Seen on the ramp...

[Everskyward]

Interesting airplanes.

 

[dmccormack]

Soviet Tanks!!

 

[markb5900]

The Russians are coming, the Russians are coming.

 

[Teller1900]

Mini 727-ski. And...an Illusian?

 

[SCCutler]

Where, oh where, Dear Mari?

 

[Lance F]

Bet the FBO pumping JetA was glad to have them there.

 

[flyersfan31]

What ramp and why? I can't believe the FAA or the EPA let that crap in here. If the noise don't get ya the emissions will. Those things are like flying Trabants!

 

[AdamZ]

Mini 727-ski. And...an Illusian?

Ha thats what I was going to say!

 

[infotango]

Mini 727-ski. And...an Illusian?

No, Yak 40 and antonov an-24.

 

[Ted]

What ramp and why? I can't believe the FAA or the EPA let that crap in here. If the noise don't get ya the emissions will. Those things are like flying Trabants!

Hmm... are turbines 2-strokes?

 

[Everskyward]

What ramp and why?

Someplace I never thought I would see...

 

[SCCutler]

Man alive, what an adventure!

Lotsa pics, and we want stories.

 

[Everskyward]

Lotsa pics, and we want stories.

I think I'll wait until we make it home successfully!

Here are a few more pictures...

I think whoever names the fixes has a sense of humor, plus where we ended up.

 

[Ted]

Palin interesection, hmm...

How cool. I checked your FlightAware track, too bad it doesn't extend outside of US airspace. Have a great trip!

 

[wbarnhill]

Amazing! Great pics, can't wait to see more

 

[wsuffa]

I think whoever names the fixes has a sense of humor, plus where we ended up.

Well, you can see Russia from there....

 

[ScottM]

I think what is amazing that had Mari flown that route about 25 years ago she would not be posting pictures. She would either be in a prison camp or more likely dead in the water. You are getting to see stuff that was verboten to non-Soviets just a few years ago.

I remember not too long ago flying to India from Chicago and crossing over Novya Zelmya island and thinking to myself that the last time I was near that island we did not dare get closer than 12.0000000000000000001 NM or the friends we had aquired just off our wing tips were going to make life interesting for the next 10-15 minutes, Now here I was going right over the top of it. Amazing how the world changed.

 

[Laurie]

Love the picture of that bridge!

 

[Everskyward]

No, Yak 40 and antonov an-24.

I googled the registration numbers for those two airplanes and you are right.

How cool. I checked your FlightAware track, too bad it doesn't extend outside of US airspace. Have a great trip!

Here's the FlightAware track for people who haven't seen it. UHPP is Petropavlovsk, Russia which is on the Kamchatka peninsula. It is supposedly a often-used tech stop for shorter range aircraft. However, looking at the FlightAware history for the airport it doesn't seem like they get much traffic.

Well, you can see Russia from there....

She must have better eyes than I do because I couldn't see Russia even from way up there!

I think what is amazing that had Mari flown that route about 25 years ago she would not be posting pictures. She would either be in a prison camp or more likely dead in the water. You are getting to see stuff that was verboten to non-Soviets just a few years ago.

I agree, Scott. You and I, the passengers and my flying buddy are all old enough to remember the Cold War era so it was definitely a little strange when we were told we would be stopping at Petro. I made sure to ask the handler if pictures were OK. She said there was no problem. There are are a lot of old and interesting airplanes tucked in the trees beside the taxiways. Too bad I couldn't get pictures of them.

Love the picture of that bridge!

The bridge is called the Seimon Ishibashi Bridge and is in the park at the entrance to the Imperial Palace. On the left side of the bridge there is a big gated structure. Here is a picture of the gate.

Japan seems like a study in contrasts. In one direction from the hotel there is this peaceful looking park. Not a blade of grass is out of place. In the other direction is the Ginza shopping district which is an assault on the senses. Behind the hotel, which is very tastefully decorated, is a train track with a bunch of stores and restaurants underneath. I think this one was one of the most interesting...

 

[Ted]

Mari, thank you for the global education lesson.

Hey, next time can I be flight attendant? I won't wear a skirt, but I'll serve margaritas.

 

[Everskyward]

Hey, next time can I be flight attendant? I won't wear a skirt, but I'll serve margaritas.

Haha. We had a number of people at work who wanted to come along as the flight attendant. Strangely my first experience flying with a flight attendant was the flight before this one. It's pretty nice having one!

 

[Ted]

Haha. We had a number of people at work who wanted to come along as the flight attendant. Strangely my first experience flying with a flight attendant was the flight before this one. It's pretty nice having one!

I've had one on a few of my recent flights. I've found it very nice, as well.

 

[Laurie]

I've had one on a few of my recent flights. I've found it very nice, as well.

I thought it was rather nice as well, although I think it's your turn next time.

 

[wsuffa]

I thought it was rather nice as well, although I think it's your turn next time.

