China & North Korea Tour
30th May-11th June 2013 ‘The Final Frontier’
Kevin
Perry
However, after quite a
few of these going ahead without any problems, it was time to
take advantage of the opportunity, after Ian Allan announced
their first tour, in conjunction with Juche Travel Services
(based in London and Beijing) and the state-owned KITC (Korea
International Travel Company) based in the DPRK capital,
Pyongyang. The aviation tours of the DPRK last for one week, and
include a lot of ‘sightseeing’, which is unavoidable. For the
hardened aircraft enthusiast, this could be seen as a major
inconvenience. However, looking back, i can say that most of it
is interesting enough, and well worth ‘putting up with’ for the
chance to fly on every type operated by the national carrier Air
Koryo. The line up… IL-18, IL-62, IL-76, Tu-134, TU-154B,
Tu-204, An-24 and new An-148. Some of these classics can only be
flown on in the DPRK now, such as the Tu-154B and IL-62 (unless
you can get on a government operated aircraft), with Air Koryo
likely to be the last commercial operator of some of the other
types as well in the future. With previous photographs of
CAAK/Air Koryo aircraft being limited to just two IL-62’s,
things were about to change big time. Photographing the famous
visit of P-885 to Manchester in 1991 (guess which one we were
about to fly on!), and catching P-882 at Moscow Sheremetyevo in
2003 were the only previous encounters before now.
Unlike the Juche tours,
which only feature the DPRK, the Ian Allan tour also included a
few days around Beijing, for the chance of an organized visit to
the amazing museum at Datangshan, and as an additional
arrangement for myself, a visit to the collections at the Civil
Aviation Museum and Tianjin, which are also a must for any
serious ‘classic hunters’. Unfortunately, China can be compared
to Japan these days, with no commercial ‘classics’ left in
service. The days of the older Western and Soviet-era airliners
are long gone, with the only chance to see some of these types
now in the museums. Infact, further to this, as of January this
year, all Soviet-era airliners were banned from China, meaning
our flight to/from Pyongyang which was originally planned to be
operated by IL-62, was now going to be a Tu-204. Being mostly
interested in older classic airliners, i had thought that after
getting all the museum aircraft around Beijing, i probably
wouldn’t bother with China again, for yet more modern airliners.
However, Shanghai for example, has a few more classics to offer
(including the rare Chinese-built ‘707’), and you never know,
maybe the military will ‘open up’ with more access one day! As
for North Korea, i can only suggest you do it (if you can),
while the chance is still there. There is no place like it on
earth now.
Before then, the problem
of getting through the airport had to be overcome. The issue of
travelling to China on the new 72 hour no-visa transit rule,
introduced in January, had been a problem from check-in at
Bahrain. Despite clarifying the rule with Emirates and the
Chinese embassy before flying, on checking-in i was told ‘where
is your visa, you can’t fly without one’! After discussion with
the airline supervisor, i was able to fly, but had to sign a
form stating that the airline were not liable for any
responsibility for me, if on getting to Beijing i was refused
entry and had to arrange a flight out etc. Not a great start!
The problem, it seems, is this new rule is still not understood
by everyone yet, with even the separate no-visa transit desk at
Beijing being unmanned. And so, after a long wait on arrival, in
the end an Emirates staff member had to come out and complete a
form, to allow my entry through immigration. Maybe the late
arrival didn’t help, but in comparison, a few of the main group
also flying ‘no-visa’ had no such problems, either on check-in
at LHR, or on arrival at PEK, where they ‘breezed through in 30
seconds’!
