Watch: Antonov An-124 arrives in and leaves Sydney

 

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An impressive Antonov strategic airlifter has touched down in Sydney this morning, carrying on board the first of two Air Crane helicopters that will be used this fire season, to support our firefighters on the ground. Now unloaded and once assembled, the aircraft named “Gypsy Lady” will undergo a series of tests and clearances and be ready for use when needed. Did you know – the Air Crane can refill its more than 7,000 litre tank in less than 60 seconds! #NSWRFS #AirCrane

A post shared by NSW Rural Fire Service (@nswrfs) on Oct 12, 2020 at 12:38am PDT

Australian Aviation’s Anna Grbas was at Sydney Airport to capture the moment it left later that day at 11:06pm, bound for Honolulu.

The Air Crane, N189AC, is nicknamed “Gypsy Lady” and can refill its 7,000-litre tank in less than 60 seconds. It will undergo a series of tests and clearances before it is ready to be deployed by the NSW Rural Fire Service.

#Antonov #An124 brightening up the morning commute in #Sydney #yssy pic.twitter.com/MZyMBCDaPs

— The Aviation Watch (@aviation_watch) October 12, 2020

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Incredibly, the flight marks the second time in the space of a week that the enormous Soviet-era jet has landed in Australia.

Last week, Australian Aviation reported that another An-124 landed at Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport on 5 October before leaving later that week on 9 October at 5:50am.

YouTuber Zach Clark took footage of it touching down in Queensland, while Australian Aviation photographer Lenn Bayliss was on hand to capture the moment it departed.

The Antonov An-124-100, UR-82073 msn 9773054359139, departed Surabaya airport in Java at 5:25am on 5 October as flight ADB3514 and landed in Darwin at 10:49am. Shortly after, it left to continue on towards Toowoomba, where it landed at 12:30pm. It left four days later, on 9 October, at 5:50am.

The iconic four-engine plane, one of the world’s heaviest, was created by Antonov Design Bureau in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in the Soviet Union. It is thought to have a maximum take-off weight of 402 tonnes and a gigantic wingspan of 73 metres.

In June, Australian Aviation reported how an Antonov An-124 Ruslan landed at Auckland Airport to deliver four new engines for Air New Zealand’s 787 Dreamliner fleet.

According to reports, two of the engines were new leases from Rolls-Royce, while the other had undergone maintenance work in Singapore. The plane belonged to Russian charter company Volga-Dnepr Airlines.