14 DAY TRIAL // Since the beginning of the Flight Age, at the start of the 20th century, experts have been trying to construct larger and faster planes, for the sole purpose of moving more people or more cargo from one place to another. These are just four of the largest airplanes ever to take to the sky.
The Hughes H-4 Hercules (registration NX37602) was the largest flying boat ever created in the history of mankind, and is also the plane with the largest wingspan ever to fly. It measured 218 feet (66.65 meters) in length, and was first constructed during World War II. Its building was completed on November 2, 1947, and it only took one flight before it was retired.
The gigantic plane, built by the Hughes Aircraft company, featured a wooden construction, on account of the fact that aluminum was scarce during the war. However, it featured a wingspan of 319 feet (97.54 meters), and was able to carry 400,000 pounds (roughly 180,000klograms) for over 3,000 miles. Due to hardships in the production process, the plane was retired, and now rests at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, US.
The largest overall plane in the world is undoubtedly the Antonov An-225, a strategic airlift transport aircraft built by the Ucranian Antonov Design Bureau. Initially designed for the Russian space program, to accommodate the Buran orbiter, this impressive plane features a length of 84 meters (some 275 feet) and a wingspan of 88 meters (approximately 300 feet). It can lift more than 250 tons of cargo to an impressive 11,000 meters (36,100 feet) flight ceiling. Currently, only one of these wonders of technology is in service, but sources say that a second one will be completed by 2010.
The largest passenger airliner in the world is the Airbus A380, which entered commercial service in 2007, with the Singapore Airlines. It features a double-deck, wide-body construction, and can easily accommodate up to 800 people. Also, it can fly non-stop from Boston to Hong Kong, because it has a range of up to 15,200 km. 23 of these wonders are currently in service worldwide, with Emirates Airline, and Qantas as its main operators. The 73 meter (240 feet) monster has a hefty price of $330 million.
The Boeing 747-8 is the main competitor for the Airbus A380, and is currently considered to be the heaviest aircraft ordered from the American company, both military and commercially. It too costs some $300 million, but the wide-body airliner can easily take off with a weight of 970,000 pounds (440,000 kilograms). It has a length of some 64 meters, which makes it about as big as its main competitor, and can carry approximately 500 passengers in non-stop flights on the longest distances.