Along with a few others,
travelling to/from Beijing independently from the main group, we
had the arrangement to meet with the Chinese guide in the hotel
lobby this morning, to take our coach to the terminal and
collect those coming in on the BA B747 from Heathrow. Seeing it
was due at 0940, and knowing the time it takes to process
through the airport, there was enough time to ask the driver to
take us over to the East side of the runway 01 approach, for
landing shots next to the perimeter fence. Bonus! Landings from
the South are the most common at Beijing, with all 3 runways
used to some extent. This morning 01 was being used the most,
though 36L and 36R (the ‘centre’ runway) can also be used as
much, if not all shared for arrivals. So, over the next hour or
so, before being called to pick up the main group, those
photographed included the said BA B747-400 G-BNLZ, suitably
followed by Air Koryo Tu-204-100
P-633, Air China
A330-200 B-6075 (in special ‘Zichin Hao’ colours), Air China
B737-800 B-5176 (in special ‘MuDan Silver Peony’ colours), China
Eastern A330-300X B-6125 (in special ‘Xinhua.net’ colours),
Dalian Airlines/Air China B737-800 B-5197, Shanghai Airlines
B767-300 B-2498, Xiamen Air B757-200 B-2868 and Air China
B737-800 B-2642 (in special ‘China Flower Expo’ colours).
Collecting the main
group, red-eyed off the overnight BA, we then headed straight
off to the Datangshan China Aviation Museum, 40km to the North
of Beijing. This famous, large museum is actually named after
the mountain located there, with part of the collection on
display inside a cave, in the side of the mountain. This was
originally part of the tunnels and undergound bunker system of
the adjoining Shahe (or Shahezhen) Airbase, which currently has
Y-5 (An-2 copy), Y-7 (An-24 copy) and Puma’s based (though not
visible from the museum). With over 300 aircraft on display
here, as listed on various websites, i will just mention a few
of the highlights… First seen on entering the museum is a very
nice row of aircraft, with Chinese AF IL-14P
4202 (used by
Chairman Mao in 1957-58), ex China United IL-18V B-230 (painted
as Chinese AF ‘232’
to represent another of Mao’s aircraft) and Chinese AF Viscount
843
50258 (also ex
China United). Other British-built classics here include the
first sight of a Chinese ‘Rodent’, with three present, Chinese
AF Trident 1E 50051, Trident 2E
50055 and ex CAAC
Trident 2E B-2202.
The latter is parked away from the museum area, and has had the
rear fuselage/fin and wings removed (which are dumped next to a
hangar, along with an Li-2 fuselage), with Chinese writing along
the fuselage relating to the 21St Century Hotel in Beijing,
where the aircraft was previously located, used as a disco. Sad!
Of the many other classics present, IL-62
B-2024 was one of
five operated by CAAC between 1971-1987, while Chinese AF
Tu-124V
50256 is one
of two on display here. These rare classics were re-painted not
so long ago, as part of a lot of work done to clean up some of
the aircraft here. Finally, another Western built classic here
is DC-8-21
N220RB
still in Orbis colours. Built as a DC-8-11 in 1960, it is the
oldest surviving DC-8 in the world, being the 4th built! Used by
Project Orbis Inc as a flying eye hospital from 1982 until 1994
(when replaced by a DC-10), it somehow ended up here, where at
least it survives fully intact.
After an overcast start,
thankfully the cloud had cleared after a while, as did the
‘hundreds’ of school children! From here it was straight back to
the Langham, where we were to have a meeting prior to our
departure tomorrow for Pyongyang. This was to receive our travel
documents and DPRK tourist visa cards (no stamp in the
passport), as well as receiving a brief on ‘do’s and don’ts’
etc. We were also told to sign a document stating that we would
not photograph any military aircraft there, if we happened to
see any… don’t know how legally binding that is though!
