On March 10, 2021, young hockey players from the SSHOR team "Tverichi-2008" played a match inside the world’s largest mass-produced cargo aircraft — the An-124 "Ruslan." "Pervyi Tekhnicheskii" recalls how the teenagers chased the puck several meters above the concrete of the runway.
Plastic Ice
Instead of real ice, a special plastic surface imitating ice was laid in the cargo compartment of the "Ruslan," similar to what is used in the preseason training of professional clubs.
This was necessary in order not to damage the aircraft’s systems with moisture and cold. As a result, a rink 36 m long and more than 6 m wide was created. Smaller than a standard rink, but still not bad.
Charity Event
The event was held as a charity campaign for the 90th anniversary of military transport aviation. The tour was organized by Tver City Duma deputy Vitaly Kotov, a retired first-class military pilot.
He said that the children first inspected the aircraft and then tested the ice arena right in the cargo compartment. For the young athletes, it was not just a match, but a feeling of cosmic scale: ice, light, metal — and the incredible proportions of the "Ruslan."
Reality Versus Myth
The sensational version about hockey being played right in flight remained a myth — the "Ruslan" did not take off; everything took place at Migalovo airfield.
But this does not diminish the impression, because the aircraft itself became part of the game rather than just a backdrop. The children and spectators were given a unique opportunity — to feel themselves inside a giant of Russian aviation.
An-124 "Ruslan"
The "Ruslan" itself is a giant among cargo aircraft: the length of its cargo compartment is 36.5 m, width — 6.4 m, height — 4.4 m, and volume — more than 1,000 m³. It is capable of carrying up to 120,000 kg of cargo, including heavy equipment and weapons, and is even the only aircraft in the world able to transport — space satellites.
Pink Floyd and the Axum Obelisk
Over decades of operation, the An-124 "Ruslan" has become a true "global courier" for the most incredible cargoes. Thanks to its unique ramp loading system, it transported things that fit nowhere else.
In 1989, the "Ruslan" delivered 140 tons of equipment from London to Moscow for the legendary band Pink Floyd’s first concert in the USSR.
In May 1992, an An-124 transported 52 tons of gold (worth about 230 million pounds sterling at the time) from the United Arab Emirates to Switzerland. A year later, three An-124 aircraft carried 310 tons of Michael Jackson’s stage equipment for his Moscow performance.
In 2005, the "Ruslan" returned an ancient 1,700-year-old granite monument from Italy to Ethiopia. The 160-ton obelisk had to be cut into three pieces to deliver it back to its homeland.
The "Ruslan" is no longer built in Russia. Aviation expert Oleg Panteleev explained to "Pervyi Tekhnicheskii" that resuming production of 50-year-old aircraft is an meaningless idea.
Read more materials on the topic:
- Why Russia Cannot Resume Production of the Legendary An-124 "Ruslan" Aircraft
- An-124 "Ruslan" Delivered a Wartime American Fighter to Moscow
- Military Transport An-124-100 "Ruslan" Brought Unknown Cargo to a Base in Syria
