Original subtitles

Narrator: Weighing over 859,000 pounds fully loaded,

This is one of the biggest heavy cargo planes in the world --

The antonov 124 ruslan.

Its mission is to haul freight weighing nearly 265,000 pounds

Thousands of miles to any place on earth.

What design innovations allow engineers

To build an aircraft this large,

And what technologies allow the antonov 124

To transport mega loads of cargo?

We unlock the engineering secrets

That make this aircraft the king of heavy lifters.

From its four super-sized thrust-boosting engines

To a tough skeleton forged from light,

Yet super-strong materials,

To reveal what it takes to build the ultimate super-plane.

-- Captions by vitac -- www.Vitac.Com

Captions paid for by discovery communications

Kourou in french guiana, south america --

Home to the european spaceport,

From which the european space agency

Launches all of its satellites.

Up to 12 rockets blast off from this launch pad every year.

They carry into orbit telecommunication, weather,

And observation satellites critical for 21st century life

Back on earth.

French guiana's equatorial position

Makes use of the earth's slingshot effect,

Which is the energy created

By the planet's rotation around its axis.

This helps rockets get into space faster using less fuel.

But the satellites aren't actually built here.

Prior to a launch,

Each satellite must be shipped to kourou already constructed.

This high resolution earth observation satellite,

Costing over $100 million, is the next craft bound for space.

It's under construction at this factory

In toulouse, France, 4,163 miles away.

Workers assemble the satellite in this dust-free,

Temperature-controlled laboratory.

Project manager sophie lay needs the satellite in kourou

Within the next 48 hours in preparation for its launch.

Reliable transportation is a unique challenge.

The satellite ships in a custom-built sealed container

That prevents outside contaminants

From entering and temperature changes

From ruining its sensitive components.

Transporting this massive box to kourou by truck or ship

Could take weeks and put the satellite

At risk of damage or malfunction.

Sophie's best option is to fly it

To the launch site in a cargo plane.

Yet hauling a box this large is a huge engineering challenge.

It measures 14 feet wide, 13 feet tall, and 28 feet long.

Together with the satellite support equipment,

The total cargo load weighs nearly 93,000 pounds.

The solution is this --

The antonov 124 ruslan.

This revolutionary cargo aircraft is 226 feet long,

It has wings that span more than three tennis courts,

And a huge 35,314 square-foot cargo bay.

This mega-plane transports more super-sized commercial cargo

Than almost any other aircraft in the world.

The plane is built with innovative technology

Hidden under the hood

To carry the world's heaviest air-freight.

Its lightweight fuselage is strong enough

To carry nearly 265,000 pounds of cargo.

An ingenious kneeling mechanism

Helps load extra-large shipments.

Powerful and efficient engines propel the plane further

On a single tank of fuel.

All these elements combine to make the antonov 124 ruslan

The ultimate cargo plane.

4:00 p.M. -- Toulouse airport, France.

The 124's flight crew prepares the aircraft for takeoff.

Load master oleksiy pervishko and his team

Must ensure the plane is in top condition to fly.

Ahead lies a grueling mission.

First, the crew must load

The nearly 93,000-pound satellite cargo.

They must then fly the 124 nonstop

Nearly 4,500 miles across the atlantic ocean

To reach cayenne, french guiana 10 hours after leaving France.

Next, the crew must unload the cargo onto trucks.

These vehicles will transport the satellite one hour

Northwest to kourou,

Where engineers will prepare it for launch.

The antonov's unique feature

Is its 35,314 square-foot cargo bay.

That's 5,297 square feet bigger

Than those of many rival heavy lifters.

It's large enough to carry 50 average-size cars.

To create this much room, the antonov's designers placed

The aircraft's 240-foot-long wings on top of the fuselage.

But building an aircraft body strong enough to carry this load

Is a huge engineering feat.

The wings of most commercial aircrafts connect in a wingbox

In the center of the fuselage.

This strong box supports the aircraft's body.

By positioning the wingbox above the fuselage,

The antonov gains a larger cargo hold,

But risks catastrophic structural failure.

The antonov's wings, four engines,

And full fuel tanks weigh over 330,000 pounds.

This huge load puts massive stress on the fuselage.

If the aircraft is airborne,

The dead weight of nearly 265,000 pounds of cargo

Could rip the plane apart.

To solve the problem, engineers must strengthen

The fuselage ribs directly beneath the 124's wings.

