Eric's Little Skyraider

[Bill Greenwood]

Eric wrote on another site about the Skyraider being the biggest single engine plane on the ramp. Ha! My friend Sergy phoned me and asked me to correct that capitalist fairy tale. Sergy doesn't get too good of internet connection where he lives, he just got phone service in his neighborhood and is hoping to get indoor plumbing this century. But he knows BIG planes. He says Skyraider is a boy toy airplane. Maybe has some guns in wings, but on Sergy's plane most passengers have guns and not fake ones. Some passengers also carry big swords. Toy Skyraider has only room for a few people, sitting down on their soft American backsides; Sergy has room for a dozen people, a goat or two, and they don't have to sit, they can walk around inside and there is room for a few cases of good Stoli. Sergy did admire Eric's stewardess, but says his is better at arm wrestling.

[TAdan]

AN-2

[rwdfresno]

The AF-2S Guardian beats out both the Skyraider and AN-2. The An-2 is very close to the Guardian only shorter in span by a few inches and also bigger than the Skyraider. The An-2 is the largest single engine bi-plane ever mass produced. I wouldn't be surprised if someone came up with a bigger single engine aircraft but I think that the Guardian is up there.

Last edited by rwdfresno on Wed Oct 17, 2007 1:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Jack Cook]

ANT-25 44' x 111'
It's in his garage

[RMAllnutt]

Actually... I would have thought that the turboprop test bed B-17's might qualify, as they could fly on just the one engine


.... mind you, I have never heard whether they took off in that condition, or whether having a turbo-prop, instead of a piston engine disqualifies them from this little joke....

Cheers. Richard

[GIJOE290]

Maybe the Ilyushin Il-10?

Hey, don't flame me. I'm limited at the time I can search while at work.

[Jack Cook]

Hey, don't flame me.

[GIJOE290]

Back off Jack!

[Stoney]

Jack's right ANT-25, landed at Pearson Field, Vancouver, WA after a non-stop flight of just over 68 hours from Moscow to the USA in 1937!!

[EDowning]

If you see any of the types mentioned at an airshow, let me know.

BTW, the AN-2 is much smaller in every regard than the AD5. We have 2 at Creve Couer, I've flown one of them before. It's basically just the box the Stearman came in, and flys like it too.

[Bill Greenwood]

We saw the mighty Antonov at Oshkosh, Wisconsin in late July. The famous and infamous were present, but don't remember Whirlypilot being there. Perhaps with oil prices hitting record highs he was unable to obtain a second mortgage so as to fill his oil tank and make the journey.

[rwdfresno]

BTW, the AN-2 is much smaller in every regard than the AD5. We have 2 at Creve Couer, I've flown one of them before. It's basically just the box the Stearman came in, and flys like it too.

The AN-2 is to the AD-5 what the H-4 is to the C-5. The AD5 is heavier, faster, more powerful, and has a greater useful load but the AN-2 has a wider wingspan, and is longer however the AD5 does have a couple feet of height on the AN-2.

As far as the performance and fun factor I love the AN-2. I had the opportunity to fly in Kermit's and it was a real kick in the pants. You can chug along slow and low and it is sort of like a big ol Stearman. They certainly aren't the most attractive aircraft but they are neat. Last week one visited us and seeing it land made me think he could have landed it in my back yard, well he sort of did lol but you get the point. If I ever run into you at an airshow perhaps I can exchange some avga$ for a training mission and I can compare fun factors

Ryan

[warbirdcrew]

Like rwdfresno said, you just can't beat the fun factor of the AN-2, especially in a crosswind.

[Bill Greenwood]

Eric, that capitalist tool, wrote the AN-2 is smaller than the Ad-5. Borschit! The mighty Antonov has much longer wingspan the the fat stubby little AD-5. And most of all Much More Useful Load. Mostly the Skyraider caries Eric and all his cleaning supplies. The mighty Antonov is excellent at useful load. It can carry a small herd of goats; if stranded the pilot can live off the meat, use the pelts for warmth or trade one for parts. It can carry a large gypsy family and pick up a little pocket change at airshows while rich Americans are looking up at the sky.

[famvburg]

A couple of crop dusters come to mind as being pretty big singles, too. The Air Tractor 802 & PZL M-18 Dromader are bumping 60' spans. Not sure about their lengths tho.