The Aviation Historian — Issue 21 (October 2017)

130 THE AVIATION HISTORIAN Issue No 21

D

esigned and built to a 1957 Soviet specification
for a rugged 32-seat twin-engined transport
capable of operating in the harshest of con-
ditions from the most primitive of airstrips, the
Antonov An-24 (Nato reporting name Coke)
made its maiden flight in October 1959.
Production was undertaken at three sites: Kiev (985
examples) during 1959–79; Ulan-Ude (180) during
1965–70 and Irkutsk (197) during 1967–71. One
novelty was the use of glue-welded joints rather than
riveting in some critical areas. Bill Gunston said that
the type “exemplifies Russian disregard for operating
economy, and concentration on a tough vehicle for a
tough environment... its Western counterparts can
carry greater payloads further with about 10 per cent
less power... but the An-24 met the need and has
been the Soviet Union’s most successful export”.
Indeed, it went on to see service in 38 countries around
the world, and at one point was responsible for
carrying a third of all Aeroflot passengers.
This Kiev-built 50-seat An-24B, c/n 9 73 056 01, has
spent its entire career in Kazakhstan and, since 2002,
has provided a talking point at a lakeside cafeteria in
the new capital, Astana, which is rapidly becoming a
modern central Asian crossroads of architectural
wonders — and retired transport aircraft exhibits.

Ever turned a corner to find something unexpected? The Aviation Historian’s intrepid aeronautical explorer

PETER DAVISON investigates the stories behind the oddities that turn up in the most unusual places...

PHOTOGRAPHS BY THE AUTHOR

TOP, ABOVE & BELOW Antonov An-24B serial

CCCP-46334 on display in Astana, Kazakhstan,

in May 2017. To get a bird’s-eye view of the

much-travelled transport on Google Earth, enter

51.176617, 71.453199 into the Search box.

TAH

Off the beaten track