The plane that can fly backwards

1. The plane that can fly backwards

Andrew Usov

2.

The Antonov An-2 first flew in 1947, as
the Soviet Union was rebuilding after the
tumult of World War II

3.

More than 19,000 were made in the Soviet Union and then
Poland until 1991, and thousands more under licence in
China – occasionally aircraft continue to be built there.

4.

The An-2’s archaic design is a means to an end; the two sets
of wings in its biplane design generate a lot of lift – which
means it can take off in a very short distance, as you can see
below.

5.

A pilot can still fly the plane under full control at
around 25mph (40km/h).

6.

The key to the plane’s ability to hover – and even fly
backwards in the right conditions – lie in the ‘control
surfaces’ on the wings

7.

Leary describes the An-2 as a joy to fly,
but adds that it demands a lot of attention.

8.

“The An-2 only kills you if you do
something stupid in it,”

9. Thank you for your attention!