Antonov 2 General Aviation Airlines over Hel peninsula near Gdansk. [AirClips full flight series]
Enjoy a beautiful scenic flight on a vintage An-2 of General Aviation Airlines all along the Hel peninsula near Gdansk: The old prop os based at Jastarnia airfield on Hel peninsula (EPJA) and was piloted by a Russian gentleman (Mr. Captain) and a Polish mechanic (Mr. Engineer) who both didn't really share my passion for filming. However the passengers did and take a look at their faces which turn from uncertainty before the flight to enthusiasm afterwards.
If you're ever in the Gdanks area you should give it a try - the cost is peanuts and maybe the crew will also start liking filming one day in future.
The Antonov An-2 (Russian nickname: Annushka or Annie) is a Soviet mass-produced single-engine biplane utility/agricultural aircraft designed and manufactured by the Antonov Design Bureau (now State Company) since 1946. (USAF/DoD reporting name Type 22, NATO reporting name Colt.
The An-2 is used as a light utility transport, parachute drop aircraft, agricultural work and many other tasks suited to this large slow-flying biplane. Its slow flight and good field performance make it suited for short, unimproved fields, and some specialized variants have also been built for cold weather and other extreme environments. The Guinness Book of World Records states that the 45-year production run for the An-2 was for a time the longest ever, for any aircraft, but it was recently exceeded by the Lockheed C-130 Hercules.
The Antonov An-2 was designed to meet a 1947 Soviet Ministry of Forestry requirement for a replacement for the Polikarpov Po-2, which was used in large numbers in both agricultural and utility roles. Antonov designed a large single bay biplane of all-metal construction, with an enclosed cockpit and a cabin with room for seats accommodating twelve passengers. The first prototype, designated SKh-1, and powered by a Shvetsov ASh-21 radial engine, flew on 31 August 1947. The second prototype was fitted with a more powerful Shvetsov ASh-62 engine, which allowed the aircraft's payload to be significantly increased from 1,300 kg (2,870 lb) to 2,140 kg (4,720 lb), and in this form it was ordered into production.
Initial Soviet production was at State Factory 473 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR where the bulk of up to 5,000 units had been produced by 1960. Later Soviet production (after 1965, of model An-2M especially) was at State Factory 464 at Dolgoprudniy, Russian SFSR. After 1960, however, most An-2s were been built at Poland's WSK factory in Mielec, with over 13,000 made there before full production ended in 1991. Limited production from parts stocks, as well as spares and maintenance coverage continued until 2001, when four aircraft were produced for Vietnam. China also builds the An-2 under licence as the Shijiazhuang Y-5. It has been occasionally and erroneously reported that there was East German production of the An-2. While An-2s were extensively refurbished in East Germany, there were no new aircraft built there.
The An-2 was designed as a utility aircraft for use in forestry and agriculture. However, the basic airframe is highly adaptable and numerous variants have been developed. These include hopper-equipped versions for crop-dusting, scientific versions for atmospheric sampling, water-bombers for fighting forest-fires, flying ambulances, float-equipped seaplane versions, and lightly armed combat versions for dropping paratroops. The most common version is the An-2T 12-seater passenger aircraft. All versions (other than the An-3) are powered by a 750 kW (1,000 hp) nine-cylinder Shvetsov ASh-62 radial engine, which was developed from the Wright R-1820. It uses 43 gallons of avgas per hour.
THE SIGHT & THE SOUND 2/11 : Motor Sich YAK-40 UR-88310 documentary from Zaporizhia to Minsk
FLIGHT #2
MOTOR SICH AIRLINES YAK-40 UR-88310 ZAPORIZHIA-MINSK
Being tempted by the idea to join the final scheduled flight of Belavia's legendary TU-154M on a rotation from Minsk to St. Petersburg and back, it just made sense to change my usual access to Belarus from a direct flight from Frankfurt to a Motor Sich Airlines flight from Zaporizhia, Ukraine. Especially, because a YAK-40 and an AN-140 have been planned for scenic flights out of Minsk, the possibility was likely to get a two hour YAK-40 and a two hour AN-140 ride in and out of Minsk for 150 EUR. Once in Zaporizhia, I could not resist the idea to explore once again the network of this very unusual and unique fine little airline, operating solely aircraft of Soviet and Ukrainian production, equipped with engines developed and manufactured by the Motor Sich Engine Plant.
