Tales

Long Haul

We recently flew with Aeroflot International on a Tupolev 154 from Helsinki to Moscow, where we were to connect to our flight to Sydney. Apart from being first seated in economy and then being invited to first class, the flight was uneventful. On arrival back at the entrance to the transit hall at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, the lady at the desk seemed a little uncertain. She took our tickets and told us to come back two hours later for a dinner voucher; she gave us nothing to replace our tickets except an unmarked boarding card. After a few minutes’ reflection, we went back to ask questions, but she had gone and the other clerk told us to go to the transfer office. This we found after considerable difficulty, and as we walked through the door we were called by name to the counter, to be told that our aircraft was not leaving until 24 hours later than scheduled. We would be accommodated at an Aeroflot ‘hotel’. There were about 20 others in the same predicament. After waiting at the allotted gate for about an hour, we were loaded into a decrepit bus and taken off into the dark. Our luggage had been booked through from Helsinki to Sydney direct. Apart from our necessary supply of tablets, we had absolutely nothing except cameras. After an hour we arrived, we knew not where, and we were invited to have dinner – it was now 9.30pm. The dining room seated 50 persons – 21 out of 48 light globes in the elaborate chandeliers were out. We were asked if we would like to do a tour of Moscow; it was now 10.30pm and raining heavily, but most of us said yes to fill in time. After we were underway, we were requested to pay $US15 each for the trip. We viewed Red Square and surrounding areas in the dark and rain – Red Square though was floodlit and really made it worthwhile. On return we were escorted to Block 10 well away from the main dining area. We were shown a room with twin beds – that was it; another friend was given a single bed in a lounge room. There was a shared bathroom. On waking we were more or less ordered to go for breakfast. This involved a trek through a forest along a path with many other paths leading in all directions. Eventually we had breakfast and were then told the aircraft would not be leaving until 4am the next morning. We could not find out where we were. The lone telephone was to Moscow only and we were not to use it. There was no seating other than for three chairs in a reception area and no music, television or reading material. We were told in no uncertain terms not to leave the area because we had no visas. In fact we had valid re-entry visas but decided it would be better not to be separated from the group. When the desk was unattended, my wife managed to ring the Australian Embassy in Moscow where we had a contact – unfortunately he was not available so she left a message with his secretary to ring our daughter in Sydney. There was considerable doubt whether the message was understood – a doubt later confirmed although the contact did his best to understand the garbled message. My wife made a second call when no one was about and this time she managed to speak to a friend at her office in Moscow. All was revealed. The three Airbus A310s leased by Aeroflot from Airbus Industrie had been temporarily repossessed. We later saw them on the tarmac locked up. It was on one of these that we had journeyed uneventfully to Moscow from Sydney four weeks earlier. Our friend, who spoke Russian, discovered we were in an Aeroflot convention and training centre well outside Moscow. We were informed our aircraft would now leave at 5am and we should be ready for the bus at 3.30am. We rose at 3am having slept in our underwear for the second night – we had nothing else, only to find that the door to our room was locked! I was not amused, to say the least. I climbed out of the window and jumped three metres to the ground and pounded on the door of Block 10. I regret to say the lady in charge collected a blast that nearly blew her to Siberia. Whether the incident was deliberate I don’t know – probably not. We then trudged through rain and darkness in the midst of the forest to the office. It was locked. After making a lot of noise the door was finally opened and we were informed that the plane was not now leaving until 7.15am and the bus would pick us up at 6am. Eventually we were collected at 6.30am, also picking up 30 more passengers from another ‘hotel’ near the airport. Their conditions had actually been much worse than ours. They had been locked inside with an armed guard on the door; the food supplied was poor and not nearly enough. On arriving at the airport we were handed typed boarding passes with seats already allocated. The aircraft was an Ilyushin Il-62. Its interior was in surprisingly good repair; it was clean and it was comfortable. There was no inflight entertainment of any description except some newspapers. The hostesses were even pleasant, the food was good and there was only one surprise left. About an hour after leaving Moscow – on time incidentally – the hostess announced it was five hours flying time to Delhi. This was the first indication we were to fly via Delhi – so much for Aeroflot’s idea of public relations and information. The scheduled stop was Kuala Lumpur though on reflection the aircraft would have been on vapour long before ever reaching that part of the world if it hadn’t made a refuelling stop beforehand! The rest of the flight to Sydney via KL was comfortable and uneventful. (H Greenberg, Balmain)