Checking out of the
hotel and heading to T2 for check-in to Pyongyang, Air Koryo
flight JS152 was to be operated by Tu-204-100B P-633, which was
already at the gate. This was the ‘204 recently involved in a
runway overrun at Vladivostok, after landing on 1st March,
though with only minor damage. Again, no problems taking
pictures from inside the terminal, with others on for shots
including Challenger 300 B-8190, KLM Asia B747-400 PH-BFF,
Aeroflot A330-300X VP-BDE, Gulf 5SP M-GVSP, Korean Air B737-900
HL7718, Hainan Airlines A330-200 B-6133 (with ‘National Centre
For The Performing Arts’ logo), Chongqing Airlines A320-200
B-6576 (‘Happy Chongqing’ flowers colours) and Hong Kong
Airlines/Hainan Airlines A330-200 B-LND. Also photographed were
Grandstar Cargo B747-400F
B-2427 (stored for
the past year, with cockpit windows and engines covered) and
certainly todays highlight, Kazakhstan Tu-134A
UN-65683. Reportedly
operated by the Air Force/Border Guard, the housing for the
Balkany HF antenna is still visible below the tail cone, where
the ‘stinger tail’ was previously fitted. Classic.
And so, it was the point
of no return, and time to board the Tu-204, departing 30 minutes
late at 1330 for the 1.5 hour flight, landing at 1600L (1 hour
time difference). After taxying in past the first sight of some
of the classics here and parking, our group were the last to
leave the aircraft, after being given the chance to photograph
the cockpit. The first instance of the great cooperation we were
to get from the Air Koryo crews. Pyongyang Sunan International
Airport has a strange layout, with two runways almost
North-South of each other, meaning a long taxi from/to the
furthest from the terminal. As well as a new looking VIP
terminal, the airport currently has a lot of building work going
on, with a new terminal being built. The current small terminal
handles both arriving and departing passengers in the same area,
though there are normally few flights, with Air China from
Beijing several times a week being the only foreign carrier
present.
And that was it, no more
aircraft until Monday, with the rest of today and Sunday being
taken up with sightseeing etc. Trying not to dwell too much on
the politics of the country, the first and lasting impression
was the extensive use of (almost any) land available, for
rice/crop production, as the country tries to feed themselves,
now that the food aid from overseas has dried up. This includes
using the land inside the airport boundary, with ‘the people’
toiling away in paddy fields close to the taxiways etc! So,
following the slightly nervous, but quite easy process through
the small terminal, it was straight onto coaches and into the
city for the first bits of ‘culture’. Highlight was a visit to
the Mansudae Grand Monument, with 20 metres high bronze statues
of previous leaders, Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il. Here we were
given the chance to buy flowers and ‘pay our respects’, before
being told to line up and bow. The first bizarre experience!
Asking our guides about the story of the jacket being changed on
the Kim Jong-Il statue, they denied any knowledge and seemed to
think it was a strange question. Google it!
Just North of the DMZ
here is the historic city of Kaesong, which is a former capitol
of Korea during the Koryo dynasty, and is famous for its
ginseng. Here we had a ‘royal court’ meal in the tradional
manner, sat on the floor. Those that wanted ‘Boshintang’ had to
pay 5 Euros… that’s dog soup bye the way! I think those that
tried it felt a bit ‘rough’ after… doesn’t matter! From here it
was back to Pyongyang, via a couple of more monuments.
Samjiyon was being
visited for the nearby famous Mount Paektu and other places of
interest locally. Before heading off, a short question and
answer session with our IL-18 captain was held. The most
important question… for how much longer will the IL-18 remain in
service… answer, 15 years! Time will tell… maybe dreaded ATR’s
will be here before then! First stop then, was the Ri Myung Su
waterfall and hot spring, where we had lunch, before going on to
the ‘secret Paektu camp’ in the dense forest around the
mountain, said to be where Kim Il-Sung organized the resistance
army against the Japanese occupation in WWII, and where his son,
Kim Jong-Il was said to be born (although apparently he was born
in Khabarovsk, Russia!). Unfortunately, the visit up Mount
Paektu had to be cancelled due to the road up there being
blocked by ice and snow. Apparently, only one of the aviation
tours here has ever made it up there! The active volcanic
mountain is actually on the (disputed) border between the DPRK
and China, featuring a large crater lake called Heaven Lake,
which is considered to be sacred by Koreans. So, it was on to
the hotel, earlier than planned, though the chance to chill out
and have a drink wasn’t a bad thing. The Be Gae Bong hotel is
considered very luxurious out here, obviously built for the
party elite and rarely used, it does look out of place in this
rural area, which also has Presidential palaces for the last two
leaders.
