Development milestones
Designer: Antonov
First flight: 21 December 1988
Developed from: Antonov An-124 Ruslan
Aircraft libraryAntonov An-225
Myroslav Kaplun · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Antonov An-225 Mriya picturedAntonov An-225
A six-engine heavy transport created for exceptionally large external and internal loads.
Military transport1 profile choices
Know the plane
The An-225 was developed from Antonov's heavy-airlift work to support the Soviet space programme, including transport of the Buran orbiter. Six engines, a vast wing and a twin-fin tail distinguish it from the related An-124. Its name, Mriya, means dream in Ukrainian.
The only completed aircraft later became associated with outsized commercial cargo. The simulation includes a specialised flight deck and loading interface, with electronic flight bag and ground-service features described in the developer manual.
Antonov An-225 Mriya · Specifications (An-225-100) · real aircraft; source units retained
- Length
- 84 m (275 ft 7 in)↗
- Wingspan
- 88.4 m (290 ft 0 in)↗
- Height
- 18.1 m (59 ft 5 in)↗
- Wing area
- 905 m² (9,740 sq ft)↗
- Empty weight
- 285,000 kg (628,317 lb)↗
- Max takeoff weight
- 640,000 kg (1,410,958 lb)↗
- Powerplant
- 6 × Progress D-18T turbofans , 229.5 kN (51,600 lbf) thrust each↗
- Maximum speed
- 850 km/h (530 mph, 460 kn)↗
- Cruise speed
- 800 km/h (500 mph, 430 kn)↗
- Range
- 15,400 km (9,600 mi, 8,300 nmi) with maximum fuel; range with 200 tonnes payload: 4,000 km (2,500 mi)↗
More about this aircraft on AirframeDB
Working cargo flights bring an extraordinary welcome
Antonov remembered a series of flights carrying power-station equipment from Chile into Bolivia. The individual sectors were short, but the cargo and the difficulty of transporting it overland made the work distinctive. Recording those journeys also helped start his habit of sharing the aircraft’s working life on YouTube.
The 2016 journey to Australia left a different impression. Crowds greeted the aircraft at stops along the way, and the welcome at Perth was unlike anything he had seen before. Yet he resisted making every memory dramatic: asked about his first An-225 flight, he could recall the year but no remarkable moment. For him, learning the aircraft had happened gradually through the ordinary work of preparation and training.
Showing the aircraft also becomes a lesson in geography
Halunenko recalled the An-225’s first flight as an aircraft behaving much as its designers had expected. The memories he particularly enjoyed telling came from showing it to the public. Arriving in Paris with Buran on its back, the crew was invited to circle so people below could see the unusual combination.
At an Oklahoma airshow, long queues formed to enter the cargo hold. Visitors repeatedly asked whether the aircraft was a Boeing and where it had been built. Explaining that Kyiv was in Ukraine did not always settle the questions, so Halunenko put a map on the wall and marked the country. He later joked that displaying the aircraft had also given the visitors a geography lesson.
Public sources 8
- Antonov An-225 MriyaResearch background · Wikipedia revision 1372714731 · retrieved 2026-09-12
- AN225_MSFS_Manual_V2
- Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manuals
- MSFS 2024 FAQ and edition aircraft inventory
- Famous Flyer IV: Antonov AN-225 Mriya2023-02-27 · release and package scope
- Mriya pilot Dmytro Antonov on flying An-225Valius Venckunas interviews Dmytro Antonov · 10 June 2022
- An-225 Mriya’s First Pilot on the Life and Death of the World’s Biggest PlaneHoward Altman interviews Oleksandr Halunenko · 2022
- FAA JO 7360.1K — aircraft type designatorsActive FAA order; checked 2026-09-14
How the profile models it
Antonov An-225
Free + ProMSFS 2024MSFS 2020
The An-225 was developed from Antonov's heavy-airlift work to support the Soviet space programme, including transport of the Buran orbiter. Six engines, a vast wing and a twin-fin tail distinguish it from the related An-124. Its name, Mriya, means dream in Ukrainian.
