see the airplane! But it is a special one indeed. You made me laugh this morning!

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  17. Great shot indeed but standing your ground was the imperative!

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  18. Fantastic images. That close up is amazing. There is quite a lot of landing gear hanging under that plane.

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  19. Oh I am happy you tracked down the best spot to get this. What a unusual sight!

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  20. I'd go out to see that myself!

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  21. Wow! What an amazing sight!
    I would love to have seen it also.

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  22. I heard about this! A nice effort by you and congratulations to Bill.

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