Cub Kid
Registered User
Nome, AK
Howdy All,
Some folks asked me in the "health of GA" thread about some of my Russian flying experiences. While nothing super interesting comes to mind about flying over there, I have done it enough to be pretty jaded on the subject and maybe some folks would consider my ramblings interesting.
During the winters, I fly a 1900 for Bering Air out of Nome (www.beringair.com), and usually once or twice a week will do a run to Russia. We do a lot of work for a mining company over there, and actually do crew changes for a mine that is being built in the Russian far East. We also do a lot of work for various cultural oganizations. THere is not a whole lot of tourists, as it is not really tourist friendly, and visas are not necessarily easy to come by. (the region we fly into is a closed region and only allows very limited tourism, once again see our website for more info).
The first thing about flying in Russia is it is IFR. Could be clear and a million, but it is IFR. The next thing is that the controllers can be very hard to understand. Not that their english is bad...actually, it is often very good...it is more that they don't speak into the mic (yeah, turning it up doesn't help too much...you just get more carrier with a still quiet/unclear voice). The next thing about flying in Russia is that you are most likely using NDB airways. In fact, if you fly in Russia, you become proficient in NDB and 2 NDB approaches. THese are not approaches, as we know them, either. THese are approaches that route you at least 25-30 miles out of your way. Forget about "Visual" approaches. THe only one I have seen over there is actually in Providenya (the closest Russian international airport), but that also is a long torturous affair.
Once you are on the ground, that is when the real fun starts. The jokes about Siberia being cold actually downplay the situation. This is when you find out if you did your paperwork right. Before the flight, you filled out all kinds of wacky forms for the airport and for customs etc etc. You filled these out in pen in Quintipucklicate or something insane like that because photo or carbon copies just wont fly on stuff like this. In fact, your hand hurts from signing your name so many times. Often times, there will be a new requirement on one of the forms, such as the shoe size of the passenger in 1A, the estimated force in newton-meters exerted by the weight of the moon on a 6 foot lever, or some other useful information. Russia is a VERY paperwork intensive country. Soon the pax are whisked away to customs in a bus, while the pilots attend to their duties.
Pilot duties in Russia are not your standard 135 pilot duties. These duties involve standing around watching, as a team of guys descend on your cargo compartment and unload all the cargo for you. At or near the same time, the fuel truck drives up, and it is like a clown car...a whole crew climbs out to fuel the airplane. The crew consists of the truck driver/pump operator, fueler, a couple guys to stand around, and maybe a helper. Both the loading and fueling crews are the same guys you see every week, so you know all of them, even though you don't speak the same language. The PIC goes in and takes care of more paperwork, and files the return flight plan, and then signs that he filed the plan, and received a weather briefing (separate signatures), etc, etc. The Co Pilot stays with the plane until the ground crews are done, then sprints inside to warm up.
Both pilots then wait inside the airport ops building for the return pax to finish customs.
FUN FACTS ABOUT FLYING IN RUSSIA:
You fly metric altitudes...and those are wierd numbers. For example FL7200Meters (FL236, westbound) or FL7500M (FL246 east)
Transition Altitude and Transition Level are different (Non IFR guys...transition alt is when you set your altimeter to 29.92 as you go up, and then transition level is were you reset to local altimeter setting on descent).
Local altimeter setting (Qne) does not give you field elevation on the ground. It will read 0 on the ground. You can request a different value (Qnh) to give you field elevation on the ground...but that is not how it works here.
Controllers get nervous if you are established on final about say 25 miles out. You also should try to be at the altitude they think glide path is, which usually is much shallower than we are used to.
You also want your gear and flaps down at least two presidential administrations prior to your scheduled arrival
Russian chicks dig pilots
Russian chicks seem very high maintenance
Russian food is very good, especially Borsch
One of the main requirements of the business visa is an annual AIDS test
If you get into the bigger towns (I have spent a few layovers in Petropovlosk-Kamchatsky, and in Magadan), they look just like in the movies...concrete block buildings, etc etc. However, once inside the apartments, they are quite nice.
The exchange rate seems variable, and some things seem like real bargains, other things like electronics, are rediculously expensive.
They have open markets in both Petropovlosk and Magadan. These even operate when it is -40 or more.
The country on the Kamchatka peninsula is breath taking...lots of volcanos, many of them are active, and it is not unusual to see a small eruption.
Got weathered in there for the better part of a week once. We found an awesome hot springs resort hotel, that cost about 100/night, about the same as a hotel in the city. There are all kinds of hot springs there.
If you stay at the hotel in Magadan, about 3am AK time (11p, local) your phone will ring...you answer...the response..."you want sex lady?" If you try to mess with them and say something like...I am here with my wife, they won't miss a beat "she want sex man?"
THe people everywhere are super nice (see above. No actually you definately don't want to partake in that "service" from what I hear), although often they don't speak english, and I so little russian. Russians do yell a lot, I am not sure why...they don't necessarily seem mad...maybe just excited.
No photos are allowed at airports for some reason.
Border guards meet all flights, including domestic flights
Border guards dress more or less the same at +15C and -45C
Russian Vodka is readily available (although brands and selection are constantly changing, even at the same store)
Baltica 7 is most of our pilot's favorite russian beer.
Russian Chicks dig pilots
I am sorry, I am running on very little sleep, so my thoughts aren't real coherent, but maybe this will answer your questions on some russian travel. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them. If I cannot answer em, I will make up answers.