This starting point selects Antonov An-225. Its aircraft-level settings do not select a particular developer’s custom systems.
Spring resistance builds with the selected airspeed response. A separate aerodynamic term adds speed-dependent control load.
Valid trim provides the configured pressure relief. Autopilot following is enabled for supported control references.
Controls and trim
The An-225 cockpit guide shows pitch, aileron and rudder trim indications together with its autopilot panel. Microsoft's announcement describes six turbofans and the 32-wheel undercarriage. The aircraft's scale and equipment explain its transport role, but neither wheel count nor the presence of an autopilot panel supplies a physical control-force or servo-following calibration.
About the values
The gains are normalized profile settings. They describe the chosen effect balance; hand force depends on the device and its output limits. IAS references are tuning values rather than operating limits. Physical acceptance of this revision remains pending.
Master gain & control system
Master gain85%
The final overall output scale applied to everything the model produces, before the device cap.
More: everything (spring, loads, effects) gets stronger together.
Less: everything softens together.
Why here: Scales overall profile strength while preserving effect balance, subject to device and output limits.
Forces
Spring strength80%
The base centring force that pulls the stick back to centre. Every other force stacks on it. Too low and the stick feels limp in normal flight; too high and it fights your hand and masks the smaller cues layered above it.
More: firmer centring that resists your hand at all times.
Less: a limper stick that leans on aerodynamic load alone.
Why here: The configured powered-control response is a starting approximation for the An-225; the documented cockpit equipment does not specify a hand-force schedule. The baseline spring is 0.8. Its low-speed blend reaches baseline strength at 90 KIAS.
AN225_MSFS_Manual_V2Famous Flyer IV: Antonov AN-225 MriyaSpring deadband4%
A small neutral zone around centre where the spring stays quiet, so tiny movements at rest don't chatter. Wider is calmer but looser; narrower is more precise but can twitch around centre.
More: a calmer but looser centre with more free play.
Less: a tighter centre that may chatter at rest.
Why here: Sets travel around the centre before the baseline spring resists. Smaller values engage it sooner.
Overall aerodynamic load25%
A master scale over both sustained axis loads, applied before their independent balance. Profiles normally leave this alone and tune the two axis loads instead.
More: both axes load up harder.
Less: both axes lighten together.
Why here: The aerodynamic-load gain is 0.25 with an indicated-speed reference of 260 KIAS. The hydraulic-load factor of 0.35 scales that modeled term; it is a selected artificial-feel approximation.
Airspeed blendingTrue
Enables the low-speed spring engagement window (start/full knots above). Off, the spring is constant at all speeds.
Why here: Allows baseline spring strength to rise with indicated airspeed where the control law permits it.
Low-speed spring floor55%
How much of the spring survives at a standstill, before airspeed can build any aerodynamic force. A high floor keeps the parked stick firm; a low floor gives the loose, cable-slack feel of a parked light aircraft.
More: a firmer stick while parked and taxiing.
Less: a floppier parked stick that only wakes up with airspeed.
Why here: Sets low-speed spring strength as a fraction of baseline when blending is enabled. One keeps full strength.
Spring engagement start20 kt
The airspeed where the spring begins climbing from its low-speed floor toward full strength: the controls "coming alive" on the takeoff roll.
Why here: Sets the IAS where the low-speed spring blend starts rising. This is a feel threshold, not a flight limit.
Spring engagement full90 kt
The airspeed where the spring reaches full strength. Between the start and this point, centring firms up progressively as airflow builds over the controls.
Why here: Sets the IAS where the low-speed blend reaches baseline strength; high-speed stiffening also uses it.
Force tuning speed260
The indicated airspeed where aerodynamic load reaches its designed full level. It anchors the whole load curve to the aircraft's real speed range: a 172 loads up by 110 knots, a jet much later.
More: loads arrive later; the stick stays light up to a higher speed.