With little time to
catch our breath after that, on leaving the aircraft, our next
ride was ready and waiting! Coming a close second to the ‘62,
the IL-76 was highly anticipated by the group, as again, the
chance to fly on one is very rare, although one or two of the
group had been on the (only known) enthusiasts charter in one,
in Minsk a few years ago. Of course, the big unknown with this
thing, was the comfort/safety concerns of flying in a cargo
aircraft! Fitted with bench seats along the sides of the cabin
(sorry,
cargo hold),
with no seat belts, we new we were in for a ‘ride’! Also, with
only a couple of small windows, the flight experience was going
to be more about the sound and feel of the ride, with the
landing quite unusual in that (most onboard) never knew when the
thump and jolt on touchdown was going to happen! Our aircraft
was IL-76MD
P-912,
with flight JS5200 airborne at 1010, again for a 25 minute
flight. On the take off roll, Andy sat next to me, or should i
say kneeling on his seat while videoing out of the window,
underestimated the ‘pull’ of the acceleration, and almost went
rolling to the back of the aircraft, grabbing hold of (and
almost taking) me with him! For the landing, we swopped, so i
could video outside. Of course, not wanting to make a fool of
myself, i made sure i had a firm position and grip for the
touchdown and braking!
For half the group, that
was enough excitement for now, as we would be returning to the
terminal for lunch. The An-24 was actually going to be two
flights, so that everyone could have a window seat, with the
other half of the group going first. Their aircraft was older
An-24B P-537, for flight JS5300, which they boarded as we headed
off for the break. After lunch it was our turn, with a different
aircraft ready! Flight JS5400 was operated by An-24RV
P-533, airborne at
1410 for the 30 minute flight. Again, on landing, the groups
next aircraft was ready and waiting. Tu-134B-3
P-814 as JS5500 was
airborne at 1530, again for a 30 minute pleasure flight. Nice
smooth ride in this pocket rocket, with the unusual feature of
being able to photograph the top half of the tail fin while in
flight, through the rear toilet skylight window! Finally, one
last flight today for (most of) the group was in the An-148
P-671 as JS5600. A few of us had decided to sit this optional
one out, as although a rare type to fly on, ‘it just ain’t a
classic’! As well as all these, while out on the ramp, the
Tu-204 on the Beijing flight taxied in very close by, giving us
the best shots of the shorter -300
P-632.
So what a fantastic day,
with great organization by Air Koryo, to make all those flights
run so smoothly. As with all our Air Koryo flights, on landing,
we had the chance to visit and photograph the cockpit, followed
by a group photograph in front of the aircraft. Theres not
really much more they can do for you… no, unfortunately they
wont allow jump seat rides!
As mentioned, most of
the sightseeing planned by the guides had been interesting
enough. However, the group were not really looking forward to
todays plan, to be honest. Although the Tu-154 flight to the
DPRK’s second city, Hamhung, was of course a great thought, the
visit to the Hungnam fertilizer complex there certainly wasn’t!
‘Admiring’ North Koreas industry in action, with the added bonus
of the ‘fantastic’ smell, would have tested the most tolerant of
the group! So, it was with quiet relief (not wanting to offend
our hosts), when our flight was at first delayed, then
cancelled, due to bad weather in Hamhung. Bummer! Again though,
the impressive organization of our guides and Air Koryo, had an
alternative plan for the day, set up in no time at all. Instead,
we would now take a one hour pleasure flight in the ‘154,
followed by a drive out to a luxury hotel in the hills to the
North of Pyongyang!
