Alfred Fartknocker:
TSR 2 XR222 looks very smart these days, but here it is outside at Duxford in the Winter of 1978/ 79 looking shabby and incomplete- and covered in snow.
Alfred Fartknocker:
This pic of G-AOJG is in Dusseldorf a few years ago. Today I realise that "G-AOJG" isn't correct and that this is Pembroke C.54 54+27, ex West German AF. The nose survives at Bad Voslau in Austria- the rest is beer tins.
Alfred Fartknocker:
K-4001 is a KLu (Dutch AF) NF-5B Freedom Fighter, seen visiting Prestwick in 1985- pre-digital. It was sold on to Turkey in 1991 and in 2024 was active with the Turkish Stars as 4001/ 01. She's done well!
Alfred Fartknocker:
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress 44-85784 is more familiar these days painted up as the Memphis Belle. G-BEDI visits Soesterburg, NL in 1981 here, still in natural metal.
Alfred Fartknocker:
Scottish Aviation built the Twin Pioneer at Prestwick and it did quite well. G-AYFA flew for the RAF as XM285, a CC.1. It's seen here at PIK in 1981. Only the nose survives- at the Dumfries & Galloway AM.
Alfred Fartknocker:
The US Army sent a few choppers to BIAS 2023 in Bucharest. This one is 11-20354, an HH-60M- this variant is designed for rescuing downed aircrew.
Alfred Fartknocker:
Romania is replacing their MiG-21 LanceRs with F-16s. I'm sure that's a good thing but these old jets are more interesting! 6840 is at Baneasa Romania in this pic. It's a MiG-21MF-75 'FISHBED-J'. M for modernised, F for uprated- built in 1975.
Alfred Fartknocker:
07 yellow is a Kazakh Mil Mi-17V-5, doing a little hop to make sure everything is OK before going any higher. It's at Astana.
Alfred Fartknocker:
A Kazakh Mi-35M flies at Astana, Kazakhstan. 02 is a 'HIND-E' to NATO. These arrived to replace their Mi-24Ds which were mainly stored at Almaty.
Alfred Fartknocker:
The Air & Air Defence Forces of Kazakhstan operate this Sukhoi Su-30SM. 06 is at Astana for KADEX 2018. It's a 'FLANKER-H'.
Alfred Fartknocker:
The Royal Thai Police operated a single de Havilland of Canada DHC-4 Caribou. 12271 (c/n 271) has ended up preserved at Hau Hin.
Alfred Fartknocker:
We usually had three MiG-31BM 'FOXHOUND's at Novosibirsk, but there are six today. The three reds are RF-90903/ 20, RF-90902/ 38 & RF-90901/ 37. The blue ones were RF-92365/ 07, RF-95205/ 03 & RF-95443/ 14 blue.
Alfred Fartknocker:
I never identified this Mi-2 'HOPLITE' which used to lie near the ramp at Kyzylorda in Kazakhstan. It had a big star underneath so it was either Russian or ex Russian.
Alfred Fartknocker:
Antonovs An-26 'CURL' is a bit long in the tooth but still found everywhere in the former USSR. RF-36023/ 27 red waits with more Soviet era Iron at Ekaterinburg.
Alfred Fartknocker:
The Government of Kazakhstan have one A330. UP-A3001 waits near the VIP ramp in Astana.
Alfred Fartknocker:
I think this tank is a T-34, seen posing with my smiling wife in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Alfred Fartknocker:
Mi-8AMT RA-22747 taxies past some radar at Omsk Central in Russia. The Russkis like to elevate the radar on these little mounds- gets them a bit more range and above the ground clutter.
Alfred Fartknocker:
This A320 Neo is VQ-BRA, leased by S7 Airlines & seen looking contrasty at Omsk. These days it's stored in Moscow reg'd RA-73430 probably due to lack of parts. I strongly suspect they haven't been making the lease payments, so this jet was
Alfred Fartknocker:
This Ilyushin IL-76TD-90 is relatively new by 'CANDID' standards, flying first in 2005. RA-76950 is waiting at Novosibirsk to be loaded up.
Alfred Fartknocker:
This An-24B 'COKE' was built in 1970 and flew for Aeroflot KZ as CCCP-47284. 55 years later UP-AN422 flies on with Southern Sky, seen here at Astana.
Alfred Fartknocker:
Some Russian hardware at Ekaterinburg. An-12bK 'CUB' RF-90917/ 17 red and Mi-8AMTSh 'HIP' RF-91283/ 50 red are in this pic.
Alfred Fartknocker:
The writing on the fin of this IL-78M says VVS Russia- Russian AF. RF-94269/ 30 blue is on Rwy 25 at Novosibirsk. It's a three point tanker with one under each wing and a third on the left side of the rear fuselage.
Alfred Fartknocker:
There was always a flight of MiG-31BM 'FOXHOUND's at Novosibirsk, and they mostly had RF- numbers. 14 & 25 red were exceptions. 14 may be RF-95187 & 25 may well be RF-92476. The third jet is RF-90903/ 20 red.
Alfred Fartknocker:
This Yak-42D 'CLOBBER' is towed into position at Ust-Kamenogorsk as the crew walk out to meet it. UP-Y4204 is operated by Kazzinc- this is in Eastern Kazakhstan. This jet was RA-42430 during its time in Russia.
Alfred Fartknocker:
We don't see much of UT Air in the UK, but it's an enormous operation. RA-24227 is one of their Mi-8T helicopters, seen taxiing in at a gloomy Omsk Central. In Russia they like to build earth mounds and sit the radar on the top.
Alfred Fartknocker:
A pair of FSB Mi-8MTV-2 choppers at Ekaterinburg. RF-23172 & 23182. The FSB used to be known as the KGB, and before that as the much hated and feared NKVD. The names change over the years, but not much else.
Alfred Fartknocker:
The Government of Kazakhstan have a large fleet, but mainly one of everything. Must cost a fortune. UN-65683 was their last Tu-134A 'CRUSTY' seen at Astana. The Crusty is known as the 'Whistle' to its pilots.
Alfred Fartknocker:
A smart looking Canadair CRJ-200 taxies past the terminal at Kazan, Tartestan. RA-67232 first flew as C-FVQB in Canada.
Alfred Fartknocker:
There were two An-124 at Hostomel in Kiev when I visited. This one is UR-82007, the other was the prototype. This is the airfield that Russia attacked in 2022- and Ukraine successfully defended!.
Alfred Fartknocker:
This Alrosa A/L Tupolev Tu-154M RA-85757 rests at Novosibirsk in 2018. This 'CARELESS' did the last flight of a civilian Tu-154 in Russia when it flew from Mirny in Yakutia back to Novosibirsk in 2020.
