Trip Report: ULN-IKT on Antonov AN26-100
Oct 4, 2007, 11:53 am
#1
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Programs: Yorkshire Coastliner
Posts: 1,278
Trip Report: ULN-IKT on Antonov AN26-100
Just back from my fantastic trip to Irkutsk on Mongolian's Antonov AN26-100 and wanted to share my experience. I was slightly apprehensive before the trip as many people had told me to expect an epic flight that for drama and all-out ballsiness would rival V.K. Arseniev's classic post-Soviet page-turner "Dersu the Trapper"!!
Thankfully as soon as I stepped into the terminal at ULN (renovated within the last year I was later told) the MIAT staff put me at my ease: truly smokin' hot, and that was before the beetroot! (thanks to whoever on FT warned me about that)
I'd booked a seat in J Class, and had a great window seat from which I could see the rolling plains of Ulan and the windswept forests away in the distance. A truly special view. The FAs soon passed out the headets and I looked to see what new Mongolian releases might be shown. I'd hoped for something enlightening such as "The Story of the Weeping Camel" or "The Cave of the Yellow Dog." Alas not - all we had was "Crocodile Dundee," an Australian classic in its time but one surely overdue for the remainder pile.
I was sitting next to a somewhat supercilious gentleman who was very curious about my camera (a Canon 30D). He kept asking about the shutter settings and wanted to know about whether I'd used the AF Priority Mode when I'd been shooting the wild horses in Ulaan's zoo. I couldn't follow his train of thought, although he did sing the praises of the MIAT mileage program for what seemed a considerable length of time.
More to follow.
Thankfully as soon as I stepped into the terminal at ULN (renovated within the last year I was later told) the MIAT staff put me at my ease: truly smokin' hot, and that was before the beetroot! (thanks to whoever on FT warned me about that)
I'd booked a seat in J Class, and had a great window seat from which I could see the rolling plains of Ulan and the windswept forests away in the distance. A truly special view. The FAs soon passed out the headets and I looked to see what new Mongolian releases might be shown. I'd hoped for something enlightening such as "The Story of the Weeping Camel" or "The Cave of the Yellow Dog." Alas not - all we had was "Crocodile Dundee," an Australian classic in its time but one surely overdue for the remainder pile.
I was sitting next to a somewhat supercilious gentleman who was very curious about my camera (a Canon 30D). He kept asking about the shutter settings and wanted to know about whether I'd used the AF Priority Mode when I'd been shooting the wild horses in Ulaan's zoo. I couldn't follow his train of thought, although he did sing the praises of the MIAT mileage program for what seemed a considerable length of time.
More to follow.
