The Ilyushin IL-96 is a long-range aircraft produced by the Soviet Union and subsequently Russia. First flying on 28 September 1988, it entered service with Aeroflot on 29 December 1992.
Powered by four Aviadvigatel PS-90 turbofan engines, the aircraft is designed to fly lengthy missions of 11,300 to 13,500 kilometres distance. Its widebody interior allows 237, 263 or 300 passengers in a three, two or single class configuration.
Ilyushin IL-96 Video
Following on from the last video about the McDonnell Douglas MD-90, we head over to the Soviet Union for a look at the Ilyushin IL-96. This video runs for a little under 10 minutes and is produced by Skyships Eng, who do some great presentations.
It is explained in the video how the IL-96 is a significant upgrade of its predecessor, the Ilyushin IL-86. The new aircraft features a supercritical wing, a glass cockpit and fly-by-wire controls.
What I really enjoy is the footage showing the design of the plane and pieces filmed on the production line. Looking into the cabin of a Cubana aircraft shows how there are no overhead bins in the centre, something relatively rare.
Even though the IL-96 entered service in the 1990s, it was still operated by three crew. As the video says, it was upgraded enough to no longer require the navigator, however at this time, Western built aircraft were being operated by just two pilots. Interesting!
Overall Thoughts
Just thirty Ilyushin IL-96 aircraft have been produced to date and just two remain in service with Cuba’s Cubana de Aviación. There is a new version in production called the IL-96-400M and its first flight is expected in 2021.
Considering it will still have four engines, I can’t forsee it becoming a popular choice for many or any airlines. Still, you never know what may happen in the future and hopefully it is a success.
Have you flown on the Ilyushin IL-96 and what was it like? Did you enjoy the video? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Featured image by Alexander Mishin on Airliners.net via Wikimedia Commons.
I remember flying this plane between Seattle and Moscow/St. Petersburg, in the late nineties, up thru just before 9/11, when I was traveling between the pacific northwest and northwestern Russia for a few years! I was commuting back and forth often enough that I joined Aeroflot’s fledgling freq. flyer program. ( I still have the old membership card, which, at the time still incorporated the old hammer and sickle logo )! The planes they had on this routing were all one class of seating at that time, plus there was smoking allowed on board! ( I think Aeroflot was the very last major world wide airline to prohibit smoking, in flight )!?? One thing that to me at least, really set this plane apart from western manufacturers, was the very noticeable and somewhat disconcerting heavy vibration throughout the fuselage cabin on takeoff. It was bad enough to actually be somewhat scary, to the point that it almost seemed things were shaking badly enough that the luggage bins would certainly pop open!?! The vibration was SO pronounced, as to be near unforgettable. I’m not sure if this vibration was limited to this specie model series, as all the craft from the Yak and Tupolev bureaus that I also flew on over the years, nEVR vibrated to extent that THIS IL series did?
That would have been interesting, flying Aeroflot to and from Russia during the 1990s. Excellent that you still have the frequent flyer card, they may be rare enough now, I’d say. Interesting you mention the vibration on take-off. I’ve not heard of that before, however considering you flew on it many times and that’s what you remember, it must be correct. I think the only way to find out for myself is to fly to Cuba on Cubana and see if it does the same thing. Great information to know! Thanks so much for sharing all of that, I enjoyed reading it.