OREANDA-NEWS. July 28, 2011. A flight simulator for training Sukhoi Superjet 100 flight crews has been delivered onboard AN-124 and IL-76TD-90VD freighters from Chalons-en-Champagne in France to Moscow, Russia, by Volga-Dnepr Airlines.

Two flights were required to transport the simulator on behalf of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company (SCAC).

Even though the simulator - manufactured by Thales Training & Simulation Company in France – only had a total payload of 40 tons, the outsize components of the system took up virtually the entire space of both the AN-124 and IL-76TD-90VD cargo cabins. Both aircraft departed from Paris-Vatry Airport on the morning of July 20, 2011, for the three and a half hour flight to Ramenskoye Airport in Moscow, where the simulator was offloaded.

"Due to the bulky cargo size of the shipment, the initial plan was to use two AN-124-100s. However, we managed to work out a loading pattern whereby smaller cargo capacity could be used for one of the flights, notably the IL-76TD-90D which also comprises part of Volga-Dnepr’s fleet. We were therefore able to offer the customer an optimized solution in terms of both technical capability and economics,” said Sergey Lenivin, Lead Sales Executive.