Pouya Air Antonov 74 THR-MHD-THR

Three days have passed, the sightseeing part of my trip to Iran has basically ended. One day in Tehran and two visits south, to Shiraz and Isfahan. It was time to start the flying part. Two days, three visits in Mashhad and a long-haul to KUL. Firstly an round trip Tehran-Mashhad-Tehran on a Pouya Air Antonov 74. What was poor about the flight was the space for cabin baggage. My bag (and not only mine) didn't fit either in the overhead bin nor under the seat in front of me so most of the flight our legs have been in a strange position. Video review at the end of the entry.

Antonov 225 Mriya in Ostrava. 2015.01.26

Once again interrupting the North Korean series. This time to give you a couple of photos of the biggest flying plane in the world! The Antonov 225 Mriya. Only one is flyable. The one and only. Created in the Soviet Union to transport the Buran space shuttle. Now is hired for ultra heavy and large cargo shipments that can not be done by land. It has been a couple of times to Leipzig - but I never could make it there. This time, not only it landed closer to Warsaw, but also I had plenty of free time. The "Dream" (this is what Mriya stands for in Ukrainian) came to Ostrava, just behind the PL-CZ border. A five hour drive from Warsaw. Marvelous! I found a couple of mates to fill the car and we set off.
When at the airport we didn't have many occasions to test camera settings. Not much traffic here. Just a couple of mere GA and a Lufthansa A321 returning to Germany on a technical callsign. Fellow spotters were already set for the arrival, occupying various spots. From behind close to the fence, through standing in the middle of the field to being on a raised hide. A merry atmosphere could be felt, everyone was excited and happy about what was soon going to happen. She suddenly appeared in the sky. A beast, a monster, a cow - however you call her. Mighty sure she is. Touchdown. And she's gone behind the buildings. Time to go and have a look from a closer distance. People crowding to get to the best location for a photo, taking patiently their turns. People standing in line to get a perspective from a higher point.
All in all, we drove 5 hours one way to get a photo of one airplane - this is possible only with really crazy people :D

May the photos speak for the beauty of this unique machine.

Coming in to land.

Air Koryo Antonov 24

This flight is the second part of the Pyongyang-Sondok-Pyongyang journey. I flew the first leg on the Tupolev 134. As mentioned in the T134 entry, our group was split into half and we changed planes on the return leg. Thus I ended up flying the An24 for the first time in my life. But first we waited for the 134 to depart - during the time we had an opportunity for it to taxi meters in front of us and later takeoff leaving a cloud of dust behind it. When it was gone, we started boarding our plane. I was looking for a spot from which I could capture the entire engine with my GoPro. Unluckily the spot for it has been already taken so I was left with what I got. The engine nacelle can be entirely seen in the picture, but the fan not so clearly. Never mind. Seated in row 8 I prepared for takeoff and had a quick look around the plane. As we where not allowed to make any footage from the departure (the same reason as during the landing on the 134 - military stuff) I tried to get as much as I could from the experience. One thing said - I dislike the plane. It made my feel dizzy and the only thing I wanted is to get out of it. All the vibrations (the more to the front the more you get them), all the sound (which didn't please me at all) and a specific smell. Additionally the food we ate before the flight - well it wasn't top notch even for the local standards. A friend of mine got sick from it.
Overall I could say that the flight went smoothly, without major problems. I don't like the plane and surely will not hunt for it in the future. Well, any old plane is good, so who knows :P maybe someday I'll feel like flying on it again. Photos and videos below.

Arriving in Sondok

Taxiing in Sondok

Air Koryo Antonov 148

We made it safely back to Pyongyang from Samjiyon on the Il-18. We got on the bus, the bus took us to our next plane. The newest addition to Air Koryo's fleet. The Antonov 148.

We were scheduled for a 30-45 minute pleasure flight around Pyongyang. Free seating, the entire plane just for us. Lots of space for everyone. Each person could practically choose the seat they wanted to sit at. Lets not forget about the freedom of moving around during the flight, taking pictures of both the inside and the outside of the plane from basically any window you want to. One thing, I don't like in the plane is the engine position, there is basically no way to look at the fans :( they are simply to much at the front. But from the back seats you get a very nice view of the ground and the wing over your.
After we boarded, and all the checks have been performed we slowly taxied to the runway and smoothly departed.