On traditional aircraft, engineers rivet together

Thin strips of aluminum to build tough support frames.

But the size and weight of the 124

Could overstress the rivet line

And put the plane at risk of structural collapse.

So, here, at the antonov aircraft facility

In kiev, ukraine,

Vitaliy zatsekovniy's team builds lightweight

Mega-components designed for maximum strength.

Workers fabricate super-sized load-bearing parts

For the antonov from these solid blocks

Of aerospace aluminum called billets.

The special alloy is as strong as steel,

But three times lighter.

High-powered, computer -controlled water-jet cutters

Carve each 10-inch-thick 16-foot-long billet

Into rough shapes.

Next, special machines cut way the excess metal

According to a precise design

To make each component even lighter.

The finished piece is a perfect balance

Between strength and weight.

Workers bolt together up to four cut billets

To make a special load-bearing structure called a frame.

Engineers install six primary

Reinforcing frames directly beneath the antonov's wings.

Each frame can support the weight of more

Than one million pounds.

That's more than double the combined weight

Of the aircraft's wings, engines, and full fuel tanks.

For extra strength when carrying heavy cargo,

Engineers install another 117 secondary frames.

They encase this skeleton with aluminum panels,

Machined with integrated reinforcing ridges.

These panels spread the load forces across the aircraft.

♪

At toulouse airport, oleksiy's team finishes prepping the 124.

The monster plane is ready to be loaded up

With its precious satellite.

What technology makes it possible for this aircraft

To carry giant loads of cargo,

And what is the secret that keeps this plane

Airborne for thousands of miles without needing to refuel?

♪

Narrator: In toulouse, France, the ground crew prepares

The antonov 124 cargo plane

To fly a $100 million satellite nearly 4,500 miles

To kourou spaceport in french guiana for launch.

At the satellite factory in toulouse,

A team lifts the 22,000-pound sealed box

Containing the precious cargo onto the back of a low loader.

The convoy has just four hours to deliver the box

To toulouse airport.

The pressure is on as the 124's crew

Prepares the aircraft for loading.

The ruslan's rear doors swing open to load cargos

Up to 12 feet tall

And 21 feet wide into the back of the plane.

But this satellite shipping box is over 13 feet tall.

So, how will the antonov team get this oversized box

Into the plane?

The answer is due to its innovative technology.

The 124 has a second huge loading door.

Three giant hinges connect the nose section

To the top of the plane's fuselage.

A pair of hydraulic rams pushes the nose forward.

In less than 60 seconds,

The front of the antonov completely opens up

To reveal a doorway 21 feet wide and 14 feet tall,

Just big enough to fit the satellite box through.

The next step -- lowering the antonov's onboard ramp.

The antonov's opening is nine feet above the ground.

Deployed from this height,

The gradient of the 29-1/2-foot onboard ramp is 20 degrees.

Pushing the 13-foot-tall satellite box up this incline

Creates a challenge for the crew.

The top of the box

Could hit the top of the antonov's cargo bay.

If it clears the gap, the 28-foot-long box

Will reach its tipping point.

And there's a risk it could crash down

Onto the cargo bay floor,

Damaging the fragile satellite inside.

Logistics manager yorann marc must ensure

The delicate satellite makes it to kourou in one piece.

The team can't risk damaging the satellite during loading.

Any malfunction could affect the rocket launch and land

The crew with a hefty bill.

At the satellite factory near the toulouse airport,

Workers secure the oversized box to the low loader.

Once loading is complete, the ground team departs.

It will arrive at the airport in just one hour.

The box must not slam into the ceiling of the cargo bay

Or crash down onto the floor during loading.

To prepare the antonov for all types of mega-cargo,

Engineers equip this super-plane

With an innovation to alleviate complications.

The hydraulic system helps the antonov kneel down.

The motors power two five-and-a-half-foot-long

High-tensile steel jackscrews

Attached to the front landing gear.

When they twist, they rotate the landing gear forwards,

Jacking down to the ground

Nearly 400,000 pounds of aircraft.

The process lowers the antonov's opening to stand

Just four feet above the ground

And reduces the ramp's angle to just eight degrees.

This should stop the tall box from hitting the cargo bay

Ceiling as the team loads it.

In toulouse, load master oleksiy initiates the kneeling system.

Gas turbine auxiliary power units pressurize the hydraulics.

The screws begin to turn,

The huge aircraft bows down,

And rests its nearly 400,000-pound empty weight

On study outrigger feet.