So, it was off again to the Ukraine, in 2016. Things in the Ukraine have changed considerably from 2014. To the worse. The enthusiasm from the days of the Maidan has given way to letargic and pessimistic mood. Lots of red tape, increased suspicion against foreigners from whatever origin has sparked an increased awareness of security personnel on the ramp and elsewhere against those species with a camera in their hand. Spirits and minds are back to old Soviet reflections. It is hard to imagine this great country getting back on its feet soon.
Eleven (!) flights in total on board Soviet and Ukrainian metal were about to follow.
This flight on board YAK-40 UR-88310 was the second flight on this tour, from Zaporizhia to Minsk to join the other avgeeks, busy flying on AN-30, MI-26 and other delights. On this flight I met my old acquaintance Nataliya Trubchanenko and Alina Romanenko from two days before, now with a nice smile on her face. Taking pictures was no problem whatsoever anymore, although ground time on ramp for taking videos was cut short as usual, because punctuality is a big issue.
History of Yakovlev 40 UR-88310
Airframe 9940760 was manufactured at the SAZ Plant February 23, 1980 and delivered the same year to the Madagascar Air Force registered 5R-MUB, where she served until 1997. 5R-MUB was sold 1997 to Dniproavia and 2002 to Challenge Aero of Ukraine
carrying the registration UR-88310, operating flights for the Interpipe Group. UR-88310 was sold May 2010 to Motor Sich Airlines and operates scheduled and charter flights for the Motor Sich Group.
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Flight details
Flight : M9 317
Date : Saturday, October 8, 2016
Aircraft : YAK-40
Registration : UR-88310
Previous registrations :
- 5R-MUB (Madagascar Air Force)
- UR-88310 (Dniproavia, Challenge Aero, Motor Sich Airlines)
Built : 1980
From : Zaporizhia (OZH)
To : Minsk (MSQ)
Take off : 09.42 h (0642 UTC)
Touch down : 11.34 h (0834 UTC)
Flying time : 1 hour 52 minutes
Flying distance : 910 km
Altitude : 24.000 ft / 7.300 m
Speed : 270 knots / 510 km/h
Captain : Vagner, Aleksandr
2nd Pilot : Markvart, Kiril
Flight Engineer : Bogachov, Sergey
Cabin Crew : Trubchanenko, Nataliya
Cabin Crew : Romanenko, Alina
THE SIGHT & THE SOUND 1-2/1 : Goldtimer Lisunov 2 HA-LIX documentary from Budaörs to Budaörs
The second and successful attempt to fly Lisunov 2 was made four months later, in sunny and warm August.
Following the path of the River Danube up North to Szentendre, Esztergom, then turning back South on the East side all the way down to Budapest-Ferihegy Airport with a breathtaking steep left turn over the tarmac, tower and terminal, we finally headed back to Budaörs, crossing the Southern part of Budapest and the island of Csepel.
This program features the first part of this flight.
History of HA-LIX (airframe 18433209)
Airframe 18433209 was manufactured 1949 in Factory No 84 of Tashkent and delivered to the Hungarian Military Transport Wing
at Szekesfehervar, September 17, 1949. After flying for the
16th Independent Transport Company until 1957 this plane was transferred to Malév Hungarian Airlines for regular domestic passengers flights and registered HA-LIX. After Malév withdrew all Lisunov 2 from service, HA-LIX returned to the Air Force and was permanently based at Kecskemet Air Base, where she was used as a military transport and a parachute trainer. From 1968 to 1969
this plane was completely overhauled in Mineralnye Vody - Soviet Union – . At the end of 1973 she was withdrawn from service and flown to Szolnok to be displayed at the museum of the Air Force Academy as MN209.
In July 1996 this plane was dismantled and transported to the MÉM-RSZ Repair Facility at Budaörs during autumn 1997. The same year an agreement was concluded
with the Aviation History Museum of Szolnok about the restoration of the LI-2.
Goldtimer Alapítvány - Goldtimer Foundation joined the restoration project early 2001 and continued the work investing nearly 45 000 man-hours. Reborn HA-LIX completed her first flight
on September 21, 2001 and received her Certificate of Airworthiness on April 15, 2002.
In honour of the Hungarian Pioneer of Aerodynamics HA-LIX was named after Kármán Tódor.
