Ukraine Grand Aviation Tour

Trip Report: Ukraine Grand Aviation Tour

Sam Chui·
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This is a photo trip report of the highly successful Ukraine Grand Aviation Tour which took place in late July 2018.

Tour Highlights

  • Ramp tour at Antonov facility.
  • Fly An-24 of MotorSich Airlines. (also An-140 for those departed to Minsk)
  • 3 flights on Yak-40 special charter for our group.
  • See ANT-7 - only one in the world.
  • See TU-114 - one of three left in the world.
  • Ramp tour of Motorsich aircrafts at Zaporizhia.
  • Ramp tour of Shiroke Airfield - 60 Let L-29, 13 Antonov An-2, 9 Mil Mi-2
  • Ramp tour of strategic bombers  - Tu-160 White Swan (only one in the world in a museum) Tu-95MS, Tu-22M3
 

I arrived at Kiev the day prior to the tour and stayed at The Ukraine Hotel in the city, with an amazing view of the Maidan square.

a city with a monument and many buildings a city with a statue and many cars and buildings a building with many windows a room with a bed and a table and chairs

I visited the monument of motherland briefly in late afternoon.a statue of a man holding a sword and a sword in the air

Kiev at night (View from my room)a city with a tall tower and a dome

Day 1

Our group met in the lobby of Ukraine Hotel at 8am. The first stop was a coffee/tea stop at the yellow plane, which is a Yak-40 on stand.a yellow airplane on a grass field a building with a glass wall and a sign the cockpit of an airplane

Afterwards the group visited the Antonov facilities and were given a tour of their hangar and the production line. Due to some personal circumstances, I had not been to the Antonov plant. The pictures below were provided by another tour member who visited the plant.a large metal building with words on it a large white airplane in a hangar a white airplane with black numbers and a yellow ladder an airplane in a hangar a large engine on a yellow cart

The An-225 is on duty flights in South America but the group were shown the 2nd An-225 currently unfinished in the hangar.

an airplane in a hangar

an airplane in a hangar

a large airplane in a hangar an airplane in a hangar a close up of a plane's wheels

We had lunch in the Antonov canteen, and then headed off for a quick tour of The Kiev Museum Aviation Training Institute and Hangar.

a white airplane in front of a building a man standing next to a plane people standing in a hangar with a large airplane

We saw the world's only Tupolev ANT-7 preserved in the hangar.a blue and orange airplane in a hangar

an orange and blue airplane an airplane in a hangar an orange and blue plane in a hangar

The hangar is literally a classroom, with many aircraft parts on display. There is: An-2, Yak-42, An-24, Let-410, Tu-154 and Mil-8 aircraft, all in pristine condition. A demo of flaps and gear up/down were shown to the group.

a man standing next to a metal object an airplane in a hangar a helicopter in a hangar an airplane in a hangar a man looking through the window of an airplane the cockpit of an airplane a plane in a hangar a plane in a hangar a plane in a hangar

Afterwards we headed off to the Ukraine State Aviation Museum at the Kiev Zhulyany airport. I recommend spending at least 3 hours in this fantastic museum. There was so much on display to see, with many planes opened up to allow a visit to the interior too!

We had a quick dinner at a nearby restaurant and then were flown to Zaporizhia at 8pm by Motor Sich Airlines An-24.

a group of people standing in a line
In the world's smallest Business Class lounge at domestic airport of Kiev Zhulyany
In the world's smallest Business Class lounge at domestic airport of Kiev Zhulyany
an airplane on the tarmac an airplane on the tarmac a group of people sitting in an airplane
When the person in front of you chose to recline into you!
When the person in front of you chose to recline into you!
the wing of an airplane the nose of a plane a group of people standing next to an airplane

Our hotel, Intourist Hotel, is 20 minutes away from the airport in the city of Zaporizhia. I was lucky enough to have been allocated a "retro" suite.

a room with a couch and a table a room with a couch and a table a bed with a wooden headboard and two lamps a bathroom with a tub toilet and toilet

Day 2

We departed hotel to Zaporizhia airport to fly on our chartered An-2 to Shiroke airfield. a blue and white airplane on a concrete surface a group of people in a plane a man sitting in a chair with other people in the background a blue wing of an airplane

After a 20 minute flight over The Dnipro River, we arrived at Shiroke airfield. We were allowed to visit 60 Let L-29, many Antonov An-2 and Mi-2 stored there. For more information about Shiroke Airfield, please visit here.

a group of airplanes parked in a field a man taking a picture of a group of airplanes a group of airplanes parked on a tarmac a group of airplanes parked on a concrete surface an old airplanes on a field an old plane in a fielda blue and white airplane on a concrete runway a group of concrete containers outside a brick building

We flew back to Zaporizhia and had a tour of the Motor Sich airlines facility. We spotted An-2, An-12, An-24, An-74, Yak-40 and some IL-76 in the background. We were also allowed to visit inside of a VIP version of a Yak-40.

There were heavy thunderstorm and rain over the city in the evening; I took a few photos from my hotel room balcony. Zaporizhia is a typical Soviet industrial city and many buildings still display their Soviet heritage.a city street with cars and buildings a large apartment building with trees in the background

a group of people sitting at a long table

Day 3

Today was a big day; our group flew on a specially chartered Yak-40 from Zaporizhia to Poltava then to Kryvyi Rih and back to Zaporizhia.

a map of a river a blue and white airplane on a tarmac a group of people sitting in an airplane a person in the cockpit of a plane

Upon landing at Poltava airport, we were given a great welcome by the local authorities. Local media were out filming our arrival as we were the first users of the newly renovated airport.

a building with a sign on it two women wearing traditional clothing a blue and white airplane on a runway More articles on our group in Poltava.
Аэропорт Полтава принял первый рейс с пассажирами после реконструкции
 

We then transferred to Museum of Long-Range and Strategic Aviation with a ramp tour of Tu-160 White Swan,  Tu-95MS,  Tu-22M3, Tu-22K, Tu-16, Tu-134UBL etc. We were even allowed to go inside of many of the aircraft on display!

The next stop was Kryvyi Rih, on our chartered Yak-40. Flight time from Poltava to Kryvyi Rih took 40 minutes. Kryvyi Rih, an industrial city with 600,000+ inhabitants, has a much older Soviet style terminal.

an wing of an airplane over a city Surf Ballroom with a flag in front of it a building with a sign on the side

We visited Kryvyi Rih Aviation Museum which houses a Tu-114 and many other soviet built aircraft. They still have CCCP-xxxxx registration on the tail.

Everyone climbed the stairs to visit the interior of the giant Tu-114. We discovered there is a lower deck (galley) inside the massive Tu-114!

We flew back to Zaporizhia around 5:30pm on the trustworthy Yak-40
a group of people standing in front of a plane
Ukraine Aviation Tour Group
In the evening we had a farewell banquet with traditional Ukraine Folklore dance and singing. a group of people in a room with a table and chairs a man in a blue shirt and red necklace with a woman in the background  

Day 4

Our group flew back to Kiev by An-24 in the early morning. That was the end of a great tour! A few of us flew the Motor Sich Airlines An-140 to Minsk, in a bid to experience this unique turbo-prop. (the only one left in commercial service) See the separate report here. a plane on the tarmac

I hope you enjoyed the tour through these images. We are planning on a new tour in May 2019. I will provide the tour update on this blog. See you in Ukraine!

 

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