Oleksiy's team unfolds the internal ramp.

Next, they add an extension ramp

To make the angle with the cargo bay floor even shallower.

As night falls, the team carrying the satellite

Arrives at the airport.

This 155,000-pound crane lifts the sealed box

From the low loader onto the ramp.

A winch fixed inside the 124

Slowly pulls the satellite into the hold.

Now comes the moment of truth.

Will the box fit?

The clearance between the top of the container

And the ceiling of the aircraft is extremely small.

The box slips through the gap with just inches to spare.

The crew loads the three smaller boxes containing the equipment

Needed to prepare the satellite for launch.

Next, they use super-strong steel chains

To secure the cargo to the 124's titanium floor.

The antonov is loaded up and ready to go.

Ahead lies the antonov's next challenge --

Flying nonstop across nearly 4,500 miles of open ocean.

What engineering secret allows this super-heavy plane

To soar through the skies without stopping to refuel,

And what technology keeps the plane

Stable in the most extreme weather conditions?

[ thunder rumbles ]

Narrator: 5:00 a.M. -- Toulouse airport, France.

Pilots prepare the super-sized antonov 124 cargo plane

For takeoff.

In its hold -- a special temperature-controlled box

Carrying a $100 million satellite

Bound for kourou spaceport in french guiana.

To get there, the 124 must fly nearly 4,500 miles

Across the atlantic ocean.

Navigator anatolii abdulhiev is in charge

Of keeping the aircraft on course

Throughout the entire journey.

The antonov must carry enough fuel to complete the trip

Without stopping to refuel,

Since there's nowhere to fill up over the atlantic.

Building engines both large enough

To thrust the antonov forward

And efficient enough to fly long distances

Is a huge engineering challenge.

The antonov's four engines produce more thrust

Than seven f-16 fighter jets.

They push the monster plane through the sky

At 528 miles per hour.

But the more powerful the jet engines,

The more fuel they consume.

A regular jet engine burns fuel up to 3,632 degrees.

Exhaust gases propel the aircraft forward

While rotating turbines connected to compressors

At the front of the engine.

These force more air into the combustion chamber,

Causing the fuel to burn at a higher temperature.

This standard system makes jet aircraft fast

And also very thirsty.

The 124 could run out of fuel way

Before reaching french guiana,

If fitted with just regular jet engines.

This aircraft's propulsion system

Must be super-efficient to stand

A chance of reaching kourou on one tank of fuel.

It's here at the antonov's maintenance hanger

Where engineers give the planes regular check-ups

To ensure the 124's engines are working at maximum capacity.

Chief engine mechanic pavlo kirzhner oversees the operation.

Big overhauls strip away the engine's outer casing

To reveal their secret for maximum efficiency.

First, the antonov's designers

Attach a seven-foot-fan to the front of each engine.

Each fan weighs nearly 6,700 pounds.

Next, engineers wrap each engine in a symmetrical ducting system.

The ducting encases half the length of each 16-foot-long jet.

The antonov's designers then install an extra turbine

At the back of the engine.

This turns a shaft connected to the giant fan,

Made from 33 angled blades of titanium.

The spinning fan pushes more air into the engine's compressors.

It also blows air at high speed through the ducting

And out the back of the engine.

This system doubles the engine's thrust

Without increasing its fuel consumption

To give the antonov's engines more bang for their buck.

In toulouse, the ground crew finished pumping 39,625 gallons

Of jet fuel into 13 compartments inside the 124's wings.

It's time to go.

The four monster turbo-fan engines fire up.

The massive aircraft taxis to the runway.

The pilot accelerates the antonov 162 miles per hour.

The giant plane takes to the skies.

But up ahead, new challenges await the 124 and its crew.

How does this super-plane stay airborne

During life-threatening turbulence,

And what secret technology stops it

From skidding off the runway when it lands?

Narrator: Soaring 31,000 feet above the atlantic ocean,

The antonov 124 mega-plane carries a $100 million satellite

Bound for french guiana.

The spacecraft ships in a special dust-proof,

Temperature-controlled box to protect it from damage.

The box must be delivered to project manager sophie lay

And sealed inside this clean room

At the european space center in kourou

Within five hours to prepare it for launch.

Onboard the antonov,

Logistics manager yorann marc checks the status

Of the box's air-conditioning system every half hour.

The temperature must remain within strict limits.

