Description

On 25 of July 1977 this Antonov 26Sh “Navigator” took off for the first time. Delivered shortly after to the Soviet Air Force, it was not in any way an ordinary AN-26. This particular airframe (factory number: 5304) was a specially designed aircraft in order to provide training to the new navigators who had joined the Air Force. It was a rare spec modification, being only one out of the 36 ever produced at the Kyiv Aviation Plant “Aviant” (The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, part of the former USSR at a time).

This AN-26Sh was part of the fleet based at the Lugansk Higher Military Aviation School of Navigators. It was assigned to the 46th Training Regiment and had a military designator “28 Red”.

Shortly after, “28 Red” was awarded the title of the “Excellent Aircraft”, reflected in the red emblem markings either side of the cockpit. This title was only ever awarded to the best of the aircraft in the regiment, which had to meet strict criteria of serviceability and flight hours while on duty.

A reliable workhorse, this “Navigator” served well to the Soviet and later Ukrainian Air Forces, providing excellence of training to a great number of the Air Force graduates up until the late 1990’s, when it finally retired on the grounds of Zaporizhya International Airport.

In total, this Antonov had performed 4072 flight hours and 2758 cycles before being acquired by the Constanta airline based in Zaporizhya in 2019.

In March 2021 Fuselage Creations team was able to acquire some of the fuselage panels of this legendary aircraft aiming at preserving it for the aviation enthusiasts around the globe.