Summary
- After the destruction of the Antonov An-225 “Mriya” the team left behind Microsoft flight simulator strove to recreate it in game and begin the process of rebuilding it in real life.
- We spoke to Jorg Neumann, Head of Microsoft Flight Simulator, to find out how this ambitious project came about.
- Available in the in-game store, you can fly in the Antonov An-225 Mriya today Microsoft flight simulator on console and PC.
I’m a big fan of airplanes. Large, small, medium-sized… Each is exceptional in its own way when you step back and consider how incredible it is that these artificial machines can take on the skies. There have been thousands of unique aircraft designs that have taken to the air; the SR-71 “Blackbird” for its otherworldly look, the P-38 “Lightning” with its unique H-shaped design, and the iconic B-17 “Flying Fortress” that lives up to its namesake as a literal fortress in the sky some personal favourites. But none were quite as impressive as the Antonov An-225, affectionately known as Mriya.
Dubbed the An-225 because it could carry up to a whopping 225 tons of cargo, the Mriya (meaning “dream” in Ukrainian) was the largest and heaviest aircraft in the world. Originally created to carry the Buran-class orbiters in the 1980s before being retrofitted to carry oversized payloads, it housed six turbofan engines across its immense wingspan, two large vertical stabilizers and 32-wheel landing gear – there were really nothing like it.
Needless to say, it was disturbing when news broke in early 2022 that the only existing Mriya had been destroyed during the Battle of Antonov Airport at the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
So when I first heard the news, the team was behind it Microsoft flight simulator Moving forward with the ambitious goal of not only recreating the plane for everyone to enjoy in their world-class flight simulator, but also determined to bring the real Mriya back to life, I had to learn more. I managed to catch Head of Microsoft flight simulator
“There was an outcry in the flight simulation community that day [February 27, 2022] and we were all really affected by the news,” says Jorg when he first heard about Mriya’s destruction. “Sadness and shock erupted at our team meeting. Personally, it struck me deeply, as the Mriya was also a symbol of humanity’s ingenuity…at that meeting, I said quite emotionally that we must preserve the memory of this magnificent aircraft in our simulation.”
“Personally, it struck me deeply as the Mriya was also a symbol of humanity’s ingenuity.”
After the meeting, Jorg contacted Antonov Airlines chief pilot Dmytro Antonov via LinkedIn and contacted the Microsoft office in Ukraine. At the time, nobody in Ukraine could talk about digital preservation of the An-225, but a key contact, Alexander Matsko, welcomed the idea of bringing Mriya in Microsoft flight simulator.
“This was good news for us given the high professional level of the Microsoft team and its strong international reputation,” said Deputy General Director of Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines Viktor Avdieiev upon hearing the news that Microsoft was trying to bring the An-225 back in a flight simulator. “This aircraft held a special place in global aviation history; no other aircraft exists… Thanks to this product, many people will get to know this mighty bird and will love it as much as we do.”
“We stayed in touch during the turbulent months,” Jörg said. “[Matsko] later introduced us to the Antonov Company and was really instrumental in making this possible. On our side, I contacted Ubaid, the head of iniBuilds, a close partner of ours who had just completed an excellent rework of the Airbus A310-300. He and his team of experts were equally enthusiastic and work began shortly after.”
It was the 17-strong team at iniBuilds that brought the An-225 to life Microsoft flight simulator. You can really get a sense of the passion they put into the finished product because it’s such an extremely detailed replica of the Antonov An-225, and players can now play it on both Xbox Series X|S and Windows Experience PCs.
“This aircraft held a special place in global aviation history; no such other plane exists.”
“She [iniBuilds] I first did a lot of online research and collected open questions in a detailed list, which was then sent to Antonov,” Jorg told me. “Antonov filled in all the gaps, which is why we were able to achieve such a high level of authenticity.”
“The specialists had the opportunity to visit Mr. Antonov and several other engineers from the Antonov Company in Leipzig, where they flew the digital airplane together.” Avdieiev describes
iniBuilds had the full support of the Antonov Company and Mr. Dmitry Antonov, the chief pilot of the An-225. Mr. Antonov also created a video series with lots of incredible detail that helped Jörg and his team start the digital recreation. More details were filled in when the team met him and other Antonov pilots for a test session in Leipzig.
“It was really an enlightening experience talking to the pilots who have flown the Antonov An-225,” Jörg said. “The most unique point we learned was understanding the handling characteristics of such a unique large aircraft! Their feedback allowed us to fly the plane as realistically as possible Microsoft flight simulator.”
Antonov’s pilots gave the team real insight into the different areas of the aircraft and their uses. For example, they pointed out that, being such a unique aircraft, the Antonov An-225 carried its own tow bar to safely maneuver out of every airport it flew to around the world. One was modeled just as specifically for the simulator and can be seen in the hold of the version found in Microsoft flight simulator.
“What if you could bring Mriya… back to life?”
But the team at Microsoft flight simulator were not satisfied with just a digital replica of the aircraft. What if they could bring Mriya… back to life? At this point, discussions with the Antonov Company deepened on how they could find a way to contribute to the reconstruction of this aircraft.
“We have decided to give 100% of the gross proceeds from the sale of the digital An-225 directly to the Antonov Company for one year after launch, so that the money can be used to rebuild the An-225,” Jörg said. “If Antonov determines that rebuilding is not feasible, the funds can alternatively be used to build a memorial to the aircraft.”
Proceeds from the in-game DLC will be used to rebuild the An-225, and currently this is the only way the sim and gaming community can contribute to this effort. Still, it’s a lofty goal, and if it doesn’t come to fruition, there are plans to find other ways to honor the aircraft’s legacy.
“We have not set a minimum donation but have chosen to give Antonov all the money we receive. We firmly believe that we want to help restore a national treasure to its former glory and highlight Ukraine’s resilience. So far we’ve been thrilled with the response from the Simmer community.”
“We firmly believe that we want to help restore a national treasure to its former glory and highlight Ukraine’s resilience.”
Asking Jorg what he thinks Simmers take away from the experience of piloting this incredibly unique aircraft Microsoft flight simulatorJörg was insightful in his answer.
“The Mriya is not only the heaviest aircraft in the world, which has broken and still holds many flight records. How many of [the aviation community], for me it is a monument to what we can achieve as human beings. The dream of flying dates back a very long time and has been realized over the centuries by brilliant minds around the world. The Mriya was and is a significant milestone in the history of aviation and in the history of human ingenuity. I hope Simmers will appreciate the engineering marvel of this aircraft and dream that one day the Mriya will fly across our skies again.”
