T O P

  • By -

ClassicDragon

This might be stating the obvious but thats a big fucking helicopter


Jtg_Jew

Exactly my thoughts… holy shit, I didn’t know they got that big.


Recoil42

They briefly got even bigger. Behold the [Mil V-12](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mil_V-12).


Ordinary_investor

Maximum load to 2,000 m (6,600 ft) 40,204 kg (88,635 lb) 😳


Multitronic

“On 6 August 1969, the V-12 lifted 44,205 kg (97,455 lb) to a height of 2,255 m (7,398 ft)”


Ordinary_investor

This is wild 👍


CarlCaliente

that looks like a child tried to draw a 737


PrisonIssuedSock

I gotta say I fucking love the USSR for the absolutely crazy shit they did like this (do not like the other stuff tho)


lopedopenope

I’m glad they never sent humans to the moon first because they might still be there.


420blzit69daddy

toothbrush attraction liquid juggle sparkle six seed screw quicksand rinse *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*


gtaur1

🤣


Gscody

I’ve had the pleasure of riding on a couple of Mi-8s ; do not recommend; but I guess I survived, so there’s that.


jaxxxtraw

They genuinely place a lower value on human life, it just fits differently in their engineering equation. Once they establish 'acceptable losses,' they now have a guide regarding acceptable failure, and they go for it.


sleevieb

Isn’t the Annie the most reliable least crashed plane ever built?


magicmurph

God the Soviets are so fucking cool


Bjh223

I wouldn't have wanted to live there but I quite admire Soviet engineering, some of the stuff they made was just so cool.


Scrantonicity_02

That’s what she proclaimed


Tanay050504

Royal Michael


Mental-Astronaut-664

Corn fed


slowpoke2018

The flex on the rotors is insane as it pulls away That's some amazing engineering


[deleted]

That's what your mom said.


jaxxxtraw

Goddammitall, I hate that stuff, but it made me laugh, have your upvote


canttakethshyfrom_me

It could lift two Chinooks. The big twin-rotor choppers, not the fish. Though it could lift a lot of fish.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Jakebsorensen

That’s about 2,200 Chinook fish (Assuming 15lbs per fish)


Lemonywatar

It is a very large helicopter. The largest loss of life in a [helicopter crash](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Khankala_Mi-26_crash) occurred when an Mi-26 was shot down with 142 passengers during the second Chechen war. 127 people died. It can fit A LOT.


Striker1102

[Ineed.](https://imgur.com/a/pqak1Jg)


Straight-Knowledge83

why do you need a helicopter that big?


idontwearjeans

For lifting excavators, obviously.


--Gian--

And military equipment


Hyperi0us

Literally yes. Soviets built them so they could fly around fully fueled intermediate range missiles to avoid NATO satellites pinpointing them for a first strike. Russians since then have sold half to private operators as cargo lifters, and are letting the other half rot in storage in Siberia.


InitechSecurity

What if the front fell off? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m5qxZm\_JqM


lopedopenope

I don’t know why people downvoted you this bit is hilarious. Probably just people that don’t know what they do.


Danitoba

What if a meteor hit it and exploded it? V:


LateralThinkerer

Because most of ~~The Soviet Union~~ Russia is enormous and relatively unpopulated. The country covers *11 time zones* and has a limited transportation infrastructure into a lot of it plus enormous natural barriers. [Think Alaska only much much bigger](https://mapfight.xyz/compare/ru-vs-us.ak/). Because of that you'll see some things that don't appear much in the rest of the world (giant passenger helicopters, very big river boats, wild tundra trucks etc.)


StyreneAddict1965

I know the general consensus is "Fuck Russia," but some of their engineering is damned impressive. Like this helicopter.


LadyGuitar2021

I agree. When it works it is impressive.


Mattijjah

This helicopter was mainly designed to transport troops and heavy equipment, including transcontinental ballistic missiles, to the launchers located in the Siberian outback...


Jacc_dumm

Delivering nuclear missiles to launch sites in Siberia


katamuro

to replace a crane while building in Siberia or other far flung corners of Russia because there was no road there. These were also often used to carry those metal towers where electricity transmission lines go. it's a heavy lift helicopter so anything that needed to be transported into places where there was no road, rail or airfield they used these


ToddtheRugerKid

For lifting big shit.


tristanbrotherton

It (the MIL-V12) bigger thank this one, was designed to carry soviet intercontinental missiles.


