what did I see

[grumpy52]

Hi, going past Popham Airfield last friday I spotted a large biplane with a radial engine on the nose , about the size of a DH Dove .Any one know what it was ?

[Ginetta G15 Girl]

Antonov AN2 perhaps?

[Eric Mc]

Yes - an An2 is based at Popham. I see it often as I drive past.

Edited by Eric Mc on Wednesday 11th June 12:56

[grumpy52]

Thats the one , thanks G15 and Eric.
As you are both deep into all things that fly, I had a Pratt and Whitney JT9 on the back of the wagon a couple of weeks ago.

[ecsrobin]

It's a great aircraft, always impresses me how short a distance it can take off in.

[Eric Mc]

It always amazes me that it can fly without appearing to make any progress.

[Fishtigua]

Ginetta G15 Girl said:

Antonov AN2 perhaps?

Is that the same plane that was built by the Czechs? There is a crashed one, used by the Cubans to invade Grenada, that is a wreck on the grass airfield there.

[Eric Mc]

Yes, the Czechoslovakian concern, Avia, built An2s as well.

[yellowjack]

I thought that the one at Popham hadn't flown in a long while...

...but it seems that I am mistaken.

http://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-294435.h...
http://www.an2club.info/index.htm
http://tommercerphotography.co.uk/2013/05/27/the-a...

The AN2 Club said:

"The An-2 has no stall speed quoted in the operating handbooks (the stall speed being the speed at which the aircraft is travelling too slowly for the airflow over the wings to keep it aloft). Pilots of the An-2 say the aircraft can be flown in full control at 30 mph (as a contrast, a modern Cessna 4-seater light aircraft has a stall speed of around 55 mph). This slow stall speed makes it possible for the aircraft to fly backwards (if the aircraft is pointed into a headwind of, say, 35 mph, it will travel backwards at 5 mph whilst under full control). This is a rare ability, even amongst other Short Take Off and Landing (STOL) aircraft. Only the German Fieseler Fi156 'Stork' of World War II has better slow-speed ability."