Changes in temperature can damage

The satellite's sensitive components.

The antonov is 310 miles from french

Guiana's international airport in cayenne.

This part of the plane's journey is the most treacherous.

Here, close to the equator, wet, warm air from the atlantic

Creates towering thunderclouds and powerful storms.

Extreme winds buffeting the antonov

Could shake the satellite box, break its seal,

And let in damaging dust and moisture.

Its critical this mega-plane

Maintains a smooth and level flight

For the rest of the journey to cayenne.

But in super-strong winds, the 124's design can leave it

Vulnerable to a dangerous motion called dutch roll.

♪

This can occur when a strong wind gust tips and aircraft

To one side.

Wing drag then skews its yaw,

The angle at which it flies forward through the air.

Pilots can reduce speed to stop the roll

And maintain stable flight.

But the design of a super-huge high-wing cargo aircraft

Intensifies the impact of dutch roll.

It has a low center of mass and a high lift point.

So, when wind tips the aircraft, it swings back the other way.

The plane sways back and forth like a pendulum.

In extreme circumstances,

The stresses on the aircraft can become too much.

In the worst-case scenario,

Extreme winds blasting the aircraft

Could shake loose its heavy cargo.

An unsecured load inside the antonov

Could have deadly consequences.

April, 2013.

This boeing 747 cargo plane suddenly stalls and crashes

To the ground shortly after takeoff.

All seven crew members on board are killed.

The investigation revealed that nearly 177,000 pounds of cargo

Inside the plane broke loose.

The aircraft's balance pivoted backwards,

And the 747 fell from the sky.

The antonov's secret for beating strong winds

Is linking its control surfaces

To an ingenious automatic steering system.

A pair of sensors mounted in the antonov's tail

Measures the aircraft's roll and yaw.

The data is sent to the computer

Controlling the aircraft's flight surfaces.

When wind rolls and twists the plane,

The computer moves the rudder and elevator

To counteract the motion

And maneuvers the aircraft back to level flight.

This system works independently of the pilot

And keeps the antonov stable

In the most challenging weather conditions.

With the system engaged,

The 124 carves through the powerful winds

Close to the equator.

The satellite is safe and secure in the hold.

The antonov is now just 186 miles from cayenne airport,

But new challenges lie ahead.

What is the engineering secret that brings this massive plane

To a full stop on the runway,

And what is the technology that allows the crew

To unload cargo super-fast?

♪

Narrator: 125 miles off the south american coast,

The antonov 124 mega-plane prepares for landing

At cayenne airport, french guiana.

Onboard -- nearly 100,000 pounds of fragile satellite equipment

Bound for the european space center in kourou.

At the airport, project manager sophie lay

Waits for the plane's arrival.

Her team is gearing up to load the satellite onto this truck

To transport it to the space center

43 miles northwest of the airport.

Nine thousand eight hundred forty-two feet in the air,

The 124's pilots lock in their approach.

The antonov must follow a precise path

And speed to the runway.

Fifty-nine percent of all aviation accidents

Happen during the landing sequence.

The heavier the load a plane carries,

The faster it must go to stay in the air

And the faster its speed at touchdown.

The 124 must maintain a steady 174 miles per hour

To reach the runway.

That's 31 miles per hour faster than the average passenger jet.

Stopping a super-sized aircraft travelling at this speed

On the runway is a big engineering challenge.

♪

On the brakes of a traditional aircraft,

Calipers grip a solid steel disc on the vehicle's wheel axle.

When the calipers engage,

The friction turns the axle's kinetic

Or movement energy into heat.

The system is perfect for stopping light

And slow-moving vehicles.

The nearly 728,000-pound antonov touches down

With a kinetic energy of over 230 formula 1 cars

Travelling at full speed.

Turning this amount of energy into heat

Could soften the steel brake discs by so much

That they won't be able to stop the antonov

From hurtling off the runway.

The dense jungle surrounding cayenne's two-mile-long

Landing strip adds to the pressure.

Overrunning the runway could end in disaster.

2012 -- moscow.

Car dash cam footage captures the moment

A tupolev tu-204 aircraft overshoots the runway

And slams into a road at 118 miles per hour.

Five crew members aboard the plane lose their lives.

Investigators conclude the jet's brakes failed during landing.

To prevent an accident like this,

Designers build in a super-heat-resistant

Braking system to bring this mega-plane to a stop.