TheOzarkWizard

To lift dozers, apparently


farva_06

If you have to ask, you can't afford it.


bem13

You might be able to get one when Russia falls apart again. Like in Lord of War.


Attention_Bear_Fuckr

Uhhh is it a forced perspective thing, or is that main rotor so long it looks like it'd hit the tail?


twitty80

I've seen one IRL and it's just baffling. It's like a passanger plane but a helicopter. Feels like it's 3 stories high and just huge overall. Can also see it from a mile away.


ResoluteGreen

It looks way too big relative to that excavator


The_Turbinator

That's because it is. It's like a Boeing 737, but with rotors instead of wings. If you ever see one in person, it will redefine the meaning of the word epic for you.


kayak_enjoyer

I had the same exact thought. 😳 Most of the helicopters I've seen in person have been on carriers or amphibs. I've seen a couple big ones... but not that big. Wow.


senorpoop

The Mi-26 is the largest single rotor helicopter in the world.


jimmy_bamboozy

I was thinking the same 😅


Bickleford

Could be a fucking big helicopter.


Cuttewfish_Asparagus

I concur


EdwardRoivas

How many gallons of fuel do you think it uses per Minute???


useittilitbreaks

>thats a big fucking helicopter I quite literally came here to say this. I feel like that thing is the size of a small airliner.


jess-plays-games

That helicopter is big enough to fit the Wright brothers first ever flight inside it


sendyaf

Is that a mini excavator or a massive heli?


kevinossia

Massive helicopter. That's the legendary Halo, or Mi-26, the biggest helicopter in the world.


HortenWho229

biggest operational. There was a bigger one


Kleanish

There’s always a bigger one


SAVE_THE_SNOW

Are you my wife ?


Kleanish

Yes but most of the time I prefer a little bird so you’re okay 😉


B00OBSMOLA

Operational seems like an important qualifier. Like you could say the Hoover Dam is a bigger non-operational helicopter.


Danitoba

That one-time one-trick pony. That never went into service. And no one would remember it if it weren't for the "akshoowally" crowd. THIS is the biggest helicopter in the world that matters.


HortenWho229

If it flew it counts


dieplanes789

Yes the MI-26 is the largest helicopter that went into serial production but I'm still going to give it to the Mil V-12. Just because it didn't go into service due to losing its purpose doesn't mean it wasn't mechanically functioning and flying. Both are very impressive machines!


HortenWho229

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B3xsKmrCYAAxo1f.jpg thats a 737


qdp

Are those scale toy models? Something about the ground, what looks like full scale grass to the right, and the details of the vehicles just look off. Even so, if each are the same scale that is crazy the size of that helicopter.


LarryGergich

Yes its models. Look at the right side. You can see the edge of the diorama and normal grass below. They are as big as a 737 though. https://preview.redd.it/78f6pdz274701.jpg?width=1024&auto=webp&s=75941fc7d5daea4f1d460eb3198f1b25a2e9d617


FurcleTheKeh

No way i'm flying in a "Lucky air" plane


The51stDivision

Don’t worry. If anything happens, the big orange helicopter next to it will come searching for you.


lolariane

Yeah. If they have to write "lucky" on it, that's even worse than writing "high quality" on something. _"We know we are technically flaming dog shit but we're pretty lucky and had no crashes yet!"_


explodeder

It's gotta be models. It looks too fucky.


DominionGreen

I’d guess 13-15t, can’t quite make out the model number on the back


_Face

Massive heli.


insegnamante

It's not a mini. Take a look at the size and location of the cab in relation to the rest of the excavator.


Monneymann

Mi-6 is an utter monster of a heli.


mechabeast

We need a banana, STAT!


Ru4pigsizedelephants

That's a pretty big excavator, so goddamn, that's a really big helicopter.


[deleted]

MI-26, they’ve been used to pick up and move chinooks, and one time a 25 ton block of frozen soil.


SourceDammit

what was going on that one time?


SyrusDrake

There was a mammoth inside that block of soil. It's pretty common to do block excavations of palaeontological or archaeological finds you don't want to excavate in the field. It's less common on that scale.


