Russian-Built Airliner Experiences

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Comet
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Post by Comet »

Following on from my earlier post, the Yak 40 had been operated by airlines in Germany and Italy. But it is still a pity it wasn't more widely used in western countries. It is probably one of the best airliners the Russians developed. Their cargo carrying types are second to none though!
Sabena and Sobelair - gone but never forgotten.
Louise

Aerocroatia
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Post by Aerocroatia »

I have flown in:
TU-134 & TU-154 both CSA
L-410 local czech aeroklub

All flight were very good and I like them very much.

ILS25L
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Location: LEUVEN

Post by ILS25L »

Goodevening,
Flew 2 different aircraft of Russian design :
Islena Airways from San Pedro Sula to Roatan with Let410
Air Via from Brussels to Bourgas with TU154M
Greetz, Karl

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Comet
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Post by Comet »

Air Via - are they Bulgarian? The flights to Bourgas from the UK have been operated by Tu154 of Balkan Holidays, but sadly not for very much longer, if at all.

Not heard much about the Lets at all, and certainly I've never seen one.
Sabena and Sobelair - gone but never forgotten.
Louise

YV911C
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Post by YV911C »

in 1998 we participate at a sighseeing flight fro mxp to white mountain (monte bianco) and return to mxp on a Jak 40 EL CAR.
After the flight (amazing) and a very very low pass over 35L at mxp we discovered that the reg was FAKE. EL CAR never existed on liberian register; over and under the wings it was sporting RA registration too.
The aircraft is actually impounded by guardia di finanza at LIN and rotting away. The skipper is actually well outside Italy and EU.

P.S. I have lot of images of this flight but I don't know how upload them[/img]

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sn26567
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Post by sn26567 »

YV911C wrote:P.S. I have lot of images of this flight but I don't know how upload them
See here: https://www.aviation24.be/postt4516.html

If your images are already elsewhere on the Internet, just put the URL between [img]...[/img] in your message.
André
ex Sabena #26567

concordino
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Post by concordino »

Comet wrote
Their cargo carrying types are second to none though!
I'd bet Lockheed might have something to say about that!

ILS25L
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Post by ILS25L »

Comet wrote:Air Via - are they Bulgarian? The flights to Bourgas from the UK have been operated by Tu154 of Balkan Holidays, but sadly not for very much longer, if at all.

Not heard much about the Lets at all, and certainly I've never seen one.
Comet,
Within Europe (Brussels, Dusseldorf, Hannover) these TU154M from Air Via will stay a common sight. We don't see that often a colourful TU154 from Balkan Holidays in Brussels.
Greetz, Karl

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sn26567
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Post by sn26567 »

ILS25L wrote:Within Europe (Brussels, Dusseldorf, Hannover) these TU154M from Air Via will stay a common sight.
According to CH-Aviation, Air VIA is considering replacing its Tu-154Ms by either B737-400s or MD-80s.
André
ex Sabena #26567

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Comet
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Post by Comet »

ILS25L wrote: Comet,
Within Europe (Brussels, Dusseldorf, Hannover) these TU154M from Air Via will stay a common sight. We don't see that often a colourful TU154 from Balkan Holidays in Brussels.
Greetz, Karl
Thanks for clarifying that. I had read that the Tu154 would no longer be permitted owing to new regulations, and that Balkan Holidays would no longer be operating their 154 on the charter flights. The best places to see the Balkan Holidays 154 were UK airports, especially Manchester (almost guaranteed sighting on a summer Sunday) and Newcastle and Birmingham. It was certainly a very striking aircraft to see amongst the Western 737s and Airbuses.
Sabena and Sobelair - gone but never forgotten.
Louise

ILS25L
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Post by ILS25L »

Goodevening,
Well, dear Comet,
On a certain point you are right. The TU154 is excluded to fly in certain countries due to noise limitations. However the TU154M is still allowed because it has different and quiter engines than the older version and is still allowed.

To sn26567,
I would find it very sad to see those magnificient planes never again at Dusseldorf or Brussels.

Greetz, Karl

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Comet
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Post by Comet »

Do Balkan Holidays operate the 154M? I am hoping to better my photos of last year, when the aircraft was rather distant.
Sabena and Sobelair - gone but never forgotten.
Louise

FlyHigh
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Joined: 15 Apr 2005, 00:00

Post by FlyHigh »

Going to fly 4 times with the Tupolev TU-154M, Pulkovo Airlines, coming 2 weeks. I leave Sunday.
Hmm i used to love to fly. But now im a little bit scared. :oops: Haven't flyed for 5 years now. Before that 5 years i flyed in the 737, 747 end that stuff alot of times, and enjoyed it. ** Now little afraid :? **

These is the plane im flying coming Sunday:

Image

Googler
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Post by Googler »

Comet wrote:I am surprised that more Western countries did not operate the YAK, or at least an equivalent. I suppose in their way they must be more environment-friendly with their ability to operate from places which do not even have a runway (no need to surface everything with tarmac). I would love to see an aircraft operating from such rough surfaces. The benefits of the tougher Russian types have been immense , and the fact that they can operate into places where road vehicles and Western aircraft cannot reach can only be a positive one.
One of the reasons is the fuel consumption of the Yak's engines. As far as I know it's above one ton per hour.

