Middle Eastern Memories
March 2004
Dave Rose /
Dave Anderson
I thought I would brighten up
the cold winter days with memories of my first trip to
the Middle East in March 2004. Myself, Dave Anderson,
Geoff Hyde and our better halves
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planned on flying from DTV to
LHR with BMI, then onward to Dubai with BA. However, it
started off in catastrophic fashion!! Heavy snowfall
meant the 6:30 am flight was cancelled!!
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We realised when we arrived at
DTV that the tractors just could't cope so it was a
quick taxi to Darlington Station and down to London by
train. Panic was setting in as we only had minutes to
spare
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once inside T4, but made it by
the skin of our teeth!!
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The plan was to stay in the
famous Sheraton Deira and also venture to Sharjah for
the (then) famous ramp tours. All went according to plan
and a great time was had, Dubai was just starting off as
a
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tourist destination but the
quality of visitors was excellent. The Sharjah ramp trip
exceeding expectations, once through security they
basically left you alone to walk the huge ramps and take
in
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the sights. These were the good
old days!! Ramps full of Antonov's, Ilyushin's and
Tupelov's waiting their next sortie or on open air
maintainance. One IL76 was loaded and preparing for
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departure and we asked whether
we could have a look inside, the Russian crew duly
beckoned us up the front stairs, and we climbed inside.
An eye opener was an understatement!! The hold
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and any other space was crammed
full of TV's, the cockpit looked like the instruments
were steam driven and the rest of the crew were eating
in the canteen behind the cockpit!!
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We visited Dubai again last
November, the Sheraton has remained an excellent place
to spot, it’s a pity Sharjah is now a shadow of its
former self, I suppose things move on.
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Digital photography was in its
infancy 12 years ago, but we all managed to click away
in the blue skies, both at the Sheraton and on the
Sharjah ramp. I have listed some of the interesting
aircraft
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below, with a link to a shot
along with the aircrafts current status. (please excuse
the quality)
Dubai |
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REG |
TYPE |
OPERATOR |
CURRENT STATUS |
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A6-EKL |
Airbus A310 - 308 |
Emirates |
Qatar Amiri Flight as
A7-AFE |
A6-FCZ |
Fokker F27 - 500F |
Falcon Cargo |
Air Djibouti Cargo as
5Y-JUU |
A4O-AT |
ATR 42 - 512 |
Oman Air |
Stored @ Muscat |
202 |
Boeing
E-3F Sentry |
French Air Force |
Current |
EP-ASD |
Boeing
727 228 |
Iran Aseman Airlines |
Current |
EP-LCG |
Fokker F-50 |
Kish Air |
Current |
EP-TQJ |
Ilyushin IL-76 TD |
Qeshm Air |
Yas Air as EP-GOL |
EX035 |
Ilyushin IL-76 TD |
Click Air |
Current |
EX160 |
Antonov An-12 TB |
British Gulf
International Airlines |
Preserved @ Minsk |
P4-OMC |
Boeing
737 268 |
Corporate |
Now A9C-DAA |
VT-AIH |
Airbus A310 324F |
Air India |
Scrapped 2011 |
ZS-NNN |
Douglas DC-9 32 |
United Nations |
WFU @ Joburg |
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Sharjah |