So, again getting a rear
‘engine view’ window seat, on Tu-154B
P-552, our flight
JS5105 was airborne at 1010, for the exactly 1 hour pleasure
flight. Some were joking that we now had only the one flight on
the ‘154, instead of the two (return). However, Hamhung was only
20 minutes away, so now we actually had an extra 20 minutes
flying time in this rare type! Again used for this flight,
mention has to be made of the vintage Air Koryo passenger steps
truck (check it out in the 154 shot)… looks like West Coast
Customs had been at it! Smart.
Following this, we
headed off on the 150km drive North, to a place called Myohyang.
This name is derived from the sacred mountain, Myohyangsan,
which translates as ‘mysterious fragrant mountain’, and
according to legend, was the home of King Tangun, the forefather
of the Korean people. In 2009, UNESCO designated the mountain
area as a world biosphere reserve, with several hiking routes
attracting tourists to the area. To cater for this, the luxury
Hyangsan hotel is nearby, and was to be our home for the night.
Designated as a (DPRK) 6 star, the hotel is certainly
impressive, dominating the end of a valley, though of course is
only used by the party elite and foreign tourists, so is empty
most of the time. The very classy interior also features a
rotating restaurant on the top floor, though was closed (and
maybe never been opened?).
From here, we then
visited the International Friendship Exhibition, a large museum
complex that houses gifts given to the last two leaders from
foreign dignitaries. This place really is amazing, even if it
was built to convince visitors that the North Korean leaders are
universally admired. Of course, most gifts are from fellow
(then) communist countries and their leaders, as well as other
dictators. Unfortunately, no photographs allowed here, with
shoes covered and through a metal detector on entry. Visiting
the many rooms inside, displaying the approximately 200,000
items, there was also another bowing session in front of an
exact wax figure of Kim Il-Sung and his missus (‘hands out your
pockets and behave yourselves’!). Difficult to single out the
most impressive gifts, but they include armoured train carriages
from Chairman Mao, a bullet-proof limo from Stalin, a bears head
from Ceausescu, ornate chess board from Gaddafi, crocodile skin
suitcase from Castro, gem-encrusted silver sword from Yasser
Arafat, and a Michael Jordan signed basketball from US Sec of
State, Madeleine Albright. Not suprisingly, China and the Soviet
Union have entire wings dedicated to their gifts, whereas
(non-Communist) Europe’s is pitiful! Of course, Western leaders
have (almost) never met with the regimes leaders, so there has
never been any exchange of gifts. Asking this question,
apparently only a Portuguese leader and Mitterrand from France
have met a ‘Kim’ (along with (ex) President Carter, who has been
here several times on peace missions). Having a close look at
gifts from the UK (organisations), noticeable was a plate from
the NUM (our ‘reds’), to their fellow comrades!
Returning to Pyongyang
on our last full day in the DPRK, we had a few more visits
planned. The railway museum is of course just about the trains
that the leaders have used, while the metro system certainly is
impressive. Seen as a great national achievement, the Pyongyang
metro is the deepest in the world, at around 110 metres below
ground, and features stations with lavish use of marble,
chandeliers, murals and sculptures (of guess who). Apparently
built so deeply, as to also act as an underground bunker system
in time of war (hence fitted with large steel doors), we took a
ride of 5 stops, starting at the Puhung station, passing under
the Taedong river. At the other end, the ‘Arch of Triumph’.
Modelled after the one in Paris, but slightly larger (at 60
metres high, the worlds tallest), it was built to commemorate
the Korean resistance to Japan. Yet another of
Pyongyang’s monuments,
i have only mentioned a few of the sights seen around the
capitol. Others include the tall TV Tower (with a restaurant at
150 metres), and the controversial Ryugyong hotel, a massive 105
story pyramid-shaped skyscraper. Construction began in 1987, but
has been halted many times, with the exterior only recently
completed. Another ‘attraction’, which unfortunately we were
unable to visit (‘as it was being refurbished’) was the USS
Pueblo ‘spy ship’. Captured in 1968 after the North says it
strayed into their waters (which the US denies), it is still
commissioned as a US Navy vessel, and the only one held captive
in the world. Passing by its current location a few times, it
became a group joke to ask if we could stop (especially from
John, our American on the tour). Also, mention has to be made of
the famous Pyongyang traffic girls, who direct the traffic at
busy intersections, and salute passing officials (i presume
going by the number plate?). Most don’t like being photographed,
although they must get it all the time from tourists, wearing
those ‘cute’ uniforms!
