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Built entirely for propaganda purposes at the behest of the Union of
Soviet Writers and Editors to celebrate the career of the writer Maxim
Gorkii (or Gorky), and paid for by public subscription, the giant ANT-20
toured the otherwise inaccessible areas of the USSR, bringing the communist
message to the masses. To this end, the ANT-20 contained a small printing
plant, a photographic studio, a cinema and a radio station. Of course, to
show the wider world the superiority of Soviet aeronautics, the Maxim Gorkii
had to be the largest aircraft in the world. Only a few subsequent aircraft
(such as the B-36 and the An-124) have had greater wingspans. The six
engines originally fitted were not enough and an extra pair were added on a
pod above the fuselage. The Maxim Gorkii was lost when a Polikarpov I-5
fighter plane attempted a barrel roll around it. The fighter pilot, all 49
occupants of the ANT-20 and three people on the ground perished.
Jim Winchester "The World's Worst Aircraft", 2005
 | A three-view drawing (682 x 654) |
| MODEL | ANT-20 |
| CREW | 8 |
| PASSENGERS | 64 |
| ENGINE | 6 x AM-34FRNV, |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 44000 kg | 97004 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 64.0 m | 209 ft 12 in |
| Length | 34.1 m | 111 ft 11 in |
| Height | 7.0 m | 22 ft 12 in |
| Wing area | 486.0 m2 | 5231.26 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 275 km/h | 171 mph |
| Cruise speed | 225 km/h | 140 mph |
| Ceiling | 5500 m | 18050 ft |
| Range | 900 km | 559 miles |
Daniel DR, raf2889(@)hotmail.com, 03.07.2008
aerodynamical UNSAFE.....square windows...boeing tryed the same...and....lost the comet, every/one of them that they have build
Melissa Perez, melissacourt6116(@)yahoo.com, 14.05.2008
What a Craft? Very Good!
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Do you have any comments concerning this aircraft ?
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COMPANY
PROFILE
FACTS AND FIGURES© As well as its media
production and output
capabilities, the ANT-20
had a cafeteria, an internal
telephone exchange and
sleeping accommodation for
the crew. Some sources say
it also had a laundry, a
pharmacy and a bar. © Four smaller auxiliary
engines were required to
drive various devices,
including the giant sound
system and a series of lights
for displaying propaganda
slogans at night. © Six of the engines were
mounted on the leading
edge and the other two in a
pusher-puller pod located
above the rear fuselage. © The giant wheel spats were
probably the largest ever
fitted to an aircraft. © The crew is said to have been up to 23 people,
although most of these were associated with the
propaganda function. Between eight and 10
crew were involved in actually operating the
aircraft.
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