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4K-AZ30 |
Antonov An-12 BP |
Silk Way Airlines |
Fate unknown |
4L-AAL |
Antonov An-72 |
IAP |
Now UR-CFI as Corporate |
4L-AIR |
Antonov An-12 BK |
Tbiliaviasmheni
Airlines |
Crashed in Somalia |
4L-ZIL |
Ilyushin IL-76 MD |
Silk Way Airlines |
Crashed in Afghanistan |
9L-LDU |
Boeing
707 373C |
Koda Air Cargo |
Burnt out at Istanbul
SAW |
9Q-CWY |
Boeing
747 SP-09 |
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Still stored at Sharjah |
A6-ZYB |
Boeing
737 2S2C |
Dolphin Air |
Air Inuit as C-GAIG |
ST-EWB |
Ilyushin IL-76 TD |
East West Cargo |
Crashed at Khartoum |
EX-405 |
Ilyushin IL-18 V |
Anikay Air |
Current |
EX-017 |
Antonov An-24 RV |
Crimea Airlines |
Stored @ Fujairah |
EK-10151 |
Douglas DC-10 15 |
Pamir Airlines |
WFU @ Lima as J2-KCG |
EK-46741 |
Antonov An-12 TBK |
Phoenix Avia |
Crashed @ Payam |
EK-47318 |
Antonov An-24 RV |
Sudan Airways |
Current with South
Airlines |
EK-74702 |
Boeing
747 238B |
IRS Airlines |
Stored at Fujairah as
XT-DMT |
EX-75449 |
Ilyushin IL-18 D |
Intal Air |
Current |
EK-76707 |
Ilyushin IL-76 TD |
South Airlines |
Ayk Avia as EK-76992 |
ER-AFL |
Antonov An-26 B |
Central Airways |
Amur Airlines as
RA-26082 |
ER-AXE |
Antonov An-12 BK |
AirBridgeCargo |
Transasia Service as
4L-VAS |
ER-AXL |
Antonov An-12 BP |
TepAviaTrans |
Air Victory as 4L-ROM |
ER-TAI |
Tupolev Tu-154 B2 |
Air Service
International |
Still stored at Sharjah |
EW-78843 |
Ilyushin IL-76 MD |
Trans Avia Export |
Current |
EX-022 |
Antonov An-12 BP |
Sasco Airlines |
Click Airways as
EK-11418 |
EX-023 |
Antonov An-24 RV |
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WFU @ Erbil |
EX-036 |
Ilyushin IL-76 TD |
Click Airways |
Jetstar as ER-IAO |
EX-050 |
Boeing
737 229C |
PMT Air |
WFU @ Kinshasa as
EK-73755 |
EX-067 |
Boeing
767 269ER |
Phoenix Aviation |
Damaged by fire at FLL
as N251MY |
EX-201 |
Ilyushin IL-18 D |
Phoenix Aviation |
Osh Avia as EX-786 |
N183AW |
Boeing
737 277 |
Aerovista Gulf Express |
Allegiance Air as
ZS-BIL |
RA-85715 |
Tupolev Tu-154 M |
KMV-Kavkazskie
Mineralnye Vody |
Current |
RA-85726 |
Tupolev Tu-154 M |
Donavia |
Scrapped at Rostov |
RDPL-34146 |
Ilyushin IL-76 MD |
Imtrec Aviation |
Asia Airways as EY-602 |
S2-ADU |
Boeing
707 3K1C |
First International
Airways |
Mid Express Tchad as
TT-DAX |
S9-DAE |
Ilyushin IL-76 MD |
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Scrapped at Fuairah |
S9-DAF |
Antonov An-12 BP |
Goliaf Air |
Current |
5Y-BRV |
Boeing
707 307C |
Air Gulf Falcon |
Still stored at Sharjah |
ST-APS |
Ilyushin IL-76 TD |
Azza Air Transport |
Current |
ST-AQE |
Antonov An-12 BP |
United Arabian Airlines |
Crashed @ Kinshasa |
ST-AQM |
Antonov An-26 |
Ababeel Aviation |
Crashed @ Al Obied |
ST-AQQ |
Antonov An-12 BK |
El Magal Aviation |
Crashed in Sudan |
ST-EWC |
Ilyushin IL-76 MD |
East West Cargo |
WFU @ Khartoum |
ST-JUA |
Ilyushin IL-76 MD |
Juba Air Cargo |
Crashed at Khartoum |
SX-BHE |
Dornier Do.228 201 |
Olympic Aviation |
Kaskazi Aviation as
5Y-BUV |
UN-11003 |
Antonov An-12 BP |
ATMA |
Crashed at Kabul |
UN-11007 |
Antonov An-12 B |
RPS Air Freight Co |
Crashed in Yemen |
UN-65610 |
Tupolev Tu-134 A-3 |
Atyrau Airways |
TZhM (MChS) Kazakhstan
as UP-T3405 |
UN-75002 |
Ilyushin IL-18 E |
Irbis Airlines |
Irbis as UP-I1802 |
UN-76009 |
Ilyushin IL-76 TD |
GST Aero |
Crashed at Khartoum |
UN-B2702 |
Boeing
727 225F |
Mega Aircompany |
Current |
UR-CAP |
Ilyushin IL-76 TD |
Ukraine Air Alliance |
Air West Cargo as
ST-EWD |
YU-AMI |
Ilyushin IL-76 MD |
Kosmas Air Cargo |
Silk Way as 4K-AZ60 |
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