Ilyushin Il-76

The Ilyushin Il-76 is a multi-purpose four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau. It’s one of the world’s top heavy lift aircraft, unmatched in its capability to carry weight over distance to remote airports with dirt and ice-covered landing strips with zero to little infrastructure. On this mission we flew with our Russian crew into the Arctic Circle on multiple trips to deliver mining equipment to Baffin Island. A mix of bad weather, winter storms, tough landing conditions and flying with our comrades on the flight deck made this one memorable.  The first time you make your approach and landing on an ice and snow covered runway, it’s a surreal experience from the cockpit. After years of flying staring down at tarmac and landing lights, these Il-76 approaches just looked flat white with very little depth perception. The landscape, sky and horizon blur into one and it appears like you’re attempting to land on a cloud. Getting close enough on final approach you begin to see the groomed runway surface, but you still hold your breath until the wheels touch the ground. Then the roar of the engines and power of the brakes kick in, shove you forward in your seat, and you’ve arrived. After many trips back and forth these landings begin to feel more routine, but they’re far from that. It’s only the impressive skill of the pilots and flight crew that let it appear that way, and even for these specialized pilots, bad weather events can make flying on this aircraft a white-knuckle ride.

Tech Specs

Wingspan: 165.6 ft
Length: 152.8 ft
Height: 48.5 ft
Powerplant: 4 x 117 kN Soloviev D-30KP turbofans.
Engine: Aviadvigatel PS90, Soloviev D-30
Maximum take-off weight: 195 tons
Maximum load: 50 tons
Flying range by maximum load: 2,485 miles