MikeA
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Location: Blackpool, Lancashire UK

Post by MikeA »

I had had the privelidge to fly on the AN124-100 on a number of ocasions when moving Nimrod fuselages around the UK - great aircraft , 11 flights in total to date including four in the cockpit for takeoff and landing - got some great photos just need the time to set-up a web site - might get round to it one day - nice aircraft if a little basic, very functional, although if you end up in the rear crew cabin there are only tiny windows fitted into the escape hatches - not too good if you don't like enclosed spaces, bounces around quite a bit during the 4 or 5 min engine run up on the end of the runway, but when the brakes go off its got fighter aircraft like acceleration, you can actually feel G force during takeoff run which something that big is amazing - cheers Mike

lowflyby
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Post by lowflyby »

I never flew in a Russian plane but I helped to load the 2 AN 124's that came in to Charlotte for Operation Christmas Child. It is a Christian operation where people fill shoe boxes full of toys and stuff for a boy or a girl that otherwise will not have a Christmas. I marshalled the plane in and worked on the a/c for about 6 hours to get it loaded. I would love to fly on them but I don't know if I ever will out of the US.

C-117
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Joined: 24 Sep 2003, 00:00
Location: Kyiv, UKRAINE

Post by C-117 »

YAK-40 (several trips in Central Asia), TU-134, TU-154 in former-Soviet republics, AN-2 (yikes! what a trip, Caracas - Canaima - Caracas) and the AN-26 (flying under UN livery in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo).

regi
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Post by regi »

Being crazy bout russan airliners as well, I tried to catch one somewhere in 1995. Bkk-SGN with Vietnam airlines. But it turned out to be a ex TEA B737, with a 50+ old western stewardess on board dressed in the traditional Ao Dai vietnamese dress, all her fatrolls popping out.
The flight was okay, but I felt betrayed by the viets, not using anymore the Tu-154's.
I think it was the same year that a Yak of Vietnam Airlines went down between SGN and Da Nanang. The only survivor was a dutch tourist woman. It took the rescue crew 3 days to reach the wreckage. There had been more survivors but one after the other died.
There has been also another Yak crash, bringing back Nato soldiers from Afghanistan, killing all on board.

C-117
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Post by C-117 »

I've flown on several Russian-built aircraft but two of my most memorable experiences: Back in 1991 boarded a Czech Air YAK-40, BEG-PRG. I seated myself and in an attempt to move the seat back just a bit, the two front legs of the seat popped loose. Non-plussed, the co-pilot simply asked that I take the seat directly behind it, carried the seat to the rear of the aircraft and replaced it with a couple of large pieces of luggage, providing me with an unsecured but comfortable leg rest! The cabin was full so having no other choice and an urgent need to get to Prague, I remained on the flight w/o incident. My second YAK adventure was on a FRU-TAS flight. It seems ten(!) pax had paid an "extra" fee (we found out the details post-flight) to board this particular Uzbek Air flight. In addition to the ten extra souls on board, the F/A's jump seat was taken WITH TWO MORE characters - a total of FOUR, on the flight deck! Usually Soviet and former Soviet flights had an armed "security" guy on board but this was plain nuts! After a lot of arguments and minor mayhem, mostly from the ten pax that boarded AFTER the individuals that paid the extra money who were boarded ahead of everyone (Myself and a fellow I was traveling with were lucky to board next under the pretext of "double-checking" that complete load of sensitive electronic cargo made it onboard), the ramp closed, plane started engines, and we started our taxi. Long story short: ten people stood as the YAK took one of the longest strides I've ever experienced to make it to V2 and began to switchback to altitude to cross the mountains on its way to Tashkent. Upon de-planing, a water truck rushed to the YAK and hosed the brakes - with clouds of steam billowing over the tarmac and wings, as a very wide-eyed group of pax wandered towards the terminal. All in a day when you fly in the 'stans.

Yak-40
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Post by Yak-40 »

I had some more recent experiences:

- Aeroflot TU-154 Moscow-Yerevan (July 2002)
Comfortable flight but very noisy and old interior

- Aeroflot TU-134 Moscow-Mineralnye Vody (July 2004)
Very charming airplane with big round windows (more for ships than for aircrafts) and a window in the toilet roof, very charming 8) )

Image
TU-134 in Mineralnie Vody airport (My camera was almost confiscated because of this picture, Chechnya is quite near from MinVody) :wink:

Image
Interior of TU-134

- Aeroflot IL-86 Moscow-Novosibirsk (July 2005)
I'll try to post pictures as soon as I get back

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