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| Built entirely for propaganda purposes at the behest of the Union of
Soviet Writers and Editors to celebrate the career of the writer Maxim
Gorkii (or Gorky), and paid for by public subscription, the giant ANT-20
toured the otherwise inaccessible areas of the USSR, bringing the communist
message to the masses. To this end, the ANT-20 contained a small printing
plant, a photographic studio, a cinema and a radio station. Of course, to
show the wider world the superiority of Soviet aeronautics, the Maxim Gorkii
had to be the largest aircraft in the world. Only a few subsequent aircraft
(such as the B-36 and the An-124) have had greater wingspans. The six
engines originally fitted were not enough and an extra pair were added on a
pod above the fuselage. The Maxim Gorkii was lost when a Polikarpov I-5
fighter plane attempted a barrel roll around it. The fighter pilot, all 49
occupants of the ANT-20 and three people on the ground perished.
Jim Winchester "The World's Worst Aircraft", 2005 FACTS AND FIGURES © As well as its media
production and output
capabilities, the ANT-20
had a cafeteria, an internal
telephone exchange and
sleeping accommodation for
the crew. Some sources say
it also had a laundry, a
pharmacy and a bar. © Four smaller auxiliary
engines were required to
drive various devices,
including the giant sound
system and a series of lights
for displaying propaganda
slogans at night. © Six of the engines were
mounted on the leading
edge and the other two in a
pusher-puller pod located
above the rear fuselage. © The giant wheel spats were
probably the largest ever
fitted to an aircraft. © The crew is said to have been up to 23 people,
although most of these were associated with the
propaganda function. Between eight and 10
crew were involved in actually operating the
aircraft.
 | A three-view drawing (682 x 654) |
| MODEL | ANT-20 |
| CREW | 8 |
| PASSENGERS | 64 |
| ENGINE | 6 x AM-34FRNV, |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 44000 kg | 97004 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 64.0 m | 210 ft 12 in |
| Length | 34.1 m | 112 ft 11 in |
| Height | 7.0 m | 23 ft 12 in |
| Wing area | 486.0 m2 | 5231.26 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 275 km/h | 171 mph |
| Cruise speed | 225 km/h | 140 mph |
| Ceiling | 5500 m | 18050 ft |
| Range | 900 km | 559 miles |
| tim@tim.com, 19.01.2021 21:59 this plane was the first to have a heated swimming pool reply | | Barry, 30.04.2012 13:46 Perhaps we can go to the Boeing or DeHavilland sites and discuss windows and curtains.
There were three ANT20's built. The prototype was powered by 8 M-34FRN engines that developed 900hp each the two subsequent models were powered by 6 M-34FRN-Vs developing 1200 h.p. each. Along with the facts noted above each aircraft had their own AC /DC generators developing 120 volts. There was an autopilot and servo compensators for the rudder and elevators. The initial take off weight was 42 tonnes rising later to 53 tonnes. Finally the first aircraft crashed after an escorting ANT12, not a Polikarpov I-5, attemted a loop around the wing and collided with the undersurface. reply | | peter, e-mail, 02.02.2012 17:13 Chaps,( and Chapesses ) you may have missed the point. No, it wasn't pressurized. The FUSELAGE is square. Never heard of a pressurized plane that didn't have a round fuselage. ( except poss the Short 360.Was that pessurized.
Boeing building Comets ! the very thought ! reply | | baiwang, 21.06.2011 07:03 Was this plane pressurized? Looks too early for pressurization. If not pressurized, SQUARE windows don't make ANY difference. reply | |
| | Sergei, e-mail, 29.11.2010 13:54 data is for ANT-20bis, NOT Maxim Gorki
ANT-20 had 8 x AM-34FRN with tandem push-pull nacelle atop reply | | Bob Henry, e-mail, 11.01.2010 19:02 The Comet Mk1,[De Havilland UK ], had square windows which failed at corner due to air pressure differential at altitude.The Comet 2 and comet 4 served with the RAF safely for many years. reply | | Art Deco, 15.07.2009 18:58 3 Comets, Boeing 307, and easier to make curtains for square windows. Couldn't be a bomber unless they took out the grand piano. reply | | matt, e-mail, 15.07.2009 16:12 The comet was indeed made in United Kingdom by the De-Havilland company, not all of them crashed only two.
The British Royal airforce still uses a variant of the comet called Nimrod for reconnaisance. reply | | melissa, e-mail, 22.06.2009 00:32 the comment provided before was not mine / / someone put it there / / take it off thte comments / wattheheck man / / reply | | Sgt.KAR98, 19.12.2008 00:54 Indeed,the first pressurized plane I know was the B-29.
And I suppose most planes had squared windows at that time.
Also,why they didn´t used it as bomber instead the TB-3? reply | | Barrett, e-mail, 19.10.2008 01:11 Pardon me, but did you say BOEING made the Comet? Check again. (Check Britain's 'De Havilland' company). Was this plane pressurized? Looks too early for pressurization. If not pressurized, SQUARE windows don't make ANY difference. reply | | Daniel DR, e-mail, 03.07.2008 20:39 aerodynamical UNSAFE.....square windows...boeing tryed the same...and....lost the comet, every /one of them that they have build reply | | Melissa Perez, e-mail, 14.05.2008 17:33 What a Craft? Very Good! reply |
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