To Kras Air Jun 2001.

Preserved now in Monino museum. Russia. From friend's family archive.

This V-8AP, an early Mi-8 prototype, was presumably taken in June 1965 when it was on its way to the air show at Le Bourget, just like many other aircraft did back in the day. Its c/n is thought to be 0203. The registration CCCP-06181 was later falsely painted on c/n 3135 (preserved at the Technik Museum Speyer) and on c/n 0604 (preserved at Monino). It was also re-used by a Mi-26.

This very rare and unusual bird was nicknamed "Homer" by the NATO and is by far one of the most exotic aircraft ever to have passed through the airport. It was accompanied by Mil Mi-8 CCCP-11097, both aircraft on their way to the Le Bourget airshow. Because they were not allowed to fly over West Germany (Cold War issues), they had to re-route via Denmark and also The Netherlands to take on fuel. This is the first prototype, which ended up stored / preserved at the MVZ im. Milya factory at Tomilino, and was still there by late 2018. The one on display at Monino since 1975 is the second prototype. Initially it carried no registration there, but in 2012 they falsely painted it with the registration of this first prototype.

Those days, it was not always so sure that plane with Aeroflot titles and c/s was really used by airliner. With this one, stinger tail gives some hints that it hardly flew according Aeroflot timetable.

Operated by Soviet Air Force, part of Soviet logistics for the Helsinki Summit, meeting between US President George H. W. Bush and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev.

Taken some time in 1975 before I spotted properly so exact date unknown. My photographic skills weren't that brilliant either, neither was the weather.

Scanned from negative.

Third AN 74 Prototype.

"Official Olympic Carrier" titles. Later 65044, EK-65044 and scrapped

Later RA-65028

The reg should read SSSR-74010 (CCCP is the cyrillic for SSSR)

It may have Aeroflot titles, but supported a pair of Su-27s and was also reported at Legnica, the Soviet transport base in Poland.