“My soul is in the Sky”
I hope my content brings you closer to my aviation and travel experience.
I enjoy anything related to aviation and travel. My fascination with aeroplanes stemmed from visiting Kai Tak airport as a teenager. I have spent some of the happiest times of my life in the air. It is that precious feeling of being above the clouds, the romance of flight, and the endless curiosity of seeing the world from above. Those moments shaped my lifelong passion for aviation and travel.
To date, I’ve traveled to over 100 countries, flown more than 3,000 flights, and logged over 4 million miles around the globe in pursuit of that passion. Along the way, I’ve organically built a loyal community of like-minded aviators, travelers, and industry professionals who engage with my content every day.
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4 Books Published
Awards
1st
2003
Photo Competition 2003 Airliners International Convention, Colombus, Ohio, USA
1st
2004
Photo Competition 2004 Airliners International Convention, Los Angeles, California, USA
2nd
2006
Photo Competition 2006 National Aviation Press Club, Australia
2nd
2009
Photo Competition 2009 National Aviation Press Club, Australia
FAQ
My Travel Map
I have now flown with 300+ airlines and over 250 aircraft types.
My favourite aircraft is the Boeing 747. I’ve flown on her over 300 times across all the B747 models and variants.
Below is where I have flown in the world so far…
Timeline and Highlights of My Travel
1980 – I was born in Beijing China. In the mid-80s, I moved to Hong Kong with my parents. I flew on the Chinese Air Force Vickers Viscount, CAAC Trident and Dragonair Tristar.
1993 – I started flying extensively on my vacation and visiting over 20 countries, became an elite member of United Airlines Mileage Plus.
1997 – I moved to Sydney, Australia for high school and university. I continued to travel to more countries each year.
1998 – I got my first car, and drove to the airport as the first destination.
1999 – I started this website, originally call SamChuiPhotos.com
2003 – I flew on The British Airways Supersonic Concorde from New York to London in just 3 hours 18 minutes.
2004 – On my first trip to Russia, I flew with IL-62, IL-86, An-24, Yak-40, Tu-134, Tu-154 aircraft.
2004 – I travelled to Iran for the first time and flew on the classic B747-SP, B707 and B727 among many other highlights.
2005 – I was invited to Toulouse, France to observe the maiden flight of Airbus A380.
2007 – I flew on the world inaugural A380 flight of Singapore Airlines in Singapore Airlines Suite.
2009 – I flew on a Lockheed Constellation “Connie” L1049G!
2010 – Landed on a glacier with Ski Plane in South Island of New Zealand.
2011 – I relocated to Abu Dhabi, UAE and visited the most dangerous airport in the world; Lukla in Nepal.
2012 – Flew on the last ever flight of The B747 Singapore Airlines from Hong Kong to Singapore.
2012 – I visited North Korea and flew classic Soviet planes with Air Koryo and went on to visit 3 more times!
2012 – On a trip to Pakistan, I flew 7 out of 8 sectors inside the cockpit with PIA on A310, B777-200, ATR-42, B747-300 and B777-300.
2013 – I flew to the North Pole on a special chartered “Polarflug” by airberlin. I also flew on the longest commercial flight in the world from Singapore to Newark with Singapore Airlines.
2014 – Flew on the Southern Polar flight from Sydney nonstop to Buenos Aires. I also visited Somalia and flew on a classic DC-9 in Africa. I also flew on my first B747-8 with Lufthansa in First Class
2015 – On board the world’s inaugural A350-900 commercial flight with Qatar Airways from Doha to Frankfurt.
2016 – Experienced the best commercial aviation product to date with The Residence on Etihad A380 and Air France La Premiere. Also flew on a Legacy 650 private jet.
2016 – I also attended the first air show in North Korea at Wonsan. Flew on the Soviet vintage fleet IL-18, IL-62, IL-76, Tu-134, Tu-154 of Air Koryo during the air show.
05-08 May 2017, organised a South African vintage aviation tour, flew DC-3, DC-4, Beech-18 and Boeing 727 VIP in South Africa with 50 tour participants.
01 July 2017, flew in The Residence of Etihad Airways A380 on the inaugural flight from Abu Dhabi to Paris.
05 Aug 2017, flew restored IL-14 low over Veiliky Novogrod near Saint Petersburg and inside Romanian made chase plane IAR-823 on Air to Air photo mission.
29 Oct 2017, flew the last United B747-400 International flight from Incheon to San Francisco on UA892.
02 Nov 2017, passed 3,000,000 flown miles on Singapore Airlines flight SQ26, A380-800 from Singapore to Frankfurt to attend Emirates 100th A380 delivery ceremony in Hamburg.
13 Dec 2017, took part in the new Singapore Airlines A380 delivery ferry flight from Toulouse to Singapore.
27 Jan 2018, flew Emirates new First Class “Game Changer” fully enclosed Suite from Dubai to Brussels.
21 Feb 2018, took part in the world’s first A350-1000 delivery to launch customer Qatar Airways from Toulouse to Doha with a spectacular low fly pass over Doha.
