Mil Mi-12 “Homer” Is World’s Biggest Helicopter, Looks as Dumb as Simpson

We missed the Mil Mi-12 in our roundup of crazy Soviet aircraft. The “Homer,” as NATO calls it, is the biggest helicopter in the world at 220ft from blade to blade, as wide as a Boeing 747’s.This beast was able to lift 88,636 pounds to 7,398 feet, which was another world record. Sadly, it was never mass produced because it was extremely difficult to fly.

General characteristics
Crew: Six
Capacity: Up to 40,000 kg of cargo
Length: 37.00 m (121 ft 4 in)
Rotor diameter: 2x 35.00 m (114 ft 10 in)
Height: 12.50 m (41 ft 0 in)
Disc area: 1,924 m² (20,700 ft²)
Empty weight: 69,100 kg (152,020 lb)
Loaded weight: 97,000 kg (213,400 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 105,000 kg (231,000 lb)
Powerplant: 4× Soloviev D-25VF turboshafts, 4,048 kW (6,497 shp) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 260 km/h (163 mph)
Range: 1,000 km (625 miles)
Service ceiling: 3,500 m (11,480 ft)
Disc loading: 50 kg/m² (10 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.20 kW/kg (0.12 hp/lb)

[Wikipedia via Spluch]