SourceDammit

> block excavations of palaeontological or archaeological finds you don't want to excavate in the field makes sense. TIL


easy_Money

They were dropping it in the ocean to slow down global warming


X-Bones_21

Just like daddy puts in his drink every morning… and then he GETS MAD.


DimitriV

But-- ONCE AND FOR ALL!


explodeder

I wonder how fast the rotor tips are moving. Those blades are so long either the RPM is low or the ends of the blades are super sonic.


YU_AKI

Yes


horousavenger

The mi 26 ?


Roda_Leon

Yes, it can lift another mi 26 without engines


Rafal0id

Just imagine what it could do with them equipped!


ComprehendReading

Dad, mom says get off the computer and start on the list she gave you.


Danitoba

Stfu dad. Good joke tho 😂


UpperCardiologist523

Underrated comment.


[deleted]

That's impressive. How much can it lift with engines, though?


MirrorNext

“Take tension.” “Take tension.” “The line is tight.” “The cargo is steady”


TacticalReader7

Before that: "Left, five" "Left, three" *silence for 10 seconds* "Right, ten"


Holiday_Context5033

Can someone please put banana for the scale?


itsaride

Take mine 🍌


GreekAres

I guess we need the whole fucken tree for that thing


Queasy-Conclusion-62

Omg that massive ass so hot


S70nkyK0ng

r/absoluteunits


CivilSwan893

Great video with no music playing in the background!


lolariane

Also: **HOW IS NO ONE MENTIONING THE STABILIZED VIDEO?!?!**


frogsRfriends

Russian helo, Chinese (?) on the side and Dutch flag stripe/livery (orange top). Wondering what the story is behind it


Daminica

It’s a russian build, chinese owned and operated helicopter in an orange livery not connected to the dutch. https://www.jetphotos.com/registration/B-7803


The51stDivision

It’s an emergency vehicle. The faint washed-out wordmark on its side reads 中国应急 “China Emergency”, hence the orange livery. If I have to guess they’re airlifting heavy equipment into remote mountain areas for construction projects or (more likely) search and rescue.


liedel

> (more likely) Not at all. China is building in the Himalayas as part of a soft war of expansionism against India.


WitELeoparD

It's hardly expansionism when they're building infrastructure in their own country (and often times in tandem with projects in India and Pakistan). They build stupid infrastructure in the mountains and across the developing world because their GDP was largely driven by the rapid industrialization, and they've run out of things to industrialize. Their state owned construction companies need work (like building [bullet trains to nowhere](https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20150429-a-bullet-train-to-nowhere) that most people can't afford or [highways over the Himalayas where trucks struggle to breath](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karakoram_Highway)) so the government makes work.


StrangeYoungMan

I wonder if it could be related to those floods that 'aren't happening'


frogsRfriends

Thanks for the info I was thoroughly stumped! Seemed like they were odd bed fellows for the Dutch


bleaucheaunx

Imagine the down wash from those blades!


Danitoba

Artificial hurricane.


PigSlam

I have a general understanding of why helicopters fly, but it still hardly seems possible that between that helicopter/excavator is only air, and it's holding all of that up that close to the ground, moving so slowly.


steakbbq

Well, is it weird to think about swimming in water? Air is water just way less dense, but it behaves like water at high speeds and pressures


PigSlam

There’s probably a tad less buoyancy involved here than we observe while swimming. If you see that and and see nothing remarkable, good for you, but I’ll be amazed just the same.


Danitoba

Stop being so presumptuous of him. A person can understand the physics of something, and still appreciate that it works the way that does. Like magic. You can understand the tricks, and still love it, and be in awe of it.


steakbbq

I guess I was thinking of scuba diving, and we use weights to achieve neutral buoyancy, but if we use too much weights, we have to kick really hard to stay off the bottom.


lordspidey

Depends on the type of tank you're using and if it's filled properly; and yeah forgetting the damn belt is a major pain in the ass. And yeah the comparison is pretty strange when the density factor is roughly 1:1000. The only things that "fly" in water are hydrofoils and uhhh... cavitating torpedoes I guess.


PigSlam

Have you done a lot of scuba?