With the support of sponsors HA-LIX is a major attraction on many air shows throughout Europe and is the last remaining airworthy Lisunov 2 worldwide.
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Flight details
Flight : Goldtimer Foundation
Date : Saturday, August 9, 2003
Aircraft : LI-2T
Registration : HA-LIX
Built : 1949
From : Budaörs (LHBS)
To : Budaörs (LHBS)
Take off : 16.46 h (1446 UTC)
Touch down : 17.44 h (1544 UTC)
Flying time : 58 minutes
Flying distance : 180 km
Altitude : 500 m
Speed : 180 km/h
Captain : Krauth, Peter
First Officer : Linszky, Ede
First Officer : Hajdu, Karoly (Fedö)
Cabin Crew : Takats, Olga
THE SIGHT & THE SOUND 2/2 : L-1049 Constellation N73544 inflight documentary from Berlin to Basel
A few weeks after the legendary transatlantic crossing from the Camarillo Airbase in California all the way to its new home, Basel, a visit to the ILA in Berlin was one of the very first appearances of the newly acquired Super Constellation by the SFCA (Super Constellation Flyers Association of Switzerland), then still carrying the US registration N73544.
I was able to be onboard this unforgettable return flight from Berlin-Schönefeld Airport to Basel not without a Go-Around in Schönefeld and three (!) spectacular low passes and Go-Arounds at Berlin's legendary Tempelhof Airport.
This second part features landing in most beautiful evening weather at Basel Airport.
Brief History
History of airframe 4175
Airframe 4175 was manufactured 1955 in Burbank, USA
and delivered to the Military Air Transport Service (MATS)
November 1, 1955
In 1962 airframe 4175 was transferred to the
Mississippi Air National Guard’S (ANG) 183rd Air Transport Squadron
Later airframe 4175 served for the ANG
167th Aeromedical Transport Squadron of West Virginia
After the C-130 Hercules became available in 1972
4175 retired and transferred to
the Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona for storage
Aviation Specialities acquired this C-121C
for large scale crop spraying August 17, 1972
in exchange for the last airworthy Boeing 307 N19903
and ferried her to Mesa Falcon Field, Arizona
After being registered N73544
this Connie was modified to an agricultural sprayer April 1973
and a restricted Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA) was issued
April 27, 1973
N73544 spent the following years with crop spraying
As a result of poor maintenance the condition deteriorated
and N73544 was stored at Mesa Falcon Field
from 1976 to November 1978
In 1980 N73544 was ferried to nearby Chandler Memorial Airfield
After plans to use N73544
for scenic tours of the Grand Canyon did not materialize
N73544 was ferried to Chino Airport, California March 11, 1983
where she was half painted by a group of house painters
N73544 was purchased the same year by Darvoush “Benny” Younesi
and his partner Mehrdad Khoramian for Winky’s Fish Company
for shipping tuna from Palau Island to Nagoya, Japan
However N73544 remained on the ground at Chino until January 15, 1984
when the Super Connie was ferried to Camarillo, California
Upon approach one of the engines caught fire and another propeller failed
The condition of N73544 deteriorated
and her further fate seemed to be inevitable
N73544 was registered solely to Mehrdad Khoramian in March 1988
and solely to Benny Younesi in February 1992
In 1992 Benny founded the Constellation Historical Society (CHS)
and gathered a group of volunteers
bringing N73544 back to flying condition
On June 23, 1994 Frank Butorac and Chuck Grant
successfully completed the test flight
N73544 became a frequent and popular visitor
at air shows in the western US
In mid 2001 the FAA grounded N73544 for maintenance irregularities
On December 17, 2003 the Swiss SCFA association and Benny Younesi
signed a lease-purchase agreement at Los Angeles Airport
N73544 was transferred from Camarillo Airport on April 26, 2004
to her new base Basel-Mulhouse where she landed on May 8
Since then N73544 has been a frequent visitor at air shows
and numerous events throughout Europe
In 2007 N73544 has been included into the Swiss Registry and
is classified as Historic Aircraft carrying the registration HB-RSC
HB-RSC was grounded mid of 2010
due to wing corrosion and repaired April 2011
HB-RSC was grounded throughout 2012
due to failure of engine #2
Repair, maintenance and overhaul costs are financed
through major sponsors, membership fees and fund raising
Special credit is dedicated to late Elizabeth Wegier who was an incredible support throughout the planning stage of this trip.
