My day in the AN-2

My day of flying skydivers in an AN2 was amazing. I got to fly with a person who has logged over 2000h in the AN2 alone and have survived 5 engine failures in single engine airplanes.

The day started with changing spark plugs on 3 cylinders due to the engine running unevenly.
After about 1,5h of work including climbing over the cockpit window (4m in the air) to check the oil we finally got ready to fly the beast.

We loaded 10 skydivers in the back and headed out on the grass strip.
As we sped down the runway I was amazed by the short take off distance of the 5500kg plane. I had read about how short this plane lands and takes off but its a strange feeling to take off in a shorter distance than a PA-28 with a plane that weighs 4 times as much.

After climbing to about 1500ft I got to take over the controls. The airplane handled so well and was surprisingly easy to maneuver. I proceeded to climb up to 8000ft where I left the plane in more capable hands for the last positioning over the drop spot.
Nearing the drop spot we gave the 3 minute heads up to the jumpers who began preparing and opening the back door. The plane jostled quite a lot when the cargo (jumpers) started moving around in the back.
As we flew over the drop spot I was watching as one after one jumped out of the airplane. The feeling of for the first time seeing people actually jumping out of the airplane that I am strapped in to can only be described as a mix between wonder and discomfort. I would never have thought that it would feel so strange seeing the cargo leaving.

As soon as the last skydiver left the airplane we started a very steep spiral descending at 12-15m/s (around 3000ft/min). We descended from 9000ft and landed in 3,5 minutes, around the same time the last skydiver landed.

The landing was spectacular! We landed with 30 degrees of flap giving us around the same landing distance as a Super Cub which weighs about seven times as little as this beast.
With full flap the AN2 has a shorter landing distance than the Super Cub.

The day continued with us flying 5 loads of skydivers and me logging 1h of flying this wonderful beast.
Hopefully I get to learn how to fly the AN2 and carry skydivers.

For those of you who want to try skydiving or try flying an airplane, contact me at info.rydair@gmail.com and I will refer you to the correct people.

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DS.