FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Tupolev 134 & 154 into Siberia + Yak-42, BA 789 J & S7 J
Old May 16, 2019, 7:17 am
  #8  
jlisi984
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: YYC - not the centre of the universe
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Yak-42 Moscow-Izhevsk



Back at Domodedovo airport, I passed through security at the entrance and then couldn’t find any indication of where the check-in desks were. Big screens hung everywhere, but instead of displaying such information, they were dedicated to a never ending stream of ads. Departure monitors were located in the middle of the checkin hall, and I had to backtrack to find the common handling agent desks used by Izhavia. Izhavia actually even has online checkin, with a rather remarkable and memorable design.







With my printed boarding pass in hand, I headed up the stairs to preflight security. This was rather farcical; a full-body scanner was in use, and though I showed numerous “yellow” areas I was waved through without further checks.

The tarmac glistened in the rain, and though there were plenty of interesting airlines - Alrosa, Turkmenistan, Yamal - no Russian types were in sight.



There are a few Priority Pass lounges on the domestic side of Domodedovo, but severe restrictions are in place for two of them: one is “open” only from 1:00 am to 4:00 am while the other restricts entry from 17:00 to 22:00. The only one open continuously was therefore very full, and I was glad to find seating. The selection was abysmal, furniture uninspiring, but there was cold beer! A shortage of beer glasses required moderate ingenuity, and I spotted plenty of passengers imbibing beer in tea glasses. When it comes to drinking, anything will do.

Tracking the inbound flight from Izhevsk, I noted my friends’ Dusseldorf-originating S7 A321N was immediately behind. Positions for photography are limited but I did capture both planes a few moments after they had landed.





P had a rather optimistic scheduled connection time of 50 minutes; fortunately the flight to Izhevsk was slightly delayed in boarding and the timing worked out perfect.

Izhavia actually pays for a gate in Moscow, and it is a remarkable experience boarding the Yak-42D this way - a plane never designed for jet bridges.





Soviet types are infamous for their very low entryway doors, and the Yak-42 is no exception. A Dash8-Q400 pales in comparison - this is a proper bow of respect to cross the threshold.







We boarded as some of the last passengers, but bins were not yet full, and we had the impression that many passengers were traveling only for a short trip.



It’s exceedingly rare I sit in the last rows of a plane, but here the merits of seats 19A or 19F proved themselves instantly. A view not to be found anywhere else: the wing and Lotarev engine through the round, porthole window.



Alas the very reason I avoid sitting in the final rows soon manifested itself, namely the discomfort of the seats and lack of legroom. Judging by the ceiling panels and the location of the reading lights for each row, a few rows have been jammed in to this aircraft (that is, if the panels were ever properly aligned to begin with!). Legroom was nonexistent, and I’m fairly sure I was providing the same massage to the person in front as the passenger behind me was giving me. The window was low like on a Canadair RJ, and did not have an interior plastic panel - no decorative elements here. A cool breeze was blowing from somewhere beneath the seats; the passenger next to me reeked of cigarette smoke.



The Yak-42 is a rather late-model Soviet plane, being first flown in 1980. This particular example was only from 1989, about the same age as some members of the Air Canada fleet.

Par for the course for any public announcement in the East Bloc, not a word could be made out of the pilots welcome aboard message. The safety demo was only marginally more audible, and was performed in Russian and English. Of note were the markedly different oxygen masks - grey, not yellow, and rather bulky.

As we left the gate, the fluorescent lights were switched off, leaving only the incandescent bulbs giving off a warm light to the cabin. The engines were started one-by-one, a symphony of sounds, completing this memorable moment.



After a remarkably long taxi, enjoying the view of the Domodedovo graveyard (complete with Il-86, Tu-154, Il-62, and others), we started our take off roll. Soviet airliners are often considered to be underpowered, but this takeoff felt exhilarating - perhaps aided by the fact I was sitting right next to a screeching engine.

When we eventually reached cruising altitude, service started with drinks. Water (carbonated or still) and juice were on offer. A while later the cart was rolled back down the aisle and a meal service started. There was a choice, either you wanted chicken or nothing. The chicken was served with kasha, a true Soviet meal.





The two flight attendants serving us were interesting in their polar opposite characters. Tatiana was cold and unpleasant, Natalia was smiling and honest.



The landing was notable to me, with the requisite nose push-down and a lot of vectoring at a low altitude. With the climate changes, my window continually fogged up from the inside, not unlike an old Soviet car.

Not much could be seen in the rain of Izhevsk, but we made our way to the stand and deplaned - somewhat surprisingly - through the front door.













A Yandex.taxi was procured near-instantaneously, and we were off to the Park Inn Izhevsk, the “best” hotel in town, for a minimal dose of shuteye.






Last edited by jlisi984; May 16, 2019 at 1:16 pm Reason: Fixed two images
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