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The holiday continues in Belarus Aviation Holiday 2016 Part 3:

Sunday, October 9, 2016, started with a very early group meeting in our hotel lobby. The tour participants have told to meet in the lobby of the Hotel Yubileiny at 0600 am where boxed breakfasts were presented and busses departed at 0630 am precisely for the one hour ride to Minsk 2 airport. It was a dark and very cold morning, punctuated with very heavy torrential rain, which endured through most of the day. Arrival at Minsk 2 they met with the first light of day, and with our boarding passes distributed in advance, the group passed very quickly and efficiently through security to the gate area. Given that it was an early Sunday morning flight, we surprised that the flights were pretty much fully booked in both directions.

We would be flying on Belavia’s last ever scheduled Tupolev Tu-154, their one and only operational Tu-154M EW-85741 from Minsk to St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport, with an immediate turn around and flight back to Minsk on the same aircraft marking the final end of an era in Russian commercial aviation.

Even though it was lashing down rain, the group was happy the Tu-154 was not parked on a gate which an airbridge. Thus we were relieved to know we would be bussed to the aircraft for boarding via the airstrairs. Boarding the aircraft on the apron would allow for a lot better photo and video opportunities than via an airbridge. At 0815 the bus delivered our group to the waiting Tupolev, and most of the group had pre-selected seats in the rear cabin to savour wing and engine views, to savour the fabulous harmonics of the Soloviev D-30KU engines. Those seated in the rear cabin were last to board.

The airstairs could only accommodate a handful of passengers at a time due to weight limits, and with the rain teaming down by the bucketful, we took shelter from the harsh elements under the wing of the aircraft. Which provided an excellent opportunity for photography that was appreciated by all. This allowed for detailed shots of passengers boarding on the airstairs, and signature T-tail shots of the Tupolev classic.

Seated in 25A provided a fabulous view of the Tu-154 trademark landing gear fairings and even the engine, and the chiseled, rivet-lined features of wing. Engines were started at approximately 0825 am, and the fabulous alarm bell ring of the three Soloviev engines was music to the ears for the aviation fanatics onboard who were thrilled to be attending this amazing event.

After about ten to fifteen minutes we reached our cruising altitude in the relaxing sunshine above the clouds and the fasten seatbelt sign was switched off. Several of the aviation fans then politely left their seats to come to the back of the rear cabin to take photos of the unique bathrooms aboard the aircraft, and for the obligatory cabin and rear engine/wing view photos, while savouring the much louder engine sounds in the rear cabin.

This was a very civilized affair, with the regular passengers and the flight attendants being most accommodating and understanding. Even though the flight attendants had to perform their inflight duties of serving drinks and a