Cabin Crew Talk

I thought I would share these two aviation snippets with you. The first concerns the late arrival into Brisbane of a domestic jet from southern capitals. The Purser was given a page of information for his passengers. “Please bear with me ladies and gentlemen,” he began. “For passengers making the following connections, your respective aircraft are waiting for you, so you haven’t missed your flights. Passengers on flight 25 to Cairns, please go immediately to gate 23. If you’re booked on flight 212 to Mackay and flight 204 to Rockhampton you will depart from gates 1 and 2 respectively on the ground floor. Flight 136 to Hervey Bay departs … ” At this point the Purser let out an audible sigh on the passenger address system and asked, “Anybody got bingo yet?” The second snippet was the result of graffiti aboard a Boeing 747. In the galleys of all Qantas aircraft there is a small registration placard for crew reference. Seen in the upper deck galley of QF 747-238 Combi VH-ECC recently, someone had added to the rego placard so it read: VH-ECCY BREAKY HEART. Billy Ray Cyrus would have been pleased with the Country Combi! (M Tung Yep, Wynnum) Ilyushin Il-62

Practical Joker

This story concerns the adventures (or misadventures) of a certain Radio Technician (Air) on his posting to 34Sqn in the late sixties. 34Sqn was still flying Viscounts at the time and the ‘old hands’ always had their fun with the ‘new boy’. To set the scene, the front stairs of the Viscount were retracted by hydraulics and there was also a hydraulic reservoir and hand operated pump in the forward wardrobe just aft of the flight deck and immediately opposite the forward entry. The stairs could actually be raised by activating a switch and turning a handle in the front wheel bay, and if the battery was connected the standby hydraulic pump would start and the stairs would retract. The old hands informed the new boy that he had to manually pump the reservoir up to a required pressure (approx 50 to 60 pumps) then jump down and turn the handle in the wheel well. First attempt – the stairs only rose about 2ft off the ground! Up the stairs again to pump up more pressure! Down the stairs, turn the handle and watch the stairs rise 3ft before settling gently back to the tarmac! Back up the stairs to pump up even more pressure! Now it must be borne in mind the hardstand at RAAF Fairbairn can be a very warm place, so you can imagine the amount of perspiration now flowing! Back down the stairs, into the wheel well, turn the handle and stare expectantly at the stairs that again fail to clear 4 feet from the deck! Absolutely deflated the Rad Tech admits defeat and sheepishly returns to the Tarmac Office to find the rest of the Tarmac Crew rolling around on the floor laughing. (Anonymous)

Fasten Seatbelts

In the ’70s I worked in Sydney for TAA. I had to go to Brisbane on a Friday evening flying on a space available basis. Consequently it wasn’t a surprise that there was no room on the 727. However I had had previous dealings with the boarding supervisor who suggested I trot down the airbridge and talk with the crew. No second urgings needed, I did just that. The captain’s name was Victor. Very urbane was Victor. When I explained my need, and that I worked for the company, he was hospitality personified: “Absolutely welcome, old man, pull down that seat there, headset’s behind you, and my colleagues here are X and Y.” All the usual preflights were carried out, including the curious bit where a piece of paper is extended to the cockpit window, on the end of a stick, which the captain signs. There was a short delay, in which the senior flight attendant entered the flight deck, and asked whether we’d like anything before we took off. Victor asked for a tomato juice and, when it arrived, said: “The pax back there probably think the poor bastard needs a Bloody Mary to steel his nerve.” We pushed back, taxied, and took off without incident. Twenty minutes into the flight, Victor called the senior flight attendant onto the deck, and told her to forget about serving meals, just get everyone to belt up, including the cabin crew, as we were in for a lot of turbulence. Which duly happened – I’ve rarely been so shaken about – and which persisted for about 15 minutes. When we were again in clear air, Victor was totally unfazed by the episode, merely remarking as he reset the auto, “We probably have two schools of thought back there. Those who think it did steady his nerve; and those who think it probably caused all the fuss.” Needless to say, the landing was faultless. (Anonymous)

Do You Have A Tale To Tell?

If so, then why don’t you share it with the world by sending it in to ‘Tales’, Australian Aviation, PO Box 3105, Weston Creek ACT 2611 or fax it on (06) 288 2021. Readers who have their tales published will receive a six issue subscription with our compliments. Current subscribers will have six issues credited to their current sub. You can remain anonymous if you prefer and the editor naturally has the right to edit material as required. So go to it, tell us your favourite aviation tale, and join in the fun. 86 Australian Aviation August 1995

Survey Aircraft 22 Years Ago, Is Now Resident In Wa And Is Theonly Trislander Worldwide Still Used For Mineral Exploration.

