Antonov 2
The Antonov An-2 (Russian nickname: kukuruznik; NATO code name: Colt) is an
extremely durable, light, single-engine biplane which first flew in 1947.
It is used as a light transport capable of carrying 14 passengers, and for
parachute drops and agricultural work. Its extraordinary slow-flight capabilities
make it supremely suited for short, unimproved fields, and some specialized
variants have also been built for cold weather and other extreme environments.
It is, in fact, probably the largest single-engine biplane ever produced,
especially in such great numbers: over 5,000 had been built by 1960, in the
USSR. Since 1960, most An-2s have been built at Poland's PZL factory in Mielec,
with over 12,000 made there before production ended in 1992. The An-2 is also
built under license in China as the Shijiazhuang Y-5.
An interesting note from the pilot's handbook reads: "If the engine quits in
instrument conditions (blind flying when you can't see the ground) or at night,
the pilot should pull the control column full aft (it wont stall) and keep the
wings level. The leading-edge slats will snap out at about 40 mph (64 km/h), and
when the airplane slows to a forward speed of about 25 mph [40 km/h], the airplane
will sink at about a parachute descent rate until the aircraft hits the ground."
This article is licensed under the
GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the
Wikipedia article "Antonov An-2".
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