01 March 2018, flew a private Dassault Aviation Falcon 8X from Abu Dhabi to Paris.
26 March 2018, took part in the world’s first B787-10 delivery to launch customer Singapore Airlines. Flew nearly 24 hours from Boeing South Carolina in Charleston to Singapore via Osaka.
29 May 2018, took part in Delta Air Lines’ new uniform launch on board a fashion flight from Atlanta to Minneapolis to LA with fashion designer Zac Posen.
19 June 2018, took part in the delivery flight of Cathay Pacific’s first A350-1000 from Toulouse to Hong Kong.
27 June 2018, took part in the delivery flight of Oman Air’s first tri-class B787-9 from Seattle Paine Field to Muscat.
12 July 2018, took part in the last A350-900 delivery flight of Malaysia Airlines from Toulouse to Kuala Lumpur all the way in the cockpit.
14 July 2018, took part in the first A350-900 delivery flight of Philippine Airlines from Toulouse to Manila.
12 Sep 2018, flew non-stop on Qantas B787-9 between UK (London) and Australia (Perth) for the first time.
09 Oct 2018, flew Embraer’s latest Executive Jet Praetor 500 from Punta Cana to Ft Lauderdale.
12 Oct 2018, flew the World’s Longest Flight on Singapore Airlines A350-900ULR, SQ21 from EWR to SIN in 17 hour 30 minutes over the North Pole. (Polar Route)
12 April 2019, Jumpseat on Bhutan Airlines A319 into Paro, Bhutan from Kathmandu. Saw 4 of 5 highest mountain enroute.
17 May 2019, flew Pilatus Aircraft company PC-24 “The Super Versatile Jet” over Switzerland with test pilot Matthew Hartkop. We performed air work such as stalls, 1G, 2G Banking, touch and go, missed approach and a spectacular landing into Gstaad (Sannen) airport.
24 May 2019, flew inaugural ANA A380 “Flying Honu” from Tokyo to Honolulu. Returned in First Class on 26 May from Honolulu to Narita.
31 May 2019, travelled on Sichuan Airlines A319 to Daocheng-Yading; the World Highest Airport at 4,411m (14,472 ft)
01 June 2019, flew the first made-in-China jet; ARJ21-700 from Chengdu to Linfen and back.
19 June 2019, first time flew Bombardier CS100 of Swiss Int’l Airlines from Paris to Zurich.
01 July 2019, double A380 inaugural on the same day. Flew The World’s Shortest A380 on Emirates from Dubai to Muscat to Dubai and “The Residence” of Etihad Airways inaugural A380 flight from Abu Dhabi to Incheon.
06 July 2019, Opera de Paris performed a ballet in the air on Air France flight AF117 from Shanghai to Paris.
02 Aug 2019, flew B737-200Combi of NOLINOR Aviation to Meadowbank Gold Mine, first time landing on gravel strip.
05 Aug 2019, flew the inaugural British Airways A350-1000 flight from London to Madrid.
02 Sep 2019, flew Qatar Airways Cargo B747-8F from Hong Kong to Doha on a video filming project.
11 Sep 2019, flew ANA New Business Class “The Room” on a one-month-old B777-300/ER from Tokyo to London.
04 Oct 2019, traveled alone on a Private VIP B747-SP, N7477S from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada to Marana, Pinal Air Park, AZ, USA.
03 Nov 2019, traveled on the last ever EL AL B747-400 from Rome to Tel Aviv. We drew a “B747” at 10,000ft over the Med in Cyprus airspace.
08 Nov 2019, traveled on Orbis Flying Eye Hospital MD-10-30 from Dubai DWC to Accra, Ghana via Jeddah. Documented Orbis operation in Ghana.
14 Nov 2019, flew on Qantas Project Sunrise research flight from London non-stop to Sydney in 19 hours and 19 minutes on QF7879.
29 Nov 2019, flew on a one-off historic Emirates A380 with Most Nationalities on-board (145) around the UAE to celebrate UAE National Day and UAE Year of Tolerance.
27 Jan 2020, flew on Volga Dnepr An-124 Ruslan Cargo Transporter from East Midlands To Toulouse.
16 July 2020, Solo flying as a student pilot in Sling 2 from Torrance, Ca, USA to Torrance, Ca USA in 3 traffic patterns.
17 Sep 2020, flew on Antonov Airlines An-22 Antei from Leipzig to Bremen and back
9 Oct 2020, flew on newly refurbished private jet B767 BBJ “SkyLady”
7 Nov 2020, celebrated my 40th birthday onboard Emirates A380 from Dubai to Cairo and back.
17 Dec 2020, flew on the retirement flight of Hi Fly “Save the Coral Reef” A380 from Beja, Portugal to Toulouse. The plane drew a heart shape in the sky. I was the only passenger onboard.
