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What gets hit the most

I did a post last December that seems to drawl a lot of attention from around the world. It's titled "Sunrise, Raven and and old airplane". Though I like the pictures of the sunrise, I don't think that's what is drawing the attention. The Raven flying by isn't all that visable in those shots, so I figured it must be the old airplane that everyone is looking at.

I asked in the post if anyone could identify it and it took 6 1/2 months before I got a response from Tahrqa from Romania. He identified it as a Antonov AH-2 with AEROFLOT (Аэрофлот) colors and the type of the plane AN-2 (Ан-2) in Russian characters under the left window. This link will tell you a little about the ID of the plane.

I figured I put some more pix's up for people to see. She looks like she could use som tlc. The left front tire is flat and there's an oil catch bucket under the engine.

For more of a history on the AH-2, visit Warbird Alley.

Comments

John B. said…
It looks like it could use a new paint job, too. The "A" of Aeroflot is barely visible. I guess it probably takes a beating from the weather.
Bruce said…
The An2 was the first airplane produced by Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov when he was given his own design Bureau in the Soviet Union.

There were probably more An2s built than any other airplane, ever as it was the workhorse of the Soviet Union.
It regularly flew with a crew of 5, would you believe, and the basic design is still so highly regarded that airplanes are being retrofitted with turbine engines.

He went on, ultimately, to design the Antonov An124 and you can read more about that at http://www.an124.com.
Dave Dorsey said…
John - It looks to me that the Aeroflot lettering was painted over at one time and has worn off. It is a canvas covered aircraft.

Bruce - Thanks for more info. This plane has had my curiosity up for some time. I had the pleasure of servicing the AN-225 when it came through Elmendorf AFB about 15 years ago.