Flying Rare / Classic Aircraft In 2016 (Q1)

dumbell2424 · Sun Jan 17, 2016 8:59 pm

Haven't seen one started for the new year yet! Any updates on Aurigny Trislanders? Last I heard they were supposed to be retired at the end of December.

Last years threads for reference:
Flying Rare / Classic Aircraft In 2015 (Q4) (by dumbell2424 Oct 7 2015 in Aviation Polls)
Flying Rare / Classic Aircraft In 2015 (Q3) (by Birdwatching Jul 2 2015 in Aviation Polls)
Flying Rare / Classic Aircraft In 2015 (Q2) (by Birdwatching Mar 30 2015 in Aviation Polls)
Flying Rare / Classic Aircraft In 2015 (Q1) (by Birdwatching Dec 28 2014 in Aviation Polls)

winterlight · Wed Jan 20, 2016 3:18 pm

Aurigny have quoted "the spring" as the new Trislander retirement date.

Motor Sich AN24s & 140s intra-Ukraine are worth doing.

Birdwatching · Wed Jan 20, 2016 8:25 pm

Quoting dumbell2424 (Thread starter):
Haven't seen one started for the new year yet!

Yes thank you for starting the new one!

Quoting dumbell2424 (Thread starter):
Any updates on Aurigny Trislanders? Last I heard they were supposed to be retired at the end of December.

I'd be very curious about this too. I'm thinking about a trip up there in mid April. Is Southampton a route that typically has the Trislander?

Soren

ALexeu · Thu Jan 21, 2016 12:17 pm

Just booked an A310 on the AMS-OTP-AMS. Any idea if the aircraft will be still flying in March? I can see that they are using a combination of A310s, B733s and A318s on the route.

opticalilyushin · Thu Jan 21, 2016 10:59 pm

I'm booked OTP-AMS on Sunday April 03. The schedule shows an A310, and I'm told it rarely changes..here's hoping!

As for the Trislander, anything involving Alderney is the best shot. I flew it SOU-ACI-GCI on 2 airframes 2 years ago, but I think they were keen to get the Dornier 228 on the SOU-ACI sector as it is not weight-restricted like the Trislander is. It'll be sad when the last one retires, but I can't wait to go back in a couple of years for the RUAG 228!

I've a few trips coming up soon, including the Twin Otter 100, Shorts 360, a lot of Iran stuff, and Islanders and Dash 8s in Scotland/Norway, will report back with how it went or when I have more info.

dc9northwest · Fri Jan 22, 2016 4:40 pm

Regarding RO's A310s, I definitely caught them twice on AMS-OTP-AMS, both on Sundays.

Rarely changes... Well, AMS on Sundays is one of your best bets. It can change if they're doing a lot of charters... but that's more in December/January or in Summer. Also keep in mind that if maintenance needs to be done, it will be done. They have been using their A310s pretty heavily lately, and certainly more so in Summer. Cheap oil probably helps them still be in service.

EDIT: Apparently the A310s will be removed from service in Oct 2016 due to approaching maintenance work (~D checks)

[Edited 2016-01-22 09:30:43]

Skyeurope · Fri Jan 22, 2016 6:03 pm

Quoting opticalilyushin (Reply 4):
Shorts 360

There are SH360 left in scheduled services? Is it Tiara or a different company?

winterlight · Fri Jan 22, 2016 7:31 pm

Had been looking at MAD-OTP on the A310 for a while until discovered the (cheaper) AMS option. Have now booked for late March; B733 out, A310 back.

whiskeyhotel · Fri Jan 22, 2016 8:46 pm

Anyone have a sense as to how soon IR will start taking delivery of A340s? I'm considering booking PEK-IKA-ORY for late December, but no sense in doing it if IR will be fielding new(ish) equipment on the route. Wikipedia page (FWIW) shows IR taking delivery of A340s this year.

PlymSpotter · Fri Jan 22, 2016 8:53 pm

Quoting Skyeurope (Reply 6):
There are SH360 left in scheduled services? Is it Tiara or a different company?