Less: loads arrive earlier and cruise feels heavier.
Why here: Sets the IAS reference for aerodynamic loading. It is an estimate, not published cruise TAS or a flight limit.
Centre firmness vs speed0%
How much the centring itself stiffens with speed, on top of the deflection loads. Zero keeps centre feel constant; more makes the stick centre harder at cruise and looser in the pattern.
More: a centre that hardens noticeably as you go faster.
Less: constant centre feel at every speed.
Why here: The high-speed spring-stiffening gain is 0. No additional speed-driven stiffening is added; this does not disable independent aerodynamic loading.
Centre stiffening cap5
The upper limit on speed-driven centre stiffening, so very fast flight can't wind the spring up without bound.
More: more total stiffening allowed at high speed.
Less: stiffening clamps off sooner.
Why here: Limits the squared airspeed ratio used for high-speed spring stiffening; it is not a device-force cap.
Aileron load65%
The sustained roll load from aileron deflection and airspeed, balanced independently of pitch. Together with the elevator load it sets the control-harmony ratio reviewers talk about.
More: heavier roll forces.
Less: lighter, quicker-feeling ailerons.
Why here: Roll and pitch aerodynamic scales are 0.65 and 0.65, respectively. They set the aerodynamic axis balance. No custom spring-travel curve is enabled.
Elevator load65%
The sustained pitch load from elevator deflection and airspeed, balanced independently of roll. This is the main lever behind a type's pitch weight. It does not touch aileron, spring, trim, or buffet forces.
More: heavier sustained pitch forces at speed.
Less: a lighter elevator that takes less muscle to hold.
Why here: Scales pitch aerodynamic loading; pitch spring travel and trim responses are separate settings.
Max output force55%
A cap on each steady pitch or roll force before it reaches the device, guarding against slamming or saturating the hardware in strong maneuvers.
More: stronger peak steady forces before clipping.
Less: a gentler ceiling; hard maneuvers flatten out sooner.
Why here: Caps directed-force output. Native spring effects and device limits remain separate.
Trim
Trim relief (elevator)30%
How strongly elevator trim relieves held pitch force and shifts where the stick settles. At 100%, a properly trimmed aircraft needs no held pressure, the trim-away-the-load workflow of real flying.
More: trim removes more of the held pitch force; at 100% full trim zeroes it.
Less: you keep holding force even when trimmed.
Why here: Three-axis trim indications provide equipment context; the selected pitch authority remains an estimate and does not imply measured stabilizer-to-yoke gearing. Pitch authority 0.3 relieves permitted loading; hydraulic centre movement is off. Roll authority is 0.09.
AN225_MSFS_Manual_V2Famous Flyer IV: Antonov AN-225 MriyaTrim relief (aileron)9%
The same relief for roll trim. Most GA types have no real aileron trim, so this stays at zero; types with roll trim get a matching value.
More: roll trim removes more held roll force.
Less: roll trim does less.
Why here: Scales supported roll-trim relief and permitted centre movement. Zero removes roll response.
Effect gains · ground
Runway rumble40%
Rolling surface vibration from wheel speed and surface type: pavement, grass, or gravel under the gear.
More: louder surface texture through the stick.
Less: a smoother taxi.
Why here: Sets rolling texture strength, modified by speed, surface and undercarriage configuration.
Gear bumps32%
Short discrete bumps from expansion joints, ruts, and rough surface, punctuating the continuous rumble.
More: sharper hits from joints and ruts.
Less: softer ground detail.
Why here: Sets gear-bump texture during ground motion, separate from touchdown impact.
Effect gains · airframe
Stall buffet30%
Airframe shake approaching the stall and while the stall warning is active: how loudly this wing announces it is unhappy. Types with a crisp break get modest buffet and let the horn carry the warning.
More: a louder pre-stall shake.
Less: a quieter wing; the horn carries the warning.
Why here: Sets stall-buffet strength. Zero removes the cue without changing simulator stalls or warnings.
