Russian An 124 circles prior to landing at Kinston NC. The An arrived at Kinson at the same time as a major line of thunderstorms.
The An 124 lands at the 11,500 foot runway at the ill fated NC Global Transport Park. One of the few industries at the park is Spirit Aero Systems. Spirit manufactures the composite center fuselage upper and lower shells (section 15) and front wing spar for the Airbus A350 XWB aircraft using state-of-the-art technology and processes.
The A350 XWB’s composite fuselage structure, known as Section 15, is approximately 65 feet long, 20 feet wide and weigh nearly 9,000 pounds. The spar is a wing structure made of nearly 100 percent composite material, weighs more than 2,000 pounds, and measures approximately 105 feet long.
The AN 124s fly in and out periodically, transporting components for further assembly in Europe!