So utterly butterly for the Russian giant Gazette & Herald - 27th January 2003 pg 13 www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk A GIANT of the sky drew crowds of spectators and hundreds of cameras when it visited RAF Lyneham. The Russian-built Antonov An-124 cargo plane arrived at the Wiltshire base on the orders of an Abu Dhabi Sheikh. The aircraft drew an audience of base personnel impressed by the plane's enormous size, which dwarfed the Hercules aircraft commonly associated with the base.

The Antonov, owned by charter company, Volga Dnepr Airlines, is more than 20 metres tall and nearly 70 metres in length, and is the second largest aircraft in the world, dwarfing even a jumbo jet.

The Antonov An-124-100 "Russian" aircraft have unique airlifting capabilities making this freighter an unrivaled leader in the outsize and heavy cargo market. The 24-wheel landing gear allows the aircraft to kneel down which significantly reduces the loading/unloading times. The aircraft is also capable to take off from and land at airfields with various types of runways (concrete and unpaved). The aircraft has two cargo doors - forward and aft - equipped with unfolding cargo ramps.

Its huge size meant other parked aircraft had to be moved to accommodate the aircraft and allow it to turn around as it taxied in.

The aircraft was chartered by his highness Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Mohammed AI Nahayan, the ruling representative of the Eastern region of Abu Dhabi, to carry the aircraft and equipment of the Utterly Butterly wing-walking team.

The barnstorming team has been invited by the sheikh to perform at AI Ain 2003, one of the largest outdoor festivals in the Middle East. It is believed that the team will be the first to perform wing walking in the Middle East. The team is made up of three 1940s vintage Boeing Stearman aircraft which, with their wings detached, easily fit into the huge airlifter.

Vic Norman the founder and Utterly Butterly team leader said: "Going to the Dubai show will be fantastic. We will get to fly twice a day, in brilliant weather, so it will very useful practice."

Mike Dentith, the chief pilot with the Utterly Butterly team said: "We are all extremely excited about flying in Dubai. This really is the only way to get there. It's either six weeks by ship or six hours on board this giant. "

The vintage biplanes are light load for this Russian mammoth. Similar aircraft have flown railway locomotives across the Atlantic. When another Antonov visited Lyneham four years ago it brought in an then used to train flight crews on the J series Hercules.

Flight Lieutenant John Makinson-Sanders, spokesman for RAF Lyneham, said: "Seeing a Russian aircraft on an RAF station like this over a decade ago would have seemed unthinkable. "It is fantastic that the base has been able to assist the Utterly Butterly Team in getting to the Middle East."

Related Links
	Gazette & Herald www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk Local weekly newspaper available Thursdays, serving Wiltshire across three centuries. The excellent newspaper has gained "Newspaper Society Community Newspaper of the Year" Award. You can catch on the news and information online
	Volga Dnepr Airlines www.volga-dnepr.com World's premier heavyweight air cargo carrier by Antonov An-124-100 "Russian" - the world's largest air freighter. Volga-Dnepr UK Ltd 1st Floor Endeavour House Coopers End Road Stansted Airport Essex CM24 1AL
	Utterly Butterly Team www.utterlybutterly.co.uk Europe's only professional wing walking team, adding entertainment and visually exciting displays to any event. Slicing through the sky at speeds up to 150mph, the daring wingwalkers carry out mouth watering stunts, looping diving, loops and aerobatics, that will get the pulse racing for all on the ground.