Mach buffet22%
Transonic buffet approaching the Mach limit. Meaningful for jets near MMO, zero for pistons and turboprops that never get there.
More: stronger transonic buffet near the Mach limit.
Less: a smoother high-Mach ride.
Why here: Sets high-Mach buffet strength; onset and full-strength thresholds are separate.
Flap buffet14%
Low-frequency airframe vibration with flaps extended into the airflow, in the speed window where they actually work the air.
More: a rougher ride with flaps working the air.
Less: smoother approach flap.
Why here: Sets flap buffet at the configured position and speed gates. Flap movement texture is separate.
Gear buffet10%
Airframe drumming from retractable gear hanging in the airstream. Zero for fixed-gear types, where the airframe never changes shape.
More: more drumming with the wheels hanging out.
Less: cleaner gear-down flight.
Why here: Sets gear aerodynamic buffet; movement and ground-contact cues are separate.
Stick shaker90%
The dedicated stall stick-shaker buzz, fired by the aircraft's own stall-warning system. Only types with a real shaker get a value; everything else relies on aerodynamic buffet and the horn.
More: a harder stick-shaker buzz.
Less: a subtler shaker.
Why here: Sets triggered shaker strength; inactive while the shaker feature is disabled.
Effect gains · engine, mechanical & drag
Touchdown thump90%
The one-shot kick when the wheels meet the runway, scaled by sink rate: a greaser whispers, a firm arrival thumps.
More: a harder kick at touchdown.
Less: softer arrivals.
Why here: Sets landing-impact strength; landing telemetry and response shape determine the pulse.
Reverse rumble50%
Rollout vibration while reverse thrust or beta-range props are working. Zero for types without reverse.
More: a rougher rollout under reverse.
Less: quieter reverse.
Why here: Sets reverse-thrust vibration with valid reverser and engine conditions. Zero removes the cue.
Engine rumble6%
Continuous powerplant vibration following RPM between idle and full power, the ever-present reminder that something is burning fuel up front.
More: more engine through the stick.
Less: a quieter powerplant.
Why here: Sets estimated engine vibration using configured telemetry and response, not measured cockpit vibration.
Flap motion12%
Continuous vibration only while the sim reports the flap surfaces actually travelling. It follows real actuator motion and failures, not an estimated timer.
More: more vibration while the flap surfaces travel.
Less: quieter flap runs.
Why here: Sets texture from observed flap movement; a command without movement does not establish the cue.
Autopilot follow
AP follow authority10%
How far autopilot commands may physically move the stick. Kept tiny in MSFS, where a moved axis can read back as pilot input; zero disables following entirely.
More: the autopilot visibly moves your stick further.
Less: a barely perceptible follow.
Why here: Sets admitted AP-follow gain, not a percentage of travel. Runtime ownership and input limits still apply.
Stick feel
StickFeel · Trim feel enabledTrue
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Retained for compatibility and group membership. Trim relief, rather than this flag, controls centre movement.
StickFeel · Trim relief enabledTrue
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Allows trim relief with supported control law and valid telemetry. Axis authorities set its amount.
StickFeel · Force trim enabledFalse
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Enables local force trim, separate from aircraft-owned trim and add-on integration qualification.
StickFeel · G load enabledTrue
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Allows load-factor changes to modify permitted spring laws. Passive fly-by-wire feel can suppress it.
StickFeel · Rate damping enabledTrue
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Enables rate damping with the configured coefficients and control law.
Autopilot
Autopilot · Follow enabledTrue
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Following is on at 0.1 authority when a supported, valid autopilot control reference is available.
Autopilot · Neutral hold enabledFalse
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Permits centering hold during a supported AP state, separate from following a moving target.
Autopilot · Neutral hold strength0.6
Why here: Sets admitted AP neutral-hold strength; inactive while neutral hold is disabled.
Aero
Aero · EnabledTrue
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Enables aerodynamic cues; each still needs nonzero strength and its simulator conditions.