Ted in a skirt?

 

[Ted]

Ted in a skirt?

Well, I could always wear a kilt. Given how hot it was in Colorado, I could see some merit to that. Hmm...

Nah, I think I'll just figure out a way to develop an air conditioning STC for the Aztec. Somehow it seems simpler.

 

[Everskyward]

I thought it was rather nice as well, although I think it's your turn next time.

I agree!

Here are a few more pictures from the return trip.

The Twin Cessna looks pretty small compared to the Twin Boeing.

Singapore Airlines A-380

Our handlers Hiro and Toru. The van behind them is the "FBO". I am amazed that there are no real facilities for business aviation here. You taxi up to a ramp and there is no building, just people to meet you in a van. They drive you to the airline terminal to clear customs. At least we got to go through the crew/VIP line. At first I thought it was because we were at Tokyo Narita (the big international airport) but Hiro told me that there are no FBOs anywhere in Japan. They are attempting to get one at Narita but there are a lot of political barriers. Apparently the government doesn't want to encourage GA. I know that Japan is a small country and they have a great train system but you would think they would want to at least encourage business travelers from overseas like us.

Then we headed back through Petro again. We were intrigued by this row of shops (?) including "Mr. Pilot" but they wouldn't let us leave the vicinity of the airplane.

This time Aeroflot was there. As we were taxiing in we saw their "baggage cart" which looked like a dump truck with luggage piled much higher than the sides. I wish I had been able to take a picture of it.

Here's the little church next to the ramp where people go to pray before getting on the airplanes or maybe after getting off...

One of the most spectacular things to me about this area are the mountains. There are dozens of these perfect cone-shaped volcanoes. If Petro was in some other more open country it would be a huge tourist magnet.

Flying in Russia is a bit different especially because they use different units. The altitude is in meters, the altimeter setting is in hectopascals and they use QFE which gives you the height above field elevation, not above sea level. When they give you the wind it is in meters/sec. Luckily there is a rule of thumb to double meters/sec to get knots.

 

[Ted]

I agree!

Hey, I kept offering to let her fly, but she wanted to be the flight attendant. I'll gladly switch places next time, just don't expect a skirt.

The Twin Cessna looks pretty small compared to the Twin Boeing.

Did you call up the Russian center as "Twin Cessna"?

Our handlers Hiro and Toru. The van behind them is the "FBO". I am amazed that there are no real facilities for business aviation here. You taxi up to a ramp and there is no building, just people to meet you in a van. They drive you to the airline terminal to clear customs. At least we got to go through the crew/VIP line. At first I thought it was because we were at Tokyo Narita (the big international airport) but Hiro told me that there are no FBOs anywhere in Japan. They are attempting to get one at Narita but there are a lot of political barriers. Apparently the government doesn't want to encourage GA. I know that Japan is a small country and they have a great train system but you would think they would want to at least encourage business travelers from overseas like us.

Wow, now that's interesting. Did you find out if 100LL was even available?

Flying in Russia is a bit different especially because they use different units. The altitude is in meters, the altimeter setting is in hectopascals and they use QFE which gives you the height above field elevation, not above sea level. When they give you the wind it is in meters/sec. Luckily there is a rule of thumb to double meters/sec to get knots.

How good was the English in Russia and Japan? In Mexico and Cuba the controllers spoke English well and it was very easy to understand, but I also didn't venture far south into Mexico.

What an adventure! Looks like a ton of fun. Would you do it again?

 

[Everskyward]

Wow, now that's interesting. Did you find out if 100LL was even available?

I don't think 100LL is available at Narita. When I was talking to the handler I asked about smaller airplanes with props and he said they weren't allowed to land there.

How good was the English in Russia and Japan? In Mexico and Cuba the controllers spoke English well and it was very easy to understand, but I also didn't venture far south into Mexico.

I wouldn't say that the controllers were always easy to understand, certainly not like in the US or Canada and equivalent to what I have heard in Mexico, but we could usually decipher what they wanted. In Russia there was very little other traffic if any on the frequency. However in Japan it was pretty busy. I would say the traffic in Japan was virtually all airlines although I don't know if I could distinguish a GA aircraft if I had heard one. I can't recall hearing any N-numbered airplanes in Japanese airspace other than airlines and maybe only one other one in oceanic airspace.

Would you do it again?

Sure, I'd do it again, especially since I have a much better idea what to expect. Maybe not today, though...

 

[Ted]

I don't think 100LL is available at Narita. When I was talking to the handler I asked about smaller airplanes with props and he said they weren't allowed to land there.

I guess I won't be bringing the Aztec then...

I wouldn't say that the controllers were always easy to understand, certainly not like in the US or Canada and equivalent to what I have heard in Mexico, but we could usually decipher what they wanted. In Russia there was very little other traffic if any on the frequency. However in Japan it was pretty busy. I would say the traffic in Japan was virtually all airlines although I don't know if I could distinguish a GA aircraft if I had heard one. I can't recall hearing any N-numbered airplanes in Japanese airspace other than airlines and maybe only one other one in oceanic airspace.

