My last entry left us in China. Now lets jump a bit to the east to the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, or as some prefer simply North Korea. As some of you might know, Air Koryo (the national airline of the DPRK) owns some pretty old metal. Planes like the Ilyushin 18, the Il-62, the Tupolev 154 or the 134. All of them combined are a dream for many aviation enthusiasts. About the process of entering and exiting NK I shall write a different entry in some time, when we get to the end of the trip.
Back to the point though. The first flying part of the visit was a return flight from Pyongyang to Samjiyon. The goal in the itinerary was a visit at Mt. Paektu. Both of the flights were operated on the Ilyushin 18. The plane registered P-835 has been build in 1966 and since then is flying for Air Koryo. Currently only domestic routes. A film review of the inside is available at the end of the entry.
First flight: JS3501 FNJ-YJS.
I woke up early, or should I say we, as it was a group. At the airport we've arrived around 7:30am, 1,5h before the flight. We had to wait a bit for boarding but that is not a problem if you are surrounded by a group of people with very similar interests. Time flew by very quickly and soon we were already on the bus to the plane. Boarded quickly and soon the engines have been turned on and taxiing commenced.
Back to the point though. The first flying part of the visit was a return flight from Pyongyang to Samjiyon. The goal in the itinerary was a visit at Mt. Paektu. Both of the flights were operated on the Ilyushin 18. The plane registered P-835 has been build in 1966 and since then is flying for Air Koryo. Currently only domestic routes. A film review of the inside is available at the end of the entry.
First flight: JS3501 FNJ-YJS.
I woke up early, or should I say we, as it was a group. At the airport we've arrived around 7:30am, 1,5h before the flight. We had to wait a bit for boarding but that is not a problem if you are surrounded by a group of people with very similar interests. Time flew by very quickly and soon we were already on the bus to the plane. Boarded quickly and soon the engines have been turned on and taxiing commenced.