Aero · Max flap index4
Where this effect reaches full strength (or has fully faded, for washouts).
More: a more gradual build to a later peak.
Less: a quicker build.
Why here: Sets the final flap index for detent normalization. UP plus three detents uses maximum index3.
Aero · Min flap index2
Where this effect begins fading in.
More: the effect begins later.
Less: it begins earlier.
Why here: Sets the first flap detent that admits buffet; this is a handle index, not degrees.
Aero · Shaker enabledTrue
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Permits shaker at supported warning conditions; the switch does not establish aircraft equipment.
Ground
Ground · EnabledTrue
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Enables ground effects; each still needs its own strength and contact or motion telemetry.
Engine
Engine · EnabledTrue
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Enables engine cues with nonzero settings and valid running-engine telemetry.
Mechanical
Mechanical · EnabledTrue
Whether this feature is active in this profile.
Why here: Enables accessory cues with configured strengths and observed accessory movement.
Mechanical · Gain0.12
The strength of this effect.
More: a stronger effect.
Less: a weaker one.
Why here: Sets texture from observed gear movement, separate from aerodynamic and touchdown effects.
All profile settings
| Parameter | Value | What it controls and why |
|---|---|---|
| Spring strength | 0.8 | The configured powered-control response is a starting approximation for the An-225; the documented cockpit equipment does not specify a hand-force schedule. The baseline spring is 0.8. Its low-speed blend reaches baseline strength at 90 KIAS. |
| Spring deadband | 0.035 | Sets travel around the centre before the baseline spring resists. Smaller values engage it sooner. |
| Force gain | 0.25 | The aerodynamic-load gain is 0.25 with an indicated-speed reference of 260 KIAS. The hydraulic-load factor of 0.35 scales that modeled term; it is a selected artificial-feel approximation. |
| Master gain | 0.85 | Scales overall profile strength while preserving effect balance, subject to device and output limits. |
| Dynamic-pressure blend | True | Allows baseline spring strength to rise with indicated airspeed where the control law permits it. |
| Minimum spring factor | 0.55 | Sets low-speed spring strength as a fraction of baseline when blending is enabled. One keeps full strength. |
| Spring wake-up speed | 20 kt | Sets the IAS where the low-speed spring blend starts rising. This is a feel threshold, not a flight limit. |
| Spring full-strength speed | 90 kt | Sets the IAS where the low-speed blend reaches baseline strength; high-speed stiffening also uses it. |
| Force tuning speed | 260.0 kt | Sets the IAS reference for aerodynamic loading. It is an estimate, not published cruise TAS or a flight limit. |
| Airspeed spring stiffening | 0 | The high-speed spring-stiffening gain is 0. No additional speed-driven stiffening is added; this does not disable independent aerodynamic loading. |
| Airspeed stiffening cap | 5 | Limits the squared airspeed ratio used for high-speed spring stiffening; it is not a device-force cap. |
| Aileron force scale | 0.65 | Roll and pitch aerodynamic scales are 0.65 and 0.65, respectively. They set the aerodynamic axis balance. No custom spring-travel curve is enabled. |
| Elevator force scale | 0.65 | Scales pitch aerodynamic loading; pitch spring travel and trim responses are separate settings. |
| Maximum output force | 0.55 | Caps directed-force output. Native spring effects and device limits remain separate. |
| StickFeel · Trim feel enabled | True | Retained for compatibility and group membership. Trim relief, rather than this flag, controls centre movement. |
| StickFeel · Trim relief enabled | True | Allows trim relief with supported control law and valid telemetry. Axis authorities set its amount. |
| StickFeel · Elevator authority | 0.3 | Three-axis trim indications provide equipment context; the selected pitch authority remains an estimate and does not imply measured stabilizer-to-yoke gearing. Pitch authority 0.3 relieves permitted loading; hydraulic centre movement is off. Roll authority is 0.09. |
