W B The steady flow of people and cargo requires bigger and bigger planes. Some people even plan to use them to launch satellites into space. Discover their great power!
#10 Antonov An-124 Ruslan
This is a 1986 model and handles cargo operations. It’s been used to carry locomotives, yachts, assembled aircraft engines, and even gigantic monuments such as the Obelisk of Axum. Its nose can open to easier front loading, it also has a tailgate and loading crane. Its huge dimensions are: 240 feet wingspan and 226 feet long, 39 feet longer than the Tower of Pisa.
#9 Boeing Dreamlifter
It’s distinguishable for its bulging fuselage and is used to carry bulky cargo, hence its name. In 2003, Boeing Commercial Airplanes announced that air transport would be the preferred method of transporting aircraft components and looked into some alternatives for this job, such as the Antonov An-124. But in the end, it was approved to design this interesting 235-foot-long, 211-foot wingspan plane. The Boeing Dreamlifter also served to transport medical supplies during the pandemic.
#8 Airbus A380-800
This four-engine plane, manufactured by the European company Airbus, was the first jet aircraft with two decks along the entire fuselage. It has a flight range of 9,200 miles, enough to cover the route from New York to Moscow, and its cruise speed is Mach 0.85, a little slower than the speed of sound, which is Mach 1. It’s 238 feet long with a 261-foot wingspan, and it’d have a capacity for 575 passengers in its traditional three-class layout but could accommodate up to 853 people if it carried them all in economy class. The Airbus A380-800s were specially designed for long flights, some have bars, beauty salons, and duty-free shops. Have you ever flown on one of these planes? Let me know in the comments.
#7 Scaled Composites Stratolaunch
This unique aircraft looks like two planes joined together, although it actually has only one cockpit, located in the right fuselage. It has a 385-foot wingspan, making it the world’s longest wingspan aircraft. Regarding its length, each compartment is 238 feet long. This airplane was built for the company Stratolaunch Systems, an airline that’s developing vehicles to be launched into Earth’s space orbit from high-flying planes. This aircraft is intended to release rockets such as Pegasus I and Pegasus II at 35,000 feet altitude, as well as a Dream Chaser, a small plane that can reach space.
#6 Airbus A350-1000
The A350 is a twin-engine aircraft of the company Airbus designed to compete with the planes of the rival company: Boeing. The A350 has several variants, but the largest model is the A350-1000, which can accommodate up to 410 passengers in a typical three-class layout and has a range of 10,000 miles, meaning it can fly from New York to Sydney, Australia, non-stop. It’s 242 feet long, which is equivalent to the height of the Taj Mahal, and has a 212-foot wingspan. Plus, it bears a cruise speed of Mach 0.85.
#5 Lockheed C-5 Galaxy
This aircraft, designed to establish air bridges over intercontinental distances, belongs to the Air Mobility Command of the U.S Air Force, the command in charge of air transport and supply. It can carry fully equipped military units for combat, as well as tanks. Besides, a couple of these planes were modified to transport satellites for NASA. It’s 247 feet long with a 222-foot wingspan and a cruise speed of Mach 0.77. Keep an eye out because you might see it in action if the next war breaks out.
#4 Airbus A340-600
The Airbus A340 is a four-engine aircraft model introduced in 1993; there are currently 380 planes built, although production has been discontinued since 2011 due to low demand. The Airbus A340 has several versions, of which the A340-600 is the biggest of all. It began production in 2001 and had a 247.2-foot length, 208-foot wingspan, a cruise speed of Mach 0.82, and a capacity to seat 379 passengers in the classic three-class layout.
#3 Boeing 747-8
The large Boeing 747s are known as Jumbo because when they were first designed, they represented a breakthrough in passenger transportation, which required bigger airplanes. It’s characterized by a bulging silhouette at the front since the cockpit is on the second level to easily open the nose in case it’s used as a cargo plane. The largest 747 model is the 747-8 with a 250-foot length, 224-foot wingspan, and a cruise speed of Mach 0.85. Plus, this giant can seat 467 passengers in the typical three-class layout. Have you ever been on one?
#2 Boeing 777X
Since they entered service in 1995, the Boeing 777 or Triple 7 aircraft have always been pretty popular as they’re the world’s largest twin-engine jet. The Boeing 777-ER is one of the largest and most famous planes at 242 feet long, but Boeing manufacturers weren’t going to settle in. They’ve created a larger model: the Boeing 777X, which has two variants: the 777-8 and the larger 777-9, which is 251 feet long and has a 235-foot wingspan with unfolded wings. Yes, just as you heard, unfolded wings, since its wings can fold and unfold their tips. It’ll start commercial operations in 2024. Do you think the 777X will be able to dethrone the Boeing 747?
#1 Antonov An-225 Mriya
With a 275-foot length and a 290-foot wingspan, this airplane is the biggest in the world. It was designed by the Antonov Design Bureau, the same company that designed the An-124. It was completed in 1988 and was used to transport the shuttles of the Soviet space program. It’s currently used by Antonov Airlines to carry oversized payloads. This beast is equipped with 6 jet engines, 3 under each wing, and can carry up to 550,000 pounds internally or 440,000 pounds on the roof. Can you imagine two of these airplanes soaring in the sky? Well, a second aircraft of this series was being built, but it was stopped for several reasons. In 2016, Antonov Airlines and the Airspace Industry Corporation of China signed an agreement to complete it. China wants to use it to launch satellites into Earth’s orbit, similar to what’s planned for the Scaled Composites Stratolaunch.
These were the biggest planes. Don’t forget to comment and share. See ya!
