Impressive: 8 Men Set Record Pulling The World's Heaviest Plane

Simple Flying

By Joanna Bailey

Published Aug 27, 2021

HOSTOMEL, UKRAINE - AUGUST 26, 2021 - Eight strongmen attempt to pull the Antonov An-225 Mriya that is the heaviest aircraft ever built in a bid to set the record to mark 30 years of Ukraine's independence and the 75th anniversary of the Antonov Company at the Antonov aerodrome, Hostomel, Kyiv Region, northern Ukraine. The athletes have pulled the 285t aircraft for four meters and 30 centimetres in one minute and 13 seconds. (Photo credit should read Volodymyr Tarasov/ Ukrinform/Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

A group of eight strongmen has set a record by pulling the world’s largest and heaviest aircraft, the Antonov An-225. The group moved the giant aircraft four meters and 30 centimeters in a time of one minute and 13 seconds. The World Record set by the strongmen is dedicated to the 30^th anniversary of the independence of Ukraine.

A big plane pull

The Antonov An-225 Myria is well known for being the biggest and heaviest aircraft in the world. The only one of its kind, the aircraft attracts attention wherever it goes and is on pretty much every spotter’s bucket list.

Having recently enjoyed a cameo at Ukraine’s 30^th anniversary of independence celebrations, the An-225 was resting at Hostomel airport, but not for long. Yesterday, a group of eight strongmen worked together to move the massive aircraft in a bid to set a new world record.

An-225 plane pull — The teams used a ladder and harness to move the giant aircraft. Photo: Federation of Ukrainian Strongmen

Pulling the plane in two groups of four, the team of men managed to move the aircraft 4.3 meters in a time of one minute and 13 seconds. This set a new world record and was undertaken in celebration of the anniversary of Ukrainian independence, as well as Antonov’s 75^th birthday.

Ukrainian strongmen pull An-225 Mriya plane — The weather was wet, but this didn't stop the strongmen. Photo: Federation of Ukrainian Strongmen

You can watch the entire pull in the video below:

It’s not the first time the An-225 has been dragged along by a bunch of very strong men. Back in 2002, a team of 10 strongmen moved the giant aircraft 15 meters.

Pulling planes

Plane pulls have been a staple of strongmen competitions for decades, with people from all over the world competing to move aircraft faster, further and bigger than anyone else. The current record for the heaviest solo plane pull is held by Kevin Fast from Canada, who pulled a Globemaster weighing 188.83 tonnes 8.8 meters in 2009.

The heaviest 100-meter team plane pull was set by British Airways in March 2020, when a team of 92 people pulled the airline’s Airbus A350 in aid of Sport Relief. On the team were 46 men and 46 women, and the plane weighed in at 182.9 tonnes.

And in March this year, two women from Wales broke the record for the fastest time to pull an Airbus A320 65.6 feet. They went the distance in 37.63 seconds, putting them in the Guinness Book of World Records for their achievement. The married couple are now vying to achieve even more accolades, shooting for the title of World’s Strongest Woman 2021.

But perhaps the most bizarre plane pull we’ve heard of happened back in 2013 when a Russian strongman pulled a Wizz Air plane a distance of 40 meters, using only his teeth! Zsolt Sinka took 52 seconds to move the aircraft. We’re not sure what his dentist had to say.