Only one aircraft is returning to register this issue, Cessna Ag Wagon EVO. This machine was delivered new to Australia during 1973 but crashed two years later near Cudal, NSW. It was rebuilt and returned to the register on May 5 1977 but was withdrawn again on July 9 1987. After a period of storage and some maintenance the Ag Wagon is flying again with Helen Foy of Morley, WA.

Nineteen Aircraft Are Listed In The Deletions Section Including Six That Have Been Re-Registered And Can Therefore Befound In The New Allocation Listing Under Their New Registrations.

Agusta A 109 LUI has been changed to BIS to allow GroAir to use LUI on its new Agusta A 109C model whilst Navajo NPC and Twin Comanche UJX have become NEF and TXC respectively which are in sequence with other aircraft in Tamair’s charter and training fleets.

Accidents Account For Five Aircraft Being De-Registered Withthe Worst Being The Crash Of Cessna 210 Squ.

The Centurion was completely destroyed by fire when it crashed into a house in Toowoomba Qld on May 21 killing the pilot. Beech 200 AAZ has only just been taken off the register although it was damaged some time ago when it ran off the end of the runway at Bundaberg. The Super King Air is the sister aircraft to AAV which was destroyed when it crashed at Sydney airport during February 1980 when both machines were being operated by Advance Airlines on regular services to Lord Howe Island.

Squirrel Bgv Has Been Exported To Singapore, Super Puma Bhv Has Returned To Bristow Helicopters Of Redhill, Englandand Beech Duchess Wzc’S Is Now Operating In Hong Kong.

This is WZCs second sojourn to Hong Kong this year as it spent most of February and March there flying as VR-HKQ. As usual several aircraft have been sold in New Zealand including Gulfstream FLO and Rockwell Commander DRT which flew to Auckland via Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands between April 29 and May 3.

There Are Some Interesting Aircraft Listed In The Changes Ofcor Holders Section This Month Including Cessna 310B Atq Which Has Gone To New Zealand Cessna Agents Dennis Thompson Of Auckland.

The 1958 built machine crossed the Tasman via Lord Howe Island on September 3 last year and is being advertised for sale in New Zealand as a “classic aircraft”, priced at over $135,000. Squirrel ELP has been transferred from Eurocopter Pacific to Surf Life Saving Queensland, and has taken up its rescue duties on the Sunshine Coast based at Caloundra whilst Metro II ANJ has gone from Air North to Falcon Aviation in Melbourne.

Several Aircraft Have Changed Hands As A Result Of The Auction Of The Assets Of The University Of Newcastle Flying Schoolbased At Cessnock In The Hunter Valley.

Most were sold locally however at least one, Cessna 152 UNB, was sold in New Zealand and is therefore a future candidate for the deletions section. The Cessna became one of the smallest aircraft to fly the Tasman when it routed via Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands to Auckland on May 20 and 21.

Details Are Now Known About Three Aircraft That Have Recently Been Exported To New Zealand.

Piper Navajo INX is now flying as ZK-ECQ with National Aviation of Auckland and Grumman Cheetah IGF flies as ZK-MRR with Air Gisborne. Lynsey Boniface is head of a syndicate who now operate Cessna 172 Skyhawk IXK in the Invercargill area and registered ZK-SLT. CASA C-212 ICJ that was deleted from the register in the July issue is now owned by Trygg-Flyg of Sweden but will be operating with the Swedish Coast Guard as SE-LDC.

Further Away Two Australian Airliners Are Still Extant.

Boeing 727 TJF was exported to Bermuda on February 28 1979 and flew in that country as VR-BAT for a while before going to the USA and changing to N888VT. The ageing trijet is now back in Bermuda, this time as VR-BRR with Skyline International. East-West Airlines Fokker F27 EWS was sold in the Netherlands during October 1983 and from there it moved on to Zaire where it became 9Q-CBU. The Friendship has recently moved back to Europe and joined several other Australian Fokkers in the Jersey European Airways fleet based in England and registered G-BVZW.

Only A Very Few Copies Of The 1994 195 Australian Aviationcivil Aircraft Register Remain In Stock, So If You Do Nothave Your Copy Yet, Now Is The Time To Order It.

This is the only publication available that lists registration, type, construction number and CofR Holder’s name and address in an easy to read tabulated format. Over 10,000 aircraft are listed including those registered with the Civil Aviation Safety Agency, the Gliding Federation of Australia and the Hang Gliding Federation of Australia. The register is only available from AustAirData, PO Box 1142, Toombul, 4012 (phone 074 98 3757) at a cost of $11.00 including postage within Australia (add 50% for overseas air mail). Details are also available on IBM compatible computer disk in dbase IV or ASCII format at a cost of $50.00 or as a complete stand alone database programme at a cost of $70.00 and credit card facilities are available.