Antonov AN-2 Flight in Germany

Dave Theisen

Final Approach
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Dave Theisen
24CFD9B1-1AD8-4210-96DC-48E5C597ABF7.jpeg C6099FE6-7E6E-4CF1-A89D-AC4456ADA769.jpeg 660A77CC-D8A8-439C-8F40-4D52AA9878F5.jpeg I think it was here that someone posted this link, http://www.classicwings-bavaria.com/ , and I thought that would be cool to do someday. Well, today was that day, and it exceeded expectations. I highly recommend it. Andy was a great guy and the flight was incredible.
 
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Always wanted to fly one of those.
 
Basically powered by a Wright 1820... T-28 engine.
 
Haven’t flown one, but been a pax in one before. Glad you got to have the experience.
 
T-28...uses Wright 1820 so that it can be used as a trainer for jets.

AN-2...uses Wright 1820 so that it can fly REALLY SLOW.

;)
Actually its a - Russian
An-2-100) are powered by a 750 kW (1,010 hp) nine-cylinder Shvetsov ASh-62 radial engine, which was developed from the Wright R-1820.
 
I think it was here that someone posted this link, http://www.classicwings-bavaria.com/ , and I thought that would be cool to do someday. Well, today was that day, and it exceeded expectations. I highly recommend it. Andy was a great guy and the flight was incredible.
Dave, did you pay extra to ride in the right seat? I see you went on the Neuschwanstein route. Beautiful photo!
 
T-28...uses Wright 1820 so that it can be used as a trainer for jets.

AN-2...uses Wright 1820 so that it can fly REALLY SLOW.

;)

Actually, the "jet trainer" model was the "A" and it had an R1300 Wright with a two blade AeroProducts (?) propeller. It had a very slow takeoff, just like the early jets without afterburners. The B, C, D and the Fennec all had the 1820 and had performance near that of a Bearcat and could outclimb a Mustang.
https://flynata.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=812035&module_id=241059
Their website is wrong, the AF took a bunch of A models out of DM and trained Vietnamese fixed wing pilots and USAF Helicopter pilots in them. I learned to fly in one in 1965 on my way to helicopter school.
 
Dave, did you pay extra to ride in the right seat? I see you went on the Neuschwanstein route. Beautiful photo!

No, the right seat was already taken, but Andy had me come up into the cockpit when were at the castle. He even opened his side window so I could get some pictures. Spectacular views.
 
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If you're still in the area, Kempten-Durach airport is another nice place to visit with an onsite restaurant. Glider club will do rides and a couple flight schools that do sight seeing flights.
 
Cool trip. How'd you get in the country though? I thought Europe was still closed to Americans. But ever since we came home I stopped paying attention.
 
Cool trip. How'd you get in the country though? I thought Europe was still closed to Americans. But ever since we came home I stopped paying attention.

I fly for a company that has that has factories in Germany and the current CEO is a German citizen.
 
That's really cool! Congrats!!

My friend flew one in Ukraine when he was part of their air force. Not sure if this is true to all of them but there's no mixture on the engine, it "auto-leans" by little calibrated air balloons on the carburetors.. there *is* a fuel control in the cockpit but apparently you never touch it. Later he moved to the AN-26, replete with fun stories of flying that via NDB all over there

Also.. I've been told the stall is so innocuous that if you have an engine failure you effectively just hold the stick full back and basically due a forced landing with some obscenely low airspeed like 40 KM/H!

Really cool plane.. jealous. I have a whole list of Russian beasts I'd like to fly in one day. The AN-2 is up there, as are a series of Antonov (a friend who works for a gas company also got a little "stick time" in a TU-154 that they had chartered

There was a Yak-18T for sale a while ago in Texas, no, not the Yak that everyone thinks of.. but this one.. a huge four (six?) person plane approved for acro:

upload_2020-10-20_15-42-21.png
^my friend also has many hours in the 18T
 
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