Ayit in Israel. Myself and opticalilyushin have three sectors booked on it next weekend but two are soft confirmed as the DHC6-100 now. Will share further info post flight, see what plans they have for retirement.

Dan

Skyeurope · Fri Jan 22, 2016 9:03 pm

Quoting PlymSpotter (Reply 9):

Thanks a lot! Hadn't thought about them at all..

PlymSpotter · Fri Jan 22, 2016 9:14 pm

Quoting Skyeurope (Reply 10):
Thanks a lot! Hadn't thought about them at all..

They are quite a small operation I think.

Also on the A310 topic, Tarom fly the A310 to TLV at least twice a week. It's an 06:00 departure from OTP, which isn't great for inbound connections mind.

Dan

dumbell2424 · Wed Jan 27, 2016 12:09 am

Not necessarily rare/classic in itself, but rare for a widebody on the type of route...Garuda is ending LGW - AMS on the 777 at the end of March. So if anyone wants to grab a cheapish (~£80) roundtrip to AMS and snag a 1hour ride in a widebody, time is running short.

See: Confirmed:Garuda Moves To Heathrow By 31 March (by julio777 Jan 26 2016 in Civil Aviation)

TUGMASTER · Wed Jan 27, 2016 7:35 am

Since Links Air AOC was suspended early Nov 15, North Flying have been using a Metroliner on the CWL-VLY rotation.
Now bookable via the citywing website up to 13th Feb 16....
Cheap way to fly a rare aircraft .

Loran · Wed Jan 27, 2016 12:48 pm

Quoting PlymSpotter (Reply 9):
but two are soft confirmed as the DHC6-100 now

They fly DHC-6-100s in scheduled services?? Interesting!
Have been chasing one in scheduled services for a while, its the toughest one of the whole DHC-6 family.

I have flown on both of Tiara Air's SH-360 in 2013, I believe they are now grounded. It was a very chaotic operation, I barely made my connection through BON from P4-TIA to P4-TIB. My flight was 2hrs late and eventually both of their SH-360s arrived at the same time into BON, so I ended up with my shortest ever landside transfer - a total of 3 mins between immigration, checkin and leaving again

Regards,
Loran

opticalilyushin · Wed Jan 27, 2016 1:40 pm

Does the Shorts 330 still fly anywhere commercially? I'd be keen to track one down.

Loran · Wed Jan 27, 2016 2:21 pm

Quoting opticalilyushin (Reply 15):
Does the Shorts 330 still fly anywhere commercially? I'd be keen to track one down.

Not to my knowledge. Maybe one in eastern Indonesia. All others are charter or cargo, but happy to be proven wrong.

Regards,
Loran

Skyeurope · Wed Jan 27, 2016 3:19 pm

Quoting Loran (Reply 16):
Not to my knowledge. Maybe one in eastern Indonesia. All others are charter or cargo, but happy to be proven wrong.

With eastern Indonesia you mean Papua, I guess? Which operator do you suspect to still operate one?

Loran · Thu Jan 28, 2016 9:32 am

Quoting Skyeurope (Reply 17):
With eastern Indonesia you mean Papua, I guess? Which operator do you suspect to still operate one?

No I thought it was Indonesia, but close to the PNG border. We will need our fellow enthusiast MEA-707 to comment, he mentioned something a few weeks ago, but was not 100% sure himself. But I think there should still be 1-2 available for charters, if we can get a group together.
Also, the US Army/USAF will dispose their fleet in the not too distant future I heard, so I assume a few more will end up with parachute clubs, cargo, etc. mainly in north america.

Regards,
Loran

EDIT: Has to be Deraya Air Taxi, they have a reasonable fleet comprising all types of flying shoe boxes (SH-330s, SH-360s, an SC-7 Skyvan, CASA 212s, also BAe ATPs)

[Edited 2016-01-28 01:38:10]

Skyeurope · Thu Jan 28, 2016 2:38 pm

Quoting Loran (Reply 18):

Yeah we meant the same. Papua region of Indonesia

Thanks for the info, please keep us updated if you want to get a group together to charter that SH-330.

