Hair-Raising Footage Shows Heavy Aircraft Make Flight In Stormy Conditions

This footage, not for the faint-hearted, shows pilots taking off and landing a hefty transport aircraft in lashing rain and strong wind.

The airmen seen in the minute-long clip belong to the Military Transport Air Squadron of the Russian oblast (federal subject) of Tver, located to the northwest of the capital, Moscow.

The heavy aircraft seen in the footage is an Antonov An-22 'Antei' propellor plane. Designed in what was then the Soviet Union, it made its first flight in February 1965.

The aircraft's most recent outing took place amid strong crosswinds, low clouds and limited visibility.

Footage taken from a window shows how only the plane's wing is visible and nothing else, due to heavy cloud cover.

Footage taken in the cockpit shows how the airmen manage to keep the aircraft under control despite heavy turbulence.

The footage was posted to the Russian Ministry of Defence's YouTube channel on Wednesday, 20th October, and it has since been viewed over 2,100 times.

Ministry of Defense of Russia/CZ/William McGee