Photos of the Week: Sky Giant

Some things have to be seen to be believed. The Antonov An-124 cargo plane is one of them.

You, dear reader, have most likely never been on any vehicle this big.

The An-124 is about the same size as the world’s largest passenger airplane, the Airbus A380, which stopped production in February. The Russian aircraft can carry about 150 tons — the equivalent of three Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

In fact, it has its own crane in the cargo area capable of lifting 30 tons, or about the weight of an Embraer E190 passenger jet.

The An-124 can carry more than 90,000 gallons of fuel, which would fill more than eight tank trailers. With full tanks and no cargo, the plane could fly from Pittsburgh to Mumbai, India, without stopping.

Suffice to say, the An-124 is a memorable airplane.

So when an Antonov stops at Pittsburgh International Airport, it draws attention from lots of people. That included Harry Gaydosz, who took a photo of the aircraft during a May visit.

But it doesn’t take a unique aircraft to make a flight memorable. Randy Brant sent us a picture from June 1963 looking out the window of an airborne jet as his parents flew from Pittsburgh to Florida.

Randy believes this is a classic DC-7 airplane, which were one-fifth the weight of an Antonov An-124.

Thanks, Harry and Randy!

Our readers continue to pass along shots of unique aircraft, international airports, historical events, gorgeous views and even family vacation photos for this feature. We love them! Keep them coming—you can click here for submission guidelines.

A view from the wing onboard a Douglas DC-7 in June 1963. (Photo submitted by Randy Brant)