East Midlands Airport - 6th November 2007

My first visit to East Midlands Airport in nearly twelve months was prompted by the attendance and planned departure of a unique aircraft - the Antonov Design Bureau's AN-225 Mriya. The six-engined behemoth, the largest flying aircraft ever built, was scheduled to return to Kiev, Ukraine, and did so at around 1030.

There were a handful of movements before that for getting your eye in on.

Then it was time for the main event, with an impressively smoky startup from each of those six engines.

My first encounter with this impressive beast had come in the most perfect conditions, and what a sight she provided....