| StickFeel · Aileron authority | 0.09 | Scales supported roll-trim relief and permitted centre movement. Zero removes roll response. |
| StickFeel · Force trim enabled | False | Enables local force trim, separate from aircraft-owned trim and add-on integration qualification. |
| StickFeel · G load enabled | True | Allows load-factor changes to modify permitted spring laws. Passive fly-by-wire feel can suppress it. |
| StickFeel · Rate damping enabled | True | Enables rate damping with the configured coefficients and control law. |
| Autopilot · Follow enabled | True | Following is on at 0.1 authority when a supported, valid autopilot control reference is available. |
| Autopilot · Follow authority | 0.1 | Sets admitted AP-follow gain, not a percentage of travel. Runtime ownership and input limits still apply. |
| Autopilot · Neutral hold enabled | False | Permits centering hold during a supported AP state, separate from following a moving target. |
| Autopilot · Neutral hold strength | 0.6 | Sets admitted AP neutral-hold strength; inactive while neutral hold is disabled. |
| Aero · Enabled | True | Enables aerodynamic cues; each still needs nonzero strength and its simulator conditions. |
| Aero · Gain | 0.3 | Sets stall-buffet strength. Zero removes the cue without changing simulator stalls or warnings. |
| Aero · Gain | 0.22 | Sets high-Mach buffet strength; onset and full-strength thresholds are separate. |
| Aero · Gain | 0.14 | Sets flap buffet at the configured position and speed gates. Flap movement texture is separate. |
| Aero · Max flap index | 4 | Sets the final flap index for detent normalization. UP plus three detents uses maximum index3. |
| Aero · Min flap index | 2 | Sets the first flap detent that admits buffet; this is a handle index, not degrees. |
| Aero · Gain | 0.1 | Sets gear aerodynamic buffet; movement and ground-contact cues are separate. |
| Aero · Shaker enabled | True | Permits shaker at supported warning conditions; the switch does not establish aircraft equipment. |
| Aero · Amplitude | 0.9 | Sets triggered shaker strength; inactive while the shaker feature is disabled. |
| Ground · Enabled | True | Enables ground effects; each still needs its own strength and contact or motion telemetry. |
| Ground · Gain | 0.4 | Sets rolling texture strength, modified by speed, surface and undercarriage configuration. |
| Ground · Gain | 0.32 | Sets gear-bump texture during ground motion, separate from touchdown impact. |
| Ground · Gain | 0.9 | Sets landing-impact strength; landing telemetry and response shape determine the pulse. |
| Ground · Gain | 0.5 | Sets reverse-thrust vibration with valid reverser and engine conditions. Zero removes the cue. |
| Engine · Enabled | True | Enables engine cues with nonzero settings and valid running-engine telemetry. |
| Engine · Gain | 0.06 | Sets estimated engine vibration using configured telemetry and response, not measured cockpit vibration. |
| Mechanical · Enabled | True | Enables accessory cues with configured strengths and observed accessory movement. |
| Mechanical · Gain | 0.12 | Sets texture from observed flap movement; a command without movement does not establish the cue. |
| Mechanical · Gain | 0.12 | Sets texture from observed gear movement, separate from aerodynamic and touchdown effects. |
Public sources 8
- Antonov An-225 MriyaResearch background · Wikipedia revision 1372714731 · retrieved 2026-09-12
- AN225_MSFS_Manual_V2Antonov An-225
- Famous Flyer IV: Antonov AN-225 Mriya2023-02-27 · release and package scope
- Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manuals
- MSFS 2024 FAQ and edition aircraft inventory
- Mriya pilot Dmytro Antonov on flying An-225Valius Venckunas interviews Dmytro Antonov · 10 June 2022
- An-225 Mriya’s First Pilot on the Life and Death of the World’s Biggest PlaneHoward Altman interviews Oleksandr Halunenko · 2022
- FAA JO 7360.1K — aircraft type designatorsActive FAA order; checked 2026-09-14
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