06 April 2021 and 10 April 2021, onboard World’s First Fully Vaccinated Flight on QR6421 and EK2021 in Qatar and UAE.
27 April 2021, documented how 7 Lions were transported in the cargo belly of Qatar Airways B777-300/ER from Kyiv to Doha on a cargo flight.
19 June 2021, flew 40 hours inside a National Airlines B747-400BCF from Frankfurt Hahn to Islamabad to Kathmandu delivering USAid. Then ferry to Incheon to Shanghai Pudong to Anchorage.
30 August 2021, flew on Qatar Executive Gulfstream G650ER from Doha to Doha on a media demonstration flight. We flew up to 50,000 feet and drew the letter “QE” in the sky.
3 September 2021, flew on An-32P “Fire Killer” demonstration flight over the Southern Turkey region of Dalaman.
8-9 September 2021, flew as co-pilot on Emirates Flight Training Academy SR-22 and Embraer Phenom 100V.
17-18 September 2021, flew inside Saudia B777-300/ER and Flyadeal A320neo to participate in Saudi National Day 91st AirShow. Incredible formation Flight with just 200 feet of separation.
December 2021, flew PIA to Pakistan and visited the northern area of Skardu on an ATR/A320.
February 2022, flew on Astral Aviation Boeing 727F and DC-9-30F from Nairobi to Mogadishu and Mwanza.
April 2022, flew on Chorno Aviation B737-200 with Gravel Kit to the Canadian Arctic of Mary River Mine via Iqaluit. Landing was on a gravel runway + snow.
May 2022, flew on Silk Way Airlines IL-76-TD90 from Baku to Erbil, Iraq. Also travelled on Silk Way West B747-8F from Baku to Amsterdam.
August 2022, flew on La Compagnie A321LR All Business Class charter by Ponant (LunaJets) to the Northernmost airport; Svalbard, Norway in the Arctic.
October 2022, flew as co-pilot on Cirrus Vision Jet demo flight from Atlanta to Orlando Executive for NBAA-BACE 2022. Return from Orlando to Paris on Dassault Falcon Experimental 6X across the Atlantic.
November 2022, flew Helicopter from Kathmandu to Lukla and Kala Patthar (18,192 ft) at Mt Everest Base Camp.
December 2022, flew Hi Fly A340 chartered by White Desert Antarctica from Cape Town to Wolf’s Fang Runway in Antarctica and back. First time landed on blue ice runway.
May 2023, participated in Cathay Pacific’s Community Flight 2023 from Hong Kong to Hong Kong onboard A350-1000.
Jun 2023, flew China’s COMAC C919 from Shanghai to Chengdu with China Eastern Airlines.
Sep 2023, flew on the delivery flight of Silk Way West Airlines B777F from Paine Field to Baku in 13h20m.
Jan 2024, flew on the inaugural Air India A350 flight from Mumbai to Chennai and Bangalore. Later, flew on India’s Longest flight from Bangalore to San Francisco non-stop on Air India B777-200/LR.
Feb 2024, travelled on Qantaslink A220 special inaugural flight from Sydney to Ayers Rock.
16 April 2024, flew on Hawaiian Air Inaugural B787 flight from San Francisco to Honolulu.
1 May 2024, flew on Lufthansa Allegris A350 inaugural flight from Munich to Vancouver.
June 2024, travelled on Hajj flight by Aquiline Int’l B747-400 from Jakarta to Jeddah and Madinah to Makassar.
August 2024, travelled on Global Express T7-SMF across Africa from Lanseria to Maputo to Nairobi to Lagos to Sharjah. Charter Flight managed by UAS.
30 Aug 2024, travelled on Former Presidential VIP B747-400 N28551 from London Stansted to Beijing.
3 Sept 2024, flew on the inaugural Emirates flight to Antananarivo, Madagascar.
18 Oct 2024, flew on the inaugural Cathay Pacific Aria Suite flight from Hong Kong to Beijing.
Feb 2025, flew on Aerosucre Colombia B737-300F, B737-200F and B727-200F cargo plane.
Feb 2025, flew on Pilatus PC-12 PRO demo flight in Switzerland and PC-12 NGC to Courchevel.
Jun 2025, flew on Air Hong Kong last A300-600F from HKG to KIX and back before retirement.
Jun 2025, travelled on Malaysia Airlines A330-900neo delivery flight from Toulouse to KL.
July 12 2025, chartered Aquiline Int’l B747-400 on my wedding, flew a round trip over the Gulf of Oman.
July 2025, flew on Skye Pets Charter A319 (Operated by SkyTraders) from Melbourne to Singapore.
Sept 2025, travelled to Tibet (Lhasa and Ngari) for the first time on Tibet Airlines A330-200 and A319neo. Later flew Lucky Air B737-700 to Kashi, Xinjiang.