Makes sense. All the foreign airspace I flew in was pretty busy so there was a lot of radio chatter, but in all cases I was the only N-numbered aircraft. Actually, over the gulf I was the only piston-powered aircraft.

Sure, I'd do it again, especially since I have a much better idea what to expect. Maybe not today, though...

Know the feeling.

 

[Anthony]

Ted in a skirt?

My eyes....My eyes!!!!

 

[Ted]

My eyes....My eyes!!!!

Maybe a battle kilt...

 

[Everskyward]

I guess I won't be bringing the Aztec then...

I know that there are a few small airplanes in Japan but I have no idea how they get there or what airports they fly out of. Years ago I had a student who was Japanese. I remember him saying that, at the time, a C-150 was about $150/hour. This was back in the mid-1980s.

 

[Greg Bockelman]

How good was the English in Russia and Japan?

Not Mari, but I can answer that. The Russians English is for the most part pretty good. You can carry on a conversation with them and they pretty much understand what you are saying. The Japanese controllers are pretty good at ATC English. Meaning that if you have no requests and fly the flight as planned, there is no issues. BUT if you have something extraordinary come up, it is sometimes very difficult to get them to understand what you need. And the female Japanese controllers are VERY difficult to understand at times.

 

[Everskyward]

And the female Japanese controllers are VERY difficult to understand at times.

Greg told me in advance about the female Japanese controllers. I was thinking, how hard could they be to understand? I think it's because they speak quickly in a higher pitched, mechanical monotone. It was also pretty busy on the arrival to Narita and the end of a long flight so that could have had something to do with it... or not.

 

[ScottM]

Greg told me in advance about the female Japanese controllers. I was thinking, how hard could they be to understand? I think it's because they speak quickly in a higher pitched, mechanical monotone. It was also pretty busy on the arrival to Narita and the end of a long flight so that could have had something to do with it... or not.

I think a lot of it is related to the passband of the radios for audio. The female voice are higher pitched and fall outside of it.

Did you get to deal with any of the mainland China ATC? It is used to be that there was almost no chance of anything being understood except normal ATC sayings. You just had to hope you needed nothing. I was in the tower at Beijing IAP in the early 1990s. There was a table with an airport diagram two transceivers like what we would have in a GA plane and a couple of chairs. THAT WAS IT! scary!

 

[Everskyward]

I think a lot of it is related to the passband of the radios for audio. The female voice are higher pitched and fall outside of it.

Well, maybe. But I wish I had a tape of what it sounds like so you could judge for yourself. Culturally I think the Japanese women learn to speak in that higher tone range in normal life and it must carry over to speaking on the radio too. I don't think it's genetic because I don't speak like that.

Did you get to deal with any of the mainland China ATC? It is used to be that there was almost no chance of anything being understood except normal ATC sayings

No, we didn't enter Chinese airspace but Greg might be able to answer this.

 

[Ghery]

The bridge is called the Seimon Ishibashi Bridge and is in the park at the entrance to the Imperial Palace. On the left side of the bridge there is a big gated structure. Here is a picture of the gate.

Japan seems like a study in contrasts. In one direction from the hotel there is this peaceful looking park. Not a blade of grass is out of place. In the other direction is the Ginza shopping district which is an assault on the senses. Behind the hotel, which is very tastefully decorated, is a train track with a bunch of stores and restaurants underneath. I think this one was one of the most interesting...

Staying at the Imperial Hotel? Your pictures look familiar (there last December). There was a great sushi joint just in the Ginza around the corner from where you walk under that rail line. So good that the locals were standing in line to get a seat.

And the female Japanese controllers are VERY difficult to understand at times.

AMEN! I've listened more than once (thank you UA for ch 9!) and they are indeed a challenge to understand.

 

[Everskyward]

Staying at the Imperial Hotel? Your pictures look familiar (there last December). There was a great sushi joint just in the Ginza around the corner from where you walk under that rail line. So good that the locals were standing in line to get a seat.

Yes, we did stay at the Imperial Hotel and we went to a sushi place that was underneath the rail line. It was one of those places where it comes around on a conveyor belt. I was surprised how inexpensive food is once you get outside the hotel.

 

[AWACSEng]

I know that there are a few small airplanes in Japan but I have no idea how they get there or what airports they fly out of. Years ago I had a student who was Japanese. I remember him saying that, at the time, a C-150 was about $150/hour. This was back in the mid-1980s.

Yokota AB outside Tokyo and Kadena AB on Okinawa both have aero clubs. I've seen their 172's flying around while transiting the area. Don't know where they go, though. I wish I had the time to get a fam flight, but we were always there for min ground time. Maybe someday.