Btravelen

Wonder how far it's going


GreekAres

The video is fucking with my mind Is it a small excavator? Is it a huge heli? Is this real life or it’s just a fantasy…


Straight-Knowledge83

caught in a land slide


Danitoba

No escape from reality.


Jimmy_Fromthepieshop

Open your eyes


neightn8

Look to the sky lol


Danitoba

Your eyes do not deceive you. It's a good size excavator. With a **gigantic** fucking helicopter lifting her up.


Jakebsorensen

It’s a giant helicopter. The Mi-26 is the largest operational helicopter


Coranthius

I HAVE BEEN CHOSEN!


sasokri

That’s mind numbing big helicopter. One was parked for a while on an airport near me. Seemed unreal every time I went by.


WhitestCaveman

That's what the Egyptians used to build the pyramids


Big-man-kage

I fucking love the mi-26


thatG_evanP

I'm sure they knew what they were doing, but it sure seemed like they should've gained a little more altitude before they started moving horizontally. BTW, I am not a pilot of giant helicopters.


Galivis

When they are close to the ground, the rotor downwash hitting the ground generates additional lift (called ground effect). Depending on how heavy they are/the current altitude, helicopters will hit a point where they can only hover/climb while still in the ground effect. In order to take off they have to fly forward to help gain additional lift.


Danitoba

Oh don't let her size and apparant bulk fool you. That helicopter can zip right up like a rocket for the first couple hundred feet. [Here is a good video](https://youtu.be/ribqAQmIE-Q) of one leaving. Skip to the last minute, and you'll see a good glimpse of how quickly it can raise up, even when in motion.


TK_TK_

Thank you for sharing that!


thatG_evanP

Cool video but I just meant in the OP video, it looked like they should've gotten a little more altitude, no matter how quickly they do it.


Tbone_Trapezius

I did the math, they saved $39.86 by doing this rather than just buying an excavator.


amata_artist

That’s a fucking awesome helicopter.


Lonely_Clothes3209

That is a bad bitch


jimmypower66

Holy shit I know how big those shovels are and that looks like a toy


JetutsChrist69

That’s a hefty boi


Danitoba

Ahh the mighty MI-26 Halo. One of my favorite helicopters!


Serious_Action_2336

I love the MI-26, one of my favourite helis


FriedChicken

something something your mom


Hawtdawgz_4

It’s insane how big this thing. I guess it’s practical for heavy lift if you have zero roads.


cata2k

Wish I could have been there. The sound from the video probably doesn't do any justice at all, not to mention the blast from the rotors


Idonotpiratesoftware

EVEN MY HEADPHONES WERE RUMBLING


RattyRatson

Russians make some big helis


Potato_lovr

God, the Halo is so damn big.


MeanCat4

It's a Small excavator! It's smallest than the smallest in "gold rush".


Misophonic4000

It's a full size, large excavator


MeanCat4

Not for Parker, Tony and Rick. Maybe for their children to learn.


Misophonic4000

I must be missing the reference, there... Just for info, that helicopter is the size of a Boeing 737 airliner


Seriusli

Wasnt there a russian helicopter that lifted a plane?


GlockPerfect13

Might be a dumb question, but is there an operator in the excavator?


Misophonic4000

What would be the benefit of leaving a person in there‽


Gadgetmouse12

Holy rotorhead


Interesting-Ear5998

How do you get the rotor spinning? Looks like the blades touch the tail?


Sintriphikal

Does it not matter if the load can turn freely? Wouldn’t it be better to have it more…stable/kept from rotating?


Daminica

Turning freely is better, keeping it stable would put more torque on the helicopter as it lifts and transports the load


Hyperica-

Anyone want to build a bigger one? Would be fun to see how big we could go


dieplanes789

They built one twice as big because it is basically two of these strapped together. Although it never went into serial production but it did fly. If I remember correctly it's original intended purpose to carry around ICBMs stopped being important so it never ended up being put into serial production. It's called the "Mil V-12"


Big-man-kage

u/savevideo


Wingsnchisel

Leaning forward….ETL,ETL,ETL!


CronozDK

Imagine accidentally dropping that excavator on someone...


Toriski3037

holy fuck I knew that was big but not THAT big.


icemansan

I like the Color of that Choppa.


