On 17Jan2021 0611, Timothy Collinson - timothy.collinson at port.ac.uk
(via tml list) wrote:

>> And showing that good design against required specification really  >> is the thing with the 2^nd longest production run of >>any military
 >> aircraft (the C130 above being the longest) I give you the: >> *
Antonov AN-2 >> Entering service in ’40s and still in active military
service >> today > Wow!
The old An-2 is an amazing design. A biplane, well after eveyone else
had decided that biplanes were a thing of the past, it's simple, robust,
easy to fly, carries a decent payload a reasonable range, and has an
exceptionally low stall speed (so low that in strong headwinds landing
it can be tricky, in fact). Some things they are not: comfortable,
quiet, economical.

They're a really good example of the practical sort of designs the
Soviets came up with in the 40s-60s, before the stagnation set in.

--
Rupert Boleyn <xxxxxx@gmail.com>