I am filling in my globe with all of the countries, territories and regions I have visited. With the addition of Russia this week, I have made it to 77 countries. I only count a country if I have left the airport. So while, I have transited through Doha and Johannesburg airports, I do not include Qatar and South South Africa in my tally. I have been to about two thirds of the countries in both Asia and Europe and exactly half of all the nations in the Oceania region of the planet. African exploration…
Russia
Tag Archives for Russia.
FlyDubai Crash -Questions start
A big plane crash is rare these days so every time there is one, we are all riveted. Despite plane travel being one of the safest forms of transport on the planet, people still have an uneasy fear when it comes to planes. The loss of FkyDubai’s Flight 981 today at Rostov-on-Don Airport , Russia, in the early morning hours of 19 March 2016, is shocking. The crash occurred during the 737’s second attempted landing and resulted in the death of all 55 passengers and seven crew. The poor weather that was engulfing the airport meant the…
Transaero Terminated
Out of the 90 carriers I have flown, none have been Russian. I had wanted to try private Russian airline Transaero’s legendary Imperial First Class with its gold embroidered seats, cotton sheet sets and special China! Its First Class came 16th in the world’s First Class cabins. Alas not to be for the airline closed their doors on 26 October 2015, days from their 24th Birthday on 5 November. Transaero had aimed to keep flying through to 15 December but its operating certificates were revoked after Russian banks withdrew support. The safety authorities then determined that Transaero’s massive debt posed a hazard…
The MH 17 Full Report (and summary)
As many have speculated, the Dutch Safety Board Report have found that a Russian made BUK missile brought down the plane. The missile travelling at three times the speed of sound exploded just above the cockpit of MH17 at an altitude of 10.1km (33, 000 feet). Eight hundred pre-formed fragments in the missile punctured the plane bringing it down in one and a half minutes. The three crew members in the cockpit were killed immediately. The Board found multiple missile fragments in their bodies. This video shows the painstaking reconstruction of the Malaysian 777: The speed…
USA has most flight departures-still
Last year, there were almost ten million take offs of US registered airlines across the country (9,745,498 to be exact). This is just over a quarter of all of the takeoffs across the world. It is a staggering thought to think this averages to a takeoff every four seconds across the USA! The country has four of the top ten busiest airports in the world: Atlanta, LAX, and Chicago O’hare and Dallas-Fort Worth. This is a reduction of about half a million takeoffs from 2013, the fourth year the number of takeoffs has declined in the USA. There…
Hovercraft gatecrashes beach
A Russian Navy hovercraft surprised beach goers by landing on a crowded beach during a military exercise. The 60 metre (197 foot) long Russian built Navy Zubr-type which can travel at speeds of up to 110km/h (68 mph) carrying up to 500 people, missile launchers, automatic gun mounts and mine-laying devices zoomed up onto the sands? Hundreds of people were sun-bathing on the beach when the vessel roared towards the beach sending up a huge spray. No one was injured. Beachgoers were, however, surrounded by paratroopers and asked to move off the beach. A spokesperson for the Russian defence ministry was reported by…
Air Koryo Goes Online
Few people have flown Air Koryo. The North Korean carrier officially has 14 destinations in six countries. It reportedly has a fleet of 30 old mostly Soviet aircraft which are usually grounded due to lack of fuel and or parts. Video of the fleet can be found here. Combined with an erratic schedule and a one star Skytrax rating, the airline has been described as “the world’s worst airline“. Following a visit to the airline’s headquarters in July, 2012, by the country’s new leader, Kim Jong-un, the airline has reportedly attempted to modernise. The carrier has launched an on line booking service: www.airkoryo.com.kp giving customers “easier,…
Thoughts about Aeroflot
I am flying in Eastern Europe in November. I have assiduously avoided Aeroflot all of my life. Should I have a rethink these days? Aeroflot is the Russian carrier founded by the Communists in 1923. It is now a profitable semi privatised carrier and part of the Skyteam alliance. Skytrax ranks them as a three star airline and the passeger reviews have them at 4.7 out of ten, which seems to be average for the Skyteam carriers! The carrier used to have an appalling safety record – so bad it has its own wikipedia page devoted to the…
Recent Comments