Driving around the city,
we had also got used to seeing the propoganda billboards, which
are quite amusing, being a mix of pro-Kim and anti-US sentiment.
Infact, some of these (and other similar) designs can be
purchased as postcards and posters (see the one
postcard scan), with
an original canvas of ‘revolutionary art’ also picked up (as was
a bottle of ‘Adder Liquor’, with the quite large snake in
there!). Also, as well as the
group shot
photographs (yours truly second from the right BTW) and a
professionally produced DVD of our full tour (we had wondered
why that guy with a video camera was following us around), we
could also purchase a set of Air Koryo goodies. The pack
includes enlarged prints of Air Koryo stamps, an Air Koryo
notebook and timetable, and a set of 8 original new safety cards
(though no IL-76!), which saves stealing them on the flights!
Some nice keepsakes from a very memorable tour here.
535
IL-14P
Delivered 1955?
Restored & Preserved 2012
P-532
An-24RV
Delivered 1975
In Service
P-533
An-24RV
Delivered 1975
Flown on 5th June
P-537
An-24B
Delivered 1966
Group charter 5th June
P-551
Tu-154B-2
Delivered 1976
WFU
P-552
Tu-154B
Delivered 1976
Flown on 6th June
P-561
Tu-154B-2
Delivered 1984
Parked on maintenance ramp
P-632
Tu-204-300
Delivered
1993
In service
P-633
Tu-204-100B
Delivered 2009
Flown on 1st & 8th June
P-671
An-148-100B
Delivered 2013
Group charter on 5th June
P-813
Tu-134B-3
Delivered
1984
Parked near hangars (WFU?)
P-814
Tu-134B-3
Delivered
1984
Flown on 5th June
P-835
IL-18D
Delivered 1969
Flown on 3rd & 4th June
P-836
IL-18V
Delivered 1965
WFU
P-881
IL-62M
Delivered
1986
Parked on maintenance ramp
P-885
IL-62M
Delivered
1979
Flown on 5th June
P-912 IL-76MD Delivered 1990 Flown on 5th June
P-913
IL-76MD
Delivered 1990
Parked near hangars (WFU?)
P-914
IL-76MD
Delivered 1990
In service
Of the IL-62 fleet, two
others (not seen) are the Government aircraft, P-618 and P-882.
Also, no sign of the ex Cubana IL-62M now. CU-T1280 was
delivered in July 2012 and became P-886P. Parked on the
maintenance ramp, retaining the Cubana colours with the titles
removed, it was reported to have been purchased for spare parts.
Now said to have been moved inside a maintenance hangar and
‘broken up’ (or maybe just parked in there, is not confirmed).
As for the future of Air
Koryo, there are various reports of further modernization, with
the possibility of the IL-96 and Superjet 100 joining the fleet.
Maybe the latter won’t happen, after receiving the An-148 (with
one more on order). A brief talk from an airline representative,
gave mention of plans to create a new domestic airline,
operating some of the older Soviet-built types, while the
‘international’ airline would re-equip with modern (possibly
Western-built) aircraft.