MEA-707 · Fri Jan 29, 2016 11:32 am

Quoting Loran (Reply 18):
We will need our fellow enthusiast MEA-707 to comment

Indeed Deraya is still flying with Shorts 330, 360 and ATP. Mostly cargo but I found their website
http://www.deraya.co.id/en/ and reading in between the lines they seem open for any charters of it, also by foreigners otherwise they wouldn't have an English website like that.
In contrast to that, I once tried to contact Pelita but they are mostly focussed on oil and local VIPs and don't seem to like to deal with foreign enthousiasts.
So I guess we should try to deal with Deraya. Once we're there you can also take a Trigana 737-200 flight from Jayapura.

airevents · Sat Jan 30, 2016 10:09 am

Interesting about Ayit. Do they fly SDV to Qiryat Shmona or any other routes? Last time I checked, their website didn´t have online booking. Must look again. That would be tempting...

CanadianNorth · Sat Jan 30, 2016 11:57 am

Not sure if it's been mentioned before but a ride on the HS-748 in regular scheduled passenger service is getting quite rare, and around these parts will be gone soon with ATR-42s are expected to take over the northern sked run at Air North early this summer. As far as I know this is one of the last chances to book a ticket on an HS-748.

Loran · Sat Jan 30, 2016 5:12 pm

Quoting Skyeurope (Reply 19):
Yeah we meant the same. Papua region of Indonesia

Ooops sorry for my geography fail. I admit I haven't been to Indonesia yet. Will let you know in case anything develops.

Quoting MEA-707 (Reply 20):
Indeed Deraya is still flying with Shorts 330, 360 and ATP. Mostly cargo but I found their website
http://www.deraya.co.id/en/ and reading in between the lines they seem open for any charters of it, also by foreigners otherwise they wouldn't have an English website like that.
In contrast to that, I once tried to contact Pelita but they are mostly focussed on oil and local VIPs and don't seem to like to deal with foreign enthousiasts.
So I guess we should try to deal with Deraya. Once we're there you can also take a Trigana 737-200 flight from Jayapura.

Thanks for the info, sounds interesting. Would need someone locally though to support I guess.

Regards,
Loran

opticalilyushin · Mon Feb 01, 2016 12:15 pm

Plymspotter and I just got back from our Israel trip late last night. It was largely a success, and the Shorts 360 does still fly on some domestic routes in Israel, though the schedule can change. I don't want to make this political, but due to the sensitive nature in that area of the Middle East we both had to endure a lot of hassle on every flight we took, extensive security checks, bag checks every time, thorough pat downs whilst semi-dressed. On one occasion they made it last for nearly 2 hours, meaning we missed our flight.

I will personally not be returning to Israel as a result of the unpleasant experience, but as a lot of friends have asked about this, and for those determined to go and fly out there I recommend:

1 - leave at least 2 hours before any flight to allow for a lot of questioning, searches, and be prepared to potentially have your hand luggage and camera put in the hold, if you are deemed untrustworthy..

2 - Be careful with passport stamps. Security there seem to view any Arab stamp as a very bad thing, and even connecting flights in the Middle East doesn't seem to satisfy them.

3 - Be aware that they are recording or noting everything you say, do and go. They will ask the same things again and again to try and see if your story changes.

It's technically possible to have a successful trip, but don't plan short connections, don't expect any understanding on why you are flying so much, and expect a lot of security checks.

On a bright side the Shorts 360 is an amazing machine to fly on, the Arkia 757-300 in or out of Eilat is also interesting to try, and the local food and beer is outstanding!

PlymSpotter · Mon Feb 01, 2016 1:25 pm

Just to follow on from opticalilyushin's post with a little more detail about Ayit, who are a very friendly and interesting company:

The only 'guaranteed' Short 360 route was Eilat - Tel Aviv Sde Dov - Rosh Pina, due to the longer length of the flight to Eilat. This operated as a seasonal charter in January only, no idea if it will return in 2017.

Sde Dov to Rosh Pina is operated with a mixture of PA-31, Beech 80 or Short 360, depends on loads which aren't that high really. As mentioned above, allow a long long time for security if you are doing this for fun! It took us two hours and we therefore had no hope of making the return flight on the Beech 80, because check in doesn't open until an hour before departure, apparently. In future I would ignore this, I'm sure security will be only too happy to proceed with their processing.