♪

Here, at antonov's maintenance hanger,

A critical inspection of this aircraft's landing gear

Reveals the machine's secret for shedding heat.

Chief mechanic petro danylov leads the maintenance team.

The 124 has 20 51-inch wheels at the rear.

Each 350-pound wheel is attached to a four-foot-long axle.

Each axle has five brake discs.

Vents on the wheel hub channel air onto the discs.

♪

The antonov's designers build in a special material

To cool the brakes even more.

They swap conventional steel brakes for carbon discs.

Carbon absorbs far more heat energy than steel,

So the material won't melt when braking.

They stack five discs onto each of the axles

Holding the antonov's 20 rear wheels.

[ tires screech ]

Spreading the heat energy produced by friction

Over more discs

Makes the system even more resilient.

The brakes pulse on and off to prevent tires

From locking up and skidding on wet runways,

Bringing the plane to a full stop.

♪

At cayenne airport, the mighty cargo plane comes into view.

Its time for the antonov's brakes to do their job.

♪

[ tires squeal ]

The plane's 20 51-inch rear wheels touch down on the runway.

The brakes heat up to 1,022 degrees

As their steel calipers grip carbon discs to slow the plane.

♪

The giant 124 decelerates

And taxis towards the terminal.

Now comes the antonov's final challenge --

Unload the satellite onto the waiting convoy

As fast as possible.

What special technology allows this plane

To shift bulky cargo quickly,

And will the antonov's precious delivery

Make it to the space center in one piece?

Narrator: At cayenne airport in french guiana,

The antonov 124's crew prepares to unload the mega-plane's

Precious satellite cargo onto waiting vehicles.

The satellite must reach this clean room

At the european spaceport 37 miles away in kourou.

The operation must run like clockwork to get the satellite

To the clean room within the next three hours.

First, load master oleksiy pervishko

And his team must unload the lighter boxes

Carrying the satellite's support equipment

Through the plane's rear doors.

Using a forklift to shuttle the boxes

Individually from the cargo

Hold to the convoy will take too much time.

The antonov needs a way

To unload directly onto the waiting trucks.

An engineer's designed this heavy hauler

With a special piece of technology

To allow for super-fast offloading.

At the end of the antonov hanger in kiev,

Maintenance checks reveal this aircraft's secret.

A pair of overhead gantry cranes travel

Along 154-foot ceiling-mounted rails

That run the full length of the cargo bay.

Each crane is equipped with two 15-horsepower electric winches.

Working together, the four winches can lift up

To 66,138 pounds.

At cayenne airport, the first convoy truck

Reverses into position beneath antonov's tail.

The crane extends to the tail section as the rear doors open.

The winch cables extend over 20 feet to the ground.

This allows the plane to unload from the cargo bay

Straight onto the back of a truck.

The first challenge for oleksiy's team

Is to lower the support equipment boxes one by one.

♪

♪

Moving the support equipment takes one hour.

The next challenge -- unloading the satellite box.

♪

The plane once again flips up its nose

And kneels on the ground.

Oleksiy deploys the antonov's built-in ramp.

His team constructs the ramp extension.

Another three-kilowatt winch holds the box's weight

As the crew guides it down to the ramp.

A 65-foot-tall crane lifts the precious delivery

Onto the back of a low loader.

Mission accomplished.

The satellite convoy hits the road

♪

And arrives at the european spaceport right on schedule.

Over the next four weeks, scientists test

And refuel the satellite

Before loading it onto a 164-foot-tall ariane 5 rocket.

[ speaking foreign ]

Six weeks after delivery, the satellite blasts into space.

It will fly and map the earth from 656,000 feet

Above the surface for the next 20 years.

The antonov 124 ruslan is bigger and carries heavier cargo

Than any other fleet of transport plane in the world.

Built into its mighty frame are a series of ingenious inventions

That make it the pinnacle of mega-life plane design.

Super-strong and light components

Keep the fuselage rock-solid.

Giant jackscrews kneel the plane

To carry enormous loads of cargo.

Thrust-boosting turbo-fan engines

Push the plane through the sky with maximum efficiency.

Gyroscopes and super-pressurized hydraulics

Keep the aircraft steady in the strongest winds.

And carbon disc brakes bring this monster plane

To a complete stop.

This giant aircraft carries the biggest, bulkiest air

Freight further than almost all its rivals.

The antonov 124 ruslan is built to be the ultimate.