24

Large, modern multi-engine airplanes do mostly have the 'tricycle' landing gear type. But it hasn't always be the norm. I remember at least one big plane with 'conventional landing gear', the German four-engined FW 200 'Condor'...

But, was it the largest of them all...?

Notts90
  • 3,559
  • 6
  • 31
  • 55
xxavier
  • 11,071
  • 3
  • 29
  • 72

3 Answers3

31

If you are going by MTOW, I believe that would be the Junkers Ju 390, which had a maximum takeoff weight of 75,500 kg.

Ju 390

Junkers Ju 390, By Bundesarchiv, Bild 141-0072 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, Link

Sadly, only a couple of these were built. If you are going by the wingspan, that would be the Tupolev ANT-20 'Maksim Gorki', which had a wingspan of 63m

Maksim Gorki

ANT-20, By Unknown - http://www.dkvnukovo.ru/photos/museum/photos/35.jpg, Public Domain, Link

aeroalias
  • 100,255
  • 5
  • 278
  • 429
  • 7
    They could have fitted probably 8 more people in if they had put seats and windows in those awesome wheel nacelles. Probably no trolley service though. Cattle class for sure. – Wossname Nov 08 '17 at 13:11
  • 2
    @Wossname: Most modern planes have huge empty spaces in the fuselage, which is already pressured. Those nacelles are most certainly not pressurized! I believe that most aircraft carrying capacity limits are due to mass (weight), not volume. – dotancohen Nov 08 '17 at 14:08
  • 4
    @dotancohen, I have much to learn. – Wossname Nov 08 '17 at 15:12
  • 3
    @Wossname: Then I'm in good company, and we're both in the right place! – dotancohen Nov 08 '17 at 15:20
  • 1
    I love that photo of the ANT-20! – Clonkex Nov 09 '17 at 00:58
  • 3
    That Art Deco fuselage on the ANT-20 is pretty slick – TomMcW Nov 09 '17 at 01:27
  • 1
    @TomMcW, "Air Deco" :) – Wossname Nov 09 '17 at 15:36
  • @dotancohen, You wouldn't see windows like those on a pressurized cabin. Wikipedia says the service ceiling for the ANT-20 was 4500 meters---just a smidge higher than you're allowed to take passengers in present day U.S.A. without giving them supplemental oxygen. – Solomon Slow Nov 09 '17 at 17:57
  • @jameslarge: You're right, even the sharp corners on the "cupola" at the top indicates that the cabin is unpressurized. As mentioned to Wossname, I too have a lot to learn! – dotancohen Nov 12 '17 at 07:40
13

I nominate the Tupolev ANT-20, with a wing span of 63.00 m (206 ft 8¼ in), an empty weight of 28,500 kg (62,700 lb), and a MTOW of 53,000 kg (116,600 lb).

2 were built, first flight was 1934.

enter image description here
(tupolev.ru) Note the two engines above the fuselage.

7

I nominate the XB-15 heavy bomber prototype.

  • Wing span 45.43 m
  • Max. TO weight 32,139 kg

enter image description here

Koyovis
  • 61,680
  • 11
  • 169
  • 289