In general there are lots of nice people and interesting things to fly in Israel, but the security and paranoia is overbearing to a point I have never before seen. I'd love to go back and try and fly the Beech 80, but the thought of hours more interrogation really puts me off to the point that I'd rather pay $$$ to charter the type somewhere else if possible.

Quoting MEA-707 (Reply 20):
Indeed Deraya is still flying with Shorts 330, 360 and ATP. Mostly cargo but I found their website
http://www.deraya.co.id/en/ and reading in between the lines they seem open for any charters of it, also by foreigners otherwise they wouldn't have an English website like that.

I talked with these guys when I first started planning my trip early last year. They are in all cargo configuration, not keen on passenger charters in the Shorts or ATP. They may be able to put you in the jump-seat if you built up a rapport.

Dan

TUGMASTER · Mon Feb 01, 2016 4:38 pm

Thanks for the feedback from your trip.

ALexeu · Wed Feb 03, 2016 10:47 am

Quoting opticalilyushin (Reply 4):
I'm booked OTP-AMS on Sunday April 03. The schedule shows an A310, and I'm told it rarely changes..here's hoping!

Fingers crossed they don't change, given that they didnt use the A310 on the routes to AMS in the last week. I wouldn't mind getting an A318, another relatively rare type, but only on one-way.

Quoting opticalilyushin (Reply 4):
As for the Trislander, anything involving Alderney is the best shot. I flew it SOU-ACI-GCI on 2 airframes 2 years ago, but I think they were keen to get the Dornier 228 on the SOU-ACI sector as it is not weight-restricted like the Trislander is.

Aurigny is way too expensive...I've been trying to work this out, going from DUB or BFS, but it seems like flying all the way to Romania is cheaper than getting to the Bailiwick of Guernsey.

opticalilyushin · Wed Feb 03, 2016 12:25 pm

Quoting ALexeu (Reply 27):

It certainly is an expensive day out, but worth it for that extremely old and rare type

I booked months in advance, flying BHD-SOU with Flybe, then SOU-ACI-GCI-LGW with Aurigny, I think all 3 Aurigny flights cost around £100. I can't think of any other Trislander operators in the world.

KPWMSpotter · Fri Feb 05, 2016 1:56 pm

I just sent an E-Mail to Aurigny reservations regarding the Trislander flight schedule. Their response to my query is below (current as of 4-February, 2016).

"Unfortunately, it is very difficult to predict when the Dornier 228 will be servicing the islands of Guernsey and Alderney, at the present time the Trislander is operating all services between Alderney, Guernsey, Southampton and Dinard.

As you are wishing to fly on a Trislander, we would suggest that you make your booking but selecting the most expensive fare, if travelling from LGW-GCI-ACI as a day return and should the Trislander not be operating on the date of travel we could move you free of charge to a service that will be operated by the Trislander or offer a full refund."

LX138 · Fri Feb 05, 2016 4:06 pm

Funny how 12 months ago Aurigny were shouting about how the Trislander only had 'weeks left in service' and here we are a year later and they are still covering most of the network!

Latest on the ATP: if you are looking to catch one the new Estonian airline Nordic Aviation Group are leasing 2 from Nextjet and are currently operating TLL-ARN and TLL-OSL and is the cheapest way (some very good fares) to get on one.

Just booked on one to ARN.

MEA-707 · Sat Feb 06, 2016 3:50 pm

Quoting LX138 (Reply 30):
Funny how 12 months ago Aurigny were shouting about how the Trislander only had 'weeks left in service' and here we are a year later and they are still covering most of the network!

