Since my childhood, I have had a habit of staring through the window at the blue sky as and when I hear the sound of an aeroplane flying. You might have also done it. From the ground, the aircraft looks like a tiny ant but when I saw an aeroplane, it was quite larger than I expected.
When we grow up, we get to learn a lot of things and I also learned that an aircraft consists of different branches and we can make a career out of that. Recently I saw two Chinooks and thought about what are the largest aircraft that humans have ever built.
Before going in-depth, I will request you to follow Aeronefs for more blogs. There had been many aircraft that are built to date but not all got NOC to fly; maybe they got rejected due to airworthiness issues, maintenance issues, cost-effectiveness, etc. In this blog, I will give you the top 5 largest aircraft ever built.
Airbus A380
The A380, the first new aircraft program of the 21st century, opened a new standard in aviation. A380 is the largest civil aircraft in history (max seating capacity of 853 ), with a maximum take-off weight of 575 tonnes. Millions of passengers have flown the A380 and more will fly this unique experience over decades to come – Airlines continue to invest in their A380 cabin product to keep the A380 flagship of their fleets.
The A380 with its unique capacity offers an unbeatable economic value proposition to operators on dense routes (ex. Hajj ops with Malaysian Airlines, ANA on Narita-Honolulu route… ), and especially out of congested airports; A380 is passengers’ favourite aircraft. The A380 is the only aircraft to offer more than 500 seats with high profitability.
Antonov AN-225
This is the largest cargo freight aircraft used. It holds several records in the aviation industry. It is also considered that it has the highest takeoff weight. This was built only a single piece by the Antonov company and it has been recently destroyed by the Russian forces. Still, it is considered to be the largest flying aircraft as of the current scenario. To know More about AN-225 Mriya click here.
Airbus Beluga XL
Technically, the Beluga XL is not an aircraft type but a modification of the Airbus A330. As such, some may question whether it should appear on such a list. But however you treat it, it is one of the largest aircraft you will see regularly flying. By volume, it is the largest. It offers a fuselage volume of 2,209 cubic meters. For comparison, Boeing’s Dreamlifter comes in behind at 1,840 cubic meters.
Also read Best 5 combat aircraft used in India.
The Beluga was introduced in 1995, based on the A300 airframe, and used mainly for A340 construction. The Beluga XL, based on the A330-200, followed in early 2000. Its larger size was needed for larger A350 components. So far, three aircraft have been delivered, and six will enter service by 2024.
Lockheed C-5 Galaxy
The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft originally designed and built by Lockheed, and now maintained and upgraded by its successor, Lockheed Martin. It remains in active service with the US Air Force, although several large transporters have followed it. The Boeing C-17 Globemaster is a leading example – it’s big but not as big as the C-5.
It followed other successful transporters, such as the C-130 Hercules, but simply needed to be bigger. At just over 75 meters long, it is bigger than the A380 and the An-124. It can carry a payload of 127 tonnes and adds inflight refuelling for a huge range.
Hughes H-4 Hercules
This is also known by the name of Spruce goose. This was the largest wooden aircraft ever made and had the largest wingspan, it first took its flight on 2nd November 1947. A film was made based on the discovery of Hughes H-4 Hercules titled “the Aviator”. This model was never used as a commercial flight but it created quite a few records and is still preserved at McMinnville, Oregon in the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum.
The aviation industry is an ever-growing industry and it has witnessed many wonders and innovations. Thank you for reading! Comment and let us know what you think are the largest aircraft in the aviation industry. Follow Aeronefs for more.
