Useful load: 44,000 - 55,000 lbs



More: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mil_Mi- ... elicopters.

I was hoping for more actuality of the “crazy starting process” but it goes from preflight to engines just running.

Still amazing though.

I think the “crazy” part is how much manual labor goes into getting it ready. It highlights the russian concept that labor is cheap and abundant. Much like having a flight engineer and navigator on a modern helicopter.

I was at KOLM several years ago and watched a crew of 3 preflight and takeoff in a Skycrane (I think operating in a logging operation). I distinctly remember the ladder rungs up the side of the big gear leg. The last step before takeoff was one crew member climbed up the ladder rungs with a flashlight and peered at something on or around the main rotor shaft. With the engine and rotor running, and he appeared to have about a foot of clearance between the platform and the main rotor. Which made me wonder who could be paid enough to do that job, as well as what level of risk was being mitigated in order to require that level of risk to inspect. Yikes.

Looks like I posted about it before:
viewtopic.php?f=41&t=191247&p=2808844&hilit=Skycrane#p2808844