Highlights today then…
Donghai Airlines B737-300SF B-2897, Shandong Airlines B737-800
B-5453, China Eastern A330-300E B-6100 (in special ‘Shanghai
Expo 2010’ colours), Air China Cargo B747-400BCF B-2458, Tianjin
Airlines ERJ-190LR
B-3171, Xiamen Airlines B757-200 B-2868, Air China A321-200
B-6361 (in special
‘Beautiful Sichuan’ colours), Korean Air B737-900 HL7599,
Philippine Airlines A320-200 RP-C8609, JAL B787-800 JA828J, SAS
A340-300X LN-RKG, Dalian Airlines B737-800 B-5196, ANA B787-800
JA808A, China Southern A380-800 B-6140, Shanghai Airlines
B757-200 B-2843, Air China B777-300ER B-2037 (delivered 23rd
April), SriLankan A340-300X 4R-ADF, ANA B787-800 JA802A, Air
Macau A321-200 B-MAJ (in special ‘4th East Asian Games 2005’
colours), Air China B737-800 B-5390 (in special ‘Gold Peony’
colours), Hainan Airlines A340-600 B-6510, Xiamen Airlines
B757-200 B-2869, Grand China Air B737-800 B-2652, Hainan
Airlines B737-800 B-5136 (with special logos), Hainan Airlines
A330-200 B-6088 (with ‘Dynasty’ logo), China Eastern A330-300X
B-6119 (with a green leaf logo, being Yunnan based), and from
China Southern, B757-200 B-2830, A330-200 B-6057 (in special
‘16th Asian Games Guangzhou 2010’ colours) and the first 787 in
China, China Southern B787-800
B-2725. Delivered on
the 2nd June and put into service on the 6th from Guangzhou to
Beijing, it features a special scheme (after originally being
painted in the standard scheme). Nice.
Also today, biz-Jets
arrivals were Gulf 550 B-8157, Gulf 550 N816MG of Chevron USA
Inc and Falcon 2000LX N2000A. While those parked up (and not
already mentioned) included CL605 B-3566, Gulf 200 B-8277,
Challenger 850 M-HLAN (ex A6-JET), Gulf 450 N383KK and Gulf 450
VP-CTH.
Others outside include
Chinese AF Chengdu JJ-5 (two-seat Mig-17) 201238 and three
unidentified Chinese AF ‘propliners’, a nice C-46 in a white
scheme, and two Li-2’s (C-47’s), one in a bare metal scheme and
the other in a brown camo. Also, looking inside the main
building’s restoration area, i was able to photograph freely,
even though there were guys working on the Mil. Here was classic
ex CAAC IL-14 B-4208
(with its left outer wing removed), ex Nanjing University
College of Civil Aviation Y-5 (An-2) B-8404, ex Xinjiang General
Aviation Harbin Y-11 B-3888 (with wings and engines removed) and
ex China General Aviation Mil-8 B-7803.
From here, Tianjin is
150km to the SE, so around 2 hours drive. Tianjin-Binhai is a
busy regional airport , with a few international services, as
well as being a major air cargo centre in China. Naturally, it
is the hub airport for Tianjin Airways, as well as Okay Airways.
Also, Airbus, in conjunction with several Chinese companies,
have a final assembly line for A320 aircraft here. Following the
first flight of a Chinese-built Airbus in May 2009, a total of
126 aircraft had been delivered from here in the subsequent four
years, including the first ‘sharklet’ fitted aircraft recently
(are those better than ‘winglets’ then?!).
The reason to visit
Tianjin though, was for the large collection of vintage
airliners, housed on a fenced off ramp in the SE corner of the
airfield. These belong to the CAAC and CAUC (Civil Aviation
University of China), who have their two large campus nearby,
apparently having used the aircraft as instructional airframes.
