Here is the An-225, which is the world's largest aircraft. It was designed to carry the Russian Space Shuttle, The Buran, which now sits in Gorsky Park in Moscow. There are only two in existance and it's little brother, the An-124 is widely used as a cargo plane that carries things others can't. Now, I am not sure if the C-5 is bigger, or, isn't for lease, but when it comes to heavy lifting, the AN-124 usually get's the call. The AN-225 just came out of moth-balls, but me thinks it has become too expensive to become useful ... in my limited knowledge of the subject . . .

Holy crap, look how many wheels it has. Just hard to picture the size of this thing.

You can get a close-up of the wheels here:
http://www.airwar.ru/image/idop/craft/an225/an225-11.jpg 

-Wolfy

so thats where new airplanes come from...

Jet,
I was lucky enough to get up close and personal with this beauty a few years back. She flew just after her designer died (I forgot his name just now). She can taxi and take off on an unimproved just as slick as can be.

Great photo!

The designers name is Antonov Oleg Konstantinovich. X

What This Picture Doesn't Show ... Is That It Has SIX EGINES . . .

Yeah, JB. So why put 2 on top of the fuselage if you're planning to haul shuttles?

Those aren't engines on top of the fuselage. Those are the cowls covering the weight bearing mounts for the space shuttle.

sketcha ,

http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=797423&WxsIERv=Nagbabi%20Na-225%20Zevln&WdsYXMg=Nagbabi%20Qrfvta%20Ohernh&QtODMg=Xngbjvpr%20-%20Clembjvpr%20%28XGJ%20%2F%20RCXG%29&ERDLTkt=Cbynaq&ktODMp=Znepu%203%2C%202005&BP=0&WNEb25u=Enqrx%20Barxfvnx&xsIERvdWdsY=HE-82060&MgTUQtODMgKE=Zevln%20ng%20Xngbjvpr%20Nvecbeg&YXMgTUQtODMgKERD=2992&NEb25uZWxs=2005-03-16%2015%3A08%3A04&ODJ9dvCE=&O89Dcjdg=13102&static=yes&sok=JURER%20%20%28nvepensg_trarevp%20%3D%20%27Nagbabi%20Na-225%20Zevln%27%29%20%20BEQRE%20OL%20cubgb_vq%20QRFP&photo_nr=5&prev_id=797424&next_id=792862 

sketcha,

http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=785767&WxsIERv=Nagbabi%20Na-225%20Zevln&WdsYXMg=Hagvgyrq%20%28Nagbabi%20Qrfvta%20Ohernh%29&QtODMg=Bfgenin-Zbfabi&ERDLTkt=Pmrpu%20Erchoyvp&ktODMp=Frcgrzore%203%2C%201989&BP=0&WNEb25u=Treneq%20Uryzre&xsIERvdWdsY=PPPC-82060&MgTUQtODMgKE=&YXMgTUQtODMgKERD=2654&NEb25uZWxs=2005-02-27%2023%3A53%3A42&ODJ9dvCE=&O89Dcjdg=19530503763&static=yes&sok=JURER%20%20%28nvepensg_trarevp%20%3D%20%27Nagbabi%20Na-225%20Zevln%27%29%20%20BEQRE%20OL%20cubgb_vq%20QRFP&photo_nr=11&prev_id=791226&next_id=779537 

These are two different views, btw ... not a double post, fyi ...

jetblasted-- let me help you out with those gigantic url:

http://tinyurl.com/ 

This site made your post into:

http://tinyurl.com/54yen 

Pretty Neat . . . I see Copy and Paste Works for Both of Them !!!