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Flight details
Flight : Super Constellation Flyers Association (SCFA)
Date : Sunday, May 16, 2004
Aircraft : L-1049 C-121C
Registration : N73544
Later registration
- HB-RSC (SCFA)
Built : 1955
From : Berlin (SXF)
To : Basel (BSL)
Take off : 16.23 h (1423 UTC)
Touch down : 18.28 h (1628 UTC)
Flying time : 2 hours 5 minutes
Flying distance : 400 nM / 741 km
Altitude : 2.700 / 4.500 ft
Speed : 195 knots
Captain : Farrel, Pat
First Officer : Fraser, Clint
Flight Engineer : Berens, Jeffrey (Geoffrey)
Maitre de Cabine : Pittard, J.P.
THE SIGHT & THE SOUND 2/2 : IL-14 147001640 documentary from Orlovka to Orlovka
This is most likely one of the very first appearances of an exclusive documentary of the Ilyushin 14 on Youtube, filmed with contemporary camera equipment on the ground and in the air.
Invited to an impressive airshow at the private airfield Orlovka and enjoying an unmatched hospitality by the hosts, I travelled to Moscow mid of August, 2015 to sample one of the very first flights on board the legendary Ilyushin IL-14T in a display flight at the Orlovka airshow, testing the IL-14 up to her limits. Here is the story of this remarkable plane and a remarkable restoration crew who brought her back to life once again, which is most unusual.
Brief history of IL-14T Penguin, serial number 147001640
147001640 was manufactured 1957 in Moscow at MMZ Znamya Truda. She has been delivered to the Soviet Air Force and received number “23”. 147001640 never carried a civil registration throughout her three lives. In 1974 this airframe was modified to operate as a flying laboratory for the Navy, where she served until 1984. She was retired 1987.
Her second life began, when Oleg Lyakishev, Igor Volk and Georgy Nikolaev started a restoration project in 1993 registering her 01114 ФЛА РФ (FLA RF). By 1995, airframe 147001640 was back in the air again flying in the St. Petersburg region. 147001640 was repainted in 2004 with the characteristic red Polar livery and nicknamed “Penguin”. The registration CCCP-91612 painted on the fuselage has been used in the Movie Request Take-Off and is fake. Registration RA-1114K was an unsuccessful attempt to legalize the previous FLA registration after changes in legislation took place. 147001640 was never registered properly under the Russian Civil Registry and was stored for seven years at Myachkovo airfield without any flying activity facing an uncertain future.
Her third life began, when a team led by Andrey Ivanov and Vladimir Lisnyak concluded an agreement with the owner
and started repair works in November 2011, which were completed by the end of summer 2012. Long lasting disputes with the management of Myachkovo airfield forced the owners to remove “Penguin” from Myachkovo and transfer her to Stupino airfield to complete the restoration. “Penguin” is now based at the private Orlovka airfield, in the Tver region. Andrey Ivanov and Vladimir Lisnyak share the ownership of “Penguin” with the previous owner and fully own the 2nd IL-14 in Orlovka with the serial number 147001647, nicknamed “Blue Dream”. In Russia the restoration of Historic Aircraft back to airworthiness is neither encouraged nor supported by the State, nor sponsored by private institutions in a larger scale. Not only sufficient funds, original sources for maintenance and repair, experienced engineers and flight crews but also team work, initiative, perseverance and intuition are necessary to bring these flying machines back into the air again. Together with an enthusiastic “IL-14 Restoration Team” and their supportive families, Andrey and Vladimir are driven by their dream to bring the IL-14 and other milestones of Soviet Aviation History back to life again.
In this video you can see some impressions of the Orlovka Airfield in beautiful afternoon and dusk light and detailed footage of the IL-14 on the ground inside and outside and in the air.
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Flight Details
Flight : Flight #2
Date : Saturday, August 15, 2015
Aircraft : IL-14T
Registration : None
Previous Registration : 23 (Soviet Air Force)
Previous Registration : 01114 ФЛА РФ (FLA RF)
Identification : Serial Number 147001640
Built : 1957
From : Orlovka (UUTO)
To : Orlovka (UUTO)
Take off : 18.27 h (1517 UTC)
Touch down : 18.52 h (1552 UTC)
Flying time : 25 minutes
Flying distance : 60 km
Altitude : 300 / 500 m
Speed : 170 / 250 km/h