Maybe this was the case in the past, as it seems not much is
done on these old relics these days, with the aircraft more like
‘on display’. As reports on this collection are not so common, a
full list…
503
IL-12T
CAAC
8034
Y-5 (An-2)
China
General Aviation
8036
Y-5 (An-2)
China General Aviation
B-210
IL-18V
CAAC
B-2136
MD-82
China Southern
B-2204
Trident 2E
CAAC
B-3152
An-12
Air China
B-3409
An-24B
CAAC
B-3453
Y-7 (An-24RV)
China Eastern
B-8073
Y-5B-100 (An-2)
China General Aviation
B-8452
Y-5 (An-2)
China General Aviation
N219FE
B727-200F
FedEx Express
N893PA
B707-321B
American Overseas
Of these, B-2136 was the
last of the 21 Chinese-built MD-82’s, assembled in Shanghai, and
operated the final Chinese MD-80 flight in March 2009. B-8073 is
presumed to be a Y-5B-100, as fitted with ‘triple tipsails’
(modified wingtips with 3 large vortex generators), with a
couple of the Y-5’s also still showing faded China Eastern
colours! As well as the 5th Trident of the trip, the highlight
for me here is the classic 707, which apparently arrived for use
as a trainer by CAAC over 30 years ago (December 1982)! Pretty
much fully intact, with engines and undercarriage doors removed,
it was reportedly last operated by Guy America Airways, though
has ‘American Overseas’ titles clearly visible.
From the ramp, the
runway and taxiways are close by, so providing a few good shots
of the following movements while here…Hainan Airlines B737-800
B-5416, Shanghai Airlines B757-200 B-2876 (the last B757 built),
Xiamen Airlines B737-800 B-5305, Shandong Airlines B737-800’s
B-5592 & B-5656, JAL B737-800 JA315J, Sichuan Airlines A320-200
B-6955, Korean Air B737-900 HL7705, Air China B737-700
B-5211 (in special
‘Pink Peony’ colours) and departing Asiana Cargo B767-300ERF
HL7507. Also, the
next ramp had Tianjin Airlines ERJ-190LR B-3186, while a ramp a
bit further along had some nice stuff… CACAST (China Academy of
Civil Aviation Science and Technology) B737-300 B-2950 (ex Air
China), brand new CL605 B-7799 of Zyb Lily Jet (delivered 25th
April), CFSA (China Flight Simulation Association) P-180 Avanti
B-8310 (with another
parked behind) and Learjet 60 N668JH. Also here were a few more
biz-jets, an AVIC Y-12, and at least six Hainan Airlines Dornier
328JET’s parked/stored.
From here, it was
straight back to the hotel, to check-out and spend the last few
hours of daylight at the Beijing T3 photospot, before checking
in for the flight home. Highlights were Air China A340-300X
B-2388, JuneYao Airlines A320-200 B-6788, Air China A320-200
B-6610 (in special ‘Hubei Plum Blossom’ colours), PIA A310-300
AP-BEC, Yangtze River Express B747-400BDSF B-2437, China Eastern
B737-700 B-5282 (Yunnan green leaf logo), Air China Cargo
B747-400F B-2475, Air China A321-200 B-6365 (in special
‘Beautiful Sichuan’ colours), Xiamen Airlines B737-800 B-5512,
Shandong Airlines B737-800 B-5117, Shenzhen Airlines B737-900
B-5103, Xiamen
Airlines B757-200 B-2866, Shanghai Airlines B757-200 B-2843,
Sichuan Airlines A320-200 B-6049, Korean Air B737-900 HL7718,
Shandong Airlines B737-800 B-5591, Shanghai Airlines B757-200
B-2850, China
Southern B777-200ER B-2056 (‘Skyteam’ colours) and Southern Air
B747-400BDSF N400SA which was pulled out and back into the Ameco
hangar. Some beautiful
sunset shots to finish the day off, then after proceeding
through check-in, some nice night shots at the international
gates provided ANA B767-300ER JA619A, Air China B777-300ER
B-2031, Turkish
Airlines B777-300ER TC-JJN, Egyptair A330-200 SU-GCG, Cathay
Pacific A330-200X B-LAL, Ethiopian Airlines B787-800
ET-AOQ, JAL
B767-300ER JA614J and Dragonair A330-300X B-HWK.