The weird thing is Aurigny has 3 Do-228s now, should be more then enough to cover their network, perhaps the Trislander is better suited or some paperwork and pilot training is delaying the switch to the new aircraft???

crv10b3 · Sat Feb 06, 2016 4:19 pm

Tupolev Tu-134:

It is still possible to book a flight on a Tu-134 in Russia.
Alrosa is still flying one Tu-134 but charter Airline Turuhan is selling scheduled flights between Krasnoyarsk, Tomsk and Surgut every two weeks:

KJA-TOF-KJA for less than 120 Euro
Saturday: UТ-9371 15:40 Емеliаnоvо 15:30 Tomsk 0:50 TUPOLEV TU134
Sunday: UТ-9372 12:25 Tomsk 14:10 Емеliаnоvо 0:45 TUPOLEV TU134

TOF-SGC-TOF 270 Euro
Saturday: UT-9825 17:20 Tomsk 17:40 Surgut 1:20 TUPOLEV TU134
Sunday: UT-9826 06:20 Surgut 08:40 Tomsk 1:20 TUPOLEV TU134

Or 4 flights in one weekend: KJA-TOF-SGC-TOF-KJA

Turuhan is operating 4 Tu-134A-3's:
RA-65052 and RA-65083 basic NordAvia c/s
RA-65560 (all white c/s)
RA-65565 UTair Express c/s

But remember that Turuhan is also flying the Antonov AN-24, exchange of aircraft is always possible.
So don't blame me.

Good luck !!

crv10b3 · Sat Feb 06, 2016 4:43 pm

Tupolev Tu-154:

Alrosa is flying a Tu-154 in a splendid new c/s between cities like Moscow/Domodedovo (DME),Polyarnye (PYJ) and Novosibirsk (OSB). But be aware of their B737's, they can also be on the schedule.

Gazpromavia is still flying three Tu-154M's:
RA-85625 (old c/s)
RA-85751 and RA-85778 (new c/s)

Sometimes their flights between Moscow/Vnukovo (VKO), UFA (UFA) and Tyumen TJM) are bookable but also other flights will show up once in a while.

For example:
18-2-2015 VKO-UFA 23.40-03.30 Tu-154M 41.50 Euro
19-2-2015 UFA-TJM 05.20-06.25 Tu-154M 61.00 Euro

All Gazpromavia's Yak-42's are wfu because ten SSJ Superjets are operational.
The Yak-40's are still flying (4) and bookable between Nadym (NYM), Sovetsky (OVS) and Yekaterinburg (SVX)

[Edited 2016-02-06 08:45:27]

sahaair707 · Mon Feb 15, 2016 10:17 am

The Motor Sich An-140 looks interesting but the only route I can find it on is Zaporizhzia - Minsk, is it scheduled domestically in Ukraine?

[Edited 2016-02-15 02:28:12]

airevents · Tue Feb 16, 2016 4:11 am

Hello there,
as I will be flying around Russia a lot in the coming months, I wanted to ask you which website you use for booking your domestic Russian flights? I haven´t been there for a while.
Thanks!

Luxair747SP · Tue Feb 16, 2016 10:01 am

Quoting airevents (Reply 35):
Hello there,
as I will be flying around Russia a lot in the coming months, I wanted to ask you which website you use for booking your domestic Russian flights? I haven´t been there for a while.
Thanks!

Usually agent.ru finds all flights, even from the rarer smaller airlines and accepts all common credit cards

crv10b3 · Tue Feb 16, 2016 8:29 pm

I agree with Luxair747SP. Agent.ru but sirena2000.de is a reliable alternative.

[Edited 2016-02-16 12:30:30]

Birdwatching · Tue Feb 16, 2016 8:31 pm

Is it ok to mention the Fokker 50 in this thread, or is it too new and not rare enough?
(In another thread about "rare planes from the 70s" in the CivAv forum, about every second post is about the 737-300, which makes me bang my head against the wall)

Anyway, you can currently fly the VLM Fokker 50 pretty cheap on FDH-ANR (Friedrichshafen-Antwerp).
Starting at 135 EUR round trip, 115 if you go through Skycheck.de

Might be an interesting option if you missed out on the KLM flights.

Soren

longhauler · Tue Feb 16, 2016 9:27 pm

If you have ever had the desire to fly in a Beech 18 or DC-3, the Canadian Warplane Heritage takes members up on flights.

http://www.warplane.com/visit-cwhm/vintage-aircraft-flights.aspx

And yes, you can even fly in an Avro Lancaster!

