Steve Ferguson (American, B. 1946) "Antonov 124 On Approach to Landing" Signed lower left. Original Acrylic painting on Cold Press Illustration Board. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. Born near Moscow, Russia, on February 7, 1906, Oleg Antonov designed his first full-size aircraft while attending the National University at Saratov. After graduating from the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute in 1930, Antonov went to Moscow where he helped establish the Central Design Bureau for Gliders. With the outbreak of World War II, he joined the Yakovlev Design Bureau and worked on military aircraft. At war's end, Antonov established his own design bureau at Novosibirsk where he produced the single-engine An-2 biplane, one of the world's most versatile and enduring general purpose aircraft. In 1952, he relocated his organization to Kiev in the Ukraine and began work on the larger An-10 and An-12 multi-engine turboprop aircraft. Both served Aeroflot and the Soviet Air Force for many years in the harsh meteorological extremes of the far-flung Soviet Union. Over the next several years, Antonov produced a number of successful turboprop transport aircraft ranging in size from the eight-passenger An-14 to the huge four-engine An-22 that set several payload-to-height records in 1966. His An-124, the world's largest production aircraft, was a crowning achievement of a long and distinguished career. Image Size: 16.25 x 20 in. Overall Size: 16.25 x 20 in. Unframed. (B16209)