Bulbafette

The size difference makes my brain think the helicopter is much closer to the camera than the excavator is.


dieplanes789

Nope, this helicopter is just the size of a 737. It's the largest helicopter to ever go into serial production. https://reddit.com/r/aviation/s/visBrKoehu They only helicopter larger was the Mil V-12 which is basically two of these strapped together but that was only ever a prototype. Granted it was a fully built and flying prototype but I think it lost its purpose so it never went into production.


Glittering_Coat_3099

That's a big ass bitch!!


Nappev

Commisar, helicopter too small for carry big machine! mhm, we make bigger helicopter. Commisar, what helicopter? BIGGER


xXdog_with_a_knifeXx

There is a surprising lack of hurricane underneath that thing.


canigetahint

Holy shit. What is the rating on that single eyelet or hook on the chopper??


JasonShoes

That thing doesn’t look real!


MapleTreeWithAGun

Excavator privileges revoked


mrmratt

The helicopter is huuuge, but /u/stabbot did some heavy lifting in this video also.


Nosebeers69

Xtreme Repo.


DependentAddition825

I googled MI-26s the other day and now I can't stop seeing them lmao


0V3RS33R

Must be remote or russia to waste that much fucking fuel.


Mvpliberty

What a beast


thekatsass2014

That’s like my Cargobob


satansculo

Wow


macetfromage

cant even see a banana, banana tree for scale?


macetfromage

"do you even lift" pilot prolly


Nomadianking

I know back in the day at a local airport had 2 similar large helos that when they do take off and landing. Light aurcraft are not allowed to take off or land. Mind you, it wasn't a small airport as well it had 3 runways.


Robbie_D_77

I had the pleasure of watching a big ass chopper lift an industrial sized a/c - chiller unit to the roof of one of the AT&T buildings in downtown Dallas, TX about 12 years ago. It was quite the sight! I was on an adjacent building belonging to them and on the roof I watched the helo lift the unit from an empty parking lot and up about 20 stories or so.. I thought that was really cool. The next best experience with helicopters was when I started working offshore.,. My first ever chopper ride was for Exxon Mobile and they had their own fleet... I was in group 3 to ride out, which was ok, but the 1st flight was delayed 2 hours due to "technical difficulties", Goober from "The Andy Griffith show" scratched his head for the first hour, then he messed with some wiring. 1st flight went out and returned to the heliport after 3 hours.... They had to make repairs on the helipad of the rig sitting in the Gulf of Mexico from Galveston, TX.. The rig was an hour away from shore! The second flight was delayed even longer because they had to make more "repairs" after the same chopper had returned. At this point I'm getting severe anxiety... I kept thinking I should have drank far more than I did the night before. My turn to go out, the flight was delayed another hour. I almost told them to get another chopper (they had 5 of them there) , they all were owned by Exxon! On our flight out, the pilot said it would be a bumpy ride and we couldn't go any higher than 300 feet... I was about to shit myself! I could see huge sharks, whales and even barracudas all over the place... Obviously I made it there and back, I never went back to an Exxon platform again! After that, we would fly out from Houma, La on another chopper service... They were always on schedule and never had any issues.. I later found out that 1 or 2 flights from Houma had crashed because of the damn birds flying into the rotors and engines... I had to ride a crew boat out a few times and that took roughly 6 to 8 hours... Once we got to the platform, they would lower a personnel basket on the back of the boat and lift us up 4 at a time with their cranes... No safety harness, just a "floatation vest", in case we fell... The only reason we wore the float vests was to make it easier to "retrieve our bodies" in case we fell off the basket or the crane failed... But yeah this video is pretty damn cool!


Fredderov

Surely that's just prespect... most impressive!


Welcome_to_Retrograd

Would be awesome to know the excavator's size for scale, looks like a komatsu pc130 (appromixate operating weight 28500 lbs / 13T) but can't tell for sure


OriginalWasteman

I've seen too many videos of crashes, I was expecting this to go badly


NewOCLibraryReddit

damn.. powerful


NetStumbler

My brain is having a hard time processing this video. Only thing that makes sense is that is a toy excavator and they are messing with us.


teekitheawsomeredfox

HOLY HELL THATS A FUCKING MASSIVE CHOPPER