Skyeurope · Wed Feb 17, 2016 7:54 am

Quoting Birdwatching (Reply 38):

Cityjet is still operating F50s (opb VLM) on Antwerp - London City starting from 69€ ow

Also, Italian Air Vallee is operating an Amapola Flyg F50 (SE-LEZ) on Rimini - Catania, Rimini - Tirana, Pescara - Catania, Pescara - Tirana and Bari - Tirana. Depending on the route prices start from 49€ ow.

airevents · Thu Feb 18, 2016 3:06 pm

Just coming back from a flight in a very posh MA-60 on Cambodia Bayon Airlines, I can thoroughly recommend the experience. Ticket from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh was dirt cheap and the flight left on time. They even have First Class chairs in the last row! Fantastic!

GG22 · Tue Feb 23, 2016 9:22 pm

Are there any known PAWA Dominicana DC-9 routes ?

MH017 · Wed Feb 24, 2016 9:12 am

Quoting airevents (Reply 41):
Just coming back from a flight in a very posh MA-60 on Cambodia Bayon Airlines, I can thoroughly recommend the experience. Ticket from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh was dirt cheap and the flight left on time. They even have First Class chairs in the last row! Fantastic!

Was planning to use them on the SGN-PNH v.v. service anytime between 31jan-18feb16, but the MA60 never showed up...apparently they only fly domestic sectors

Guess, I've to plan them again for next year or make a trip to Laos in order to fly the MA60

Birdwatching · Wed Feb 24, 2016 9:13 pm

Quoting airevents (Reply 41):
Just coming back from a flight in a very posh MA-60 on Cambodia Bayon Airlines, I can thoroughly recommend the experience. Ticket from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh was dirt cheap and the flight left on time. They even have First Class chairs in the last row! Fantastic!

I'll be in Cambodia in a month and I'll try to fly on the Ma60. Luckily it's the only type Bayon operates, so at least I don't have to fear an equipment change.
I hear those Ma60s crash on most flights and they have the lowest passenger survivability rate of any aircraft type.

Soren

opticalilyushin · Wed Mar 02, 2016 11:56 am

Does anyone have news on the LADE F-28s in Argentina? I was planning to fly it next January on a trip, but have heard different rumours of replacement Emb135s or F70s this year

Skyeurope · Wed Mar 02, 2016 1:11 pm

Quoting GG22 (Reply 42):
Are there any known PAWA Dominicana DC-9 routes ?

SDQ-SXM is appearently one of them. Saw a PAWA DC9-30 arriving on the Maho Beach Webcam on Monday.

MEA-707 · Sat Mar 05, 2016 10:46 pm

Quoting opticalilyushin (Reply 45):
Does anyone have news on the LADE F-28s in Argentina?

One is still operational as of now, but its flight is more often cancelled then not, often due to it being technical. I don't think it will remain operational for another 11 months.

zkeoj · Sun Mar 06, 2016 9:07 am

Quoting MH017 (Reply 43):
Guess, I've to plan them again for next year or make a trip to Laos in order to fly the MA60

I flew Joy Air in China XIY-TYN-XIY. I was first on another flight, but that got cancelled. It took me a bit at the airport to explain to that poor woman that I don;t care where I can fly the same day return, as long as it was on a MA60. She eventually got it, thought I am from Mars, smiled and booked me on the trip above. A very pleasant flight!

I know there are still quite a few Metros around, but it was mentioned in an earlier post. I have never been on one, and will do AKL-WHK-AKL on Air Chathams this month. Worst case scenario is a sub by their CV580 or DC3. Can't really complain about any of them

Cheers
micha

zkeoj · Sun Mar 06, 2016 9:11 am

Quoting LX138 (Reply 30):
Latest on the ATP: if you are looking to catch one the new Estonian airline Nordic Aviation Group are leasing 2 from Nextjet and are currently operating TLL-ARN and TLL-OSL and is the cheapest way (some very good fares) to get on one.

Just booked on one to ARN.

Where did you book that? I tried OSL-TLL-OSL, and all I get onm their own website are AY flights, and then some others (OS, KL, etc.)

Cheers
micha

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