On Sunday, aviation fans packed Auckland Airport's runway observation deck to catch a glimpse of one of the biggest aircrafts in the sky taking flight.
The Antonov An-124 Ruslan plane landed from American Samoa on Saturday night.
Travel writer Dan Lake mentioned Morning Report There were solely 55 of these airplanes. These were produced in Ukraine and had their first flight in December 1982; as for today, merely 26 remain operational.
That's actually an extremely uncommon airplane and it's massive.
The An-124 ranked as the world’s second heaviest production cargo plane based on gross weight and held the title of the heaviest operational cargo aircraft. It also stood as the biggest military transport aircraft in use.
The aircraft could travel up to 3700 kilometers with a cruising speed of 865 kilometers per hour.
Lake mentioned that the cargo plane was "slightly smaller compared to the Airbus A380," which is a two-story passenger aircraft that landed in Auckland.
He mentioned that the An-124 has an impressive cargo capacity, capable of lifting off with a maximum weight of 400 tonnes altogether.
The last time it arrived in Auckland, it was carrying America's Cup boats.
He mentioned that the plane had previously transported Taylor Swift's complete concert stage as well.
This aircraft is absolutely huge, which explains why crowds are gathering to see it.
Lake stated that it remained uncertain as to why the aircraft was in Auckland or what it might have been transporting during this visit, though it had most recently stopped over in Melbourne.
The airplane stood out not just because of its impressive size, but also due to its distinctive design features such as having its wings positioned higher up and sporting an engine that appeared relatively compact.
When you spot something that resembles a huge, plumpslug making its way down the runway and then suddenly takes off, it still seems magical – you really have to witness it yourself to believe it.
The design process for the aircraft started in the 1970s at the Antonov Design Bureau located in what was then known as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.
Lake mentioned it had 24 wheels and very few windows, giving it an appearance that seemed somewhat odd or reminiscent of military aircraft, unlike most airplanes.
The manufacturing of the aircraft ceased in 2014.
Aircraft are becoming more compact solely due to fuel efficiency concerns.