Bill
Some folks asked me in the "health of GA" thread about some of my Russian flying experiences. While nothing super interesting comes to mind about flying over there, I have done it enough to be pretty jaded on the subject and maybe some folks would consider my ramblings interesting.
During the winters, I fly a 1900 for Bering Air out of Nome (www.beringair.com), and usually once or twice a week will do a run to Russia. We do a lot of work for a mining company over there, and actually do crew changes for a mine that is being built in the Russian far East. We also do a lot of work for various cultural oganizations. THere is not a whole lot of tourists, as it is not really tourist friendly, and visas are not necessarily easy to come by. (the region we fly into is a closed region and only allows very limited tourism, once again see our website for more info).
The first thing about flying in Russia is it is IFR. Could be clear and a million, but it is IFR. The next thing is that the controllers can be very hard to understand. Not that their english is bad...actually, it is often very good...it is more that they don't speak into the mic (yeah, turning it up doesn't help too much...you just get more carrier with a still quiet/unclear voice). The next thing about flying in Russia is that you are most likely using NDB airways. In fact, if you fly in Russia, you become proficient in NDB and 2 NDB approaches. THese are not approaches, as we know them, either. THese are approaches that route you at least 25-30 miles out of your way. Forget about "Visual" approaches. THe only one I have seen over there is actually in Providenya (the closest Russian international airport), but that also is a long torturous affair.
Once you are on the ground, that is when the real fun starts. The jokes about Siberia being cold actually downplay the situation. This is when you find out if you did your paperwork right. Before the flight, you filled out all kinds of wacky forms for the airport and for customs etc etc. You filled these out in pen in Quintipucklicate or something insane like that because photo or carbon copies just wont fly on stuff like this. In fact, your hand hurts from signing your name so many times. Often times, there will be a new requirement on one of the forms, such as the shoe size of the passenger in 1A, the estimated force in newton-meters exerted by the weight of the moon on a 6 foot lever, or some other useful information. Russia is a VERY paperwork intensive country. Soon the pax are whisked away to customs in a bus, while the pilots attend to their duties.
Pilot duties in Russia are not your standard 135 pilot duties. These duties involve standing around watching, as a team of guys descend on your cargo compartment and unload all the cargo for you. At or near the same time, the fuel truck drives up, and it is like a clown car...a whole crew climbs out to fuel the airplane. The crew consists of the truck driver/pump operator, fueler, a couple guys to stand around, and maybe a helper. Both the loading and fueling crews are the same guys you see every week, so you know all of them, even though you don't speak the same language. The PIC goes in and takes care of more paperwork, and files the return flight plan, and then signs that he filed the plan, and received a weather briefing (separate signatures), etc, etc. The Co Pilot stays with the plane until the ground crews are done, then sprints inside to warm up.
Both pilots then wait inside the airport ops building for the return pax to finish customs.
FUN FACTS ABOUT FLYING IN RUSSIA:
You fly metric altitudes...and those are wierd numbers. For example FL7200Meters (FL236, westbound) or FL7500M (FL246 east)
Transition Altitude and Transition Level are different (Non IFR guys...transition alt is when you set your altimeter to 29.92 as you go up, and then transition level is were you reset to local altimeter setting on descent).
Local altimeter setting (Qne) does not give you field elevation on the ground. It will read 0 on the ground. You can request a different value (Qnh) to give you field elevation on the ground...but that is not how it works here.
Controllers get nervous if you are established on final about say 25 miles out. You also should try to be at the altitude they think glide path is, which usually is much shallower than we are used to.
You also want your gear and flaps down at least two presidential administrations prior to your scheduled arrival
Russian chicks dig pilots
Russian chicks seem very high maintenance
Russian food is very good, especially Borsch
One of the main requirements of the business visa is an annual AIDS test
If you get into the bigger towns (I have spent a few layovers in Petropovlosk-Kamchatsky, and in Magadan), they look just like in the movies...concrete block buildings, etc etc. However, once inside the apartments, they are quite nice.
The exchange rate seems variable, and some things seem like real bargains, other things like electronics, are rediculously expensive.
They have open markets in both Petropovlosk and Magadan. These even operate when it is -40 or more.
The country on the Kamchatka peninsula is breath taking...lots of volcanos, many of them are active, and it is not unusual to see a small eruption.
Got weathered in there for the better part of a week once. We found an awesome hot springs resort hotel, that cost about 100/night, about the same as a hotel in the city. There are all kinds of hot springs there.
If you stay at the hotel in Magadan, about 3am AK time (11p, local) your phone will ring...you answer...the response..."you want sex lady?" If you try to mess with them and say something like...I am here with my wife, they won't miss a beat "she want sex man?"
THe people everywhere are super nice (see above. No actually you definately don't want to partake in that "service" from what I hear), although often they don't speak english, and I so little russian. Russians do yell a lot, I am not sure why...they don't necessarily seem mad...maybe just excited.
No photos are allowed at airports for some reason.
Border guards meet all flights, including domestic flights
Border guards dress more or less the same at +15C and -45C
Russian Vodka is readily available (although brands and selection are constantly changing, even at the same store)
Baltica 7 is most of our pilot's favorite russian beer.
Russian Chicks dig pilots
I am sorry, I am running on very little sleep, so my thoughts aren't real coherent, but maybe this will answer your questions on some russian travel. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them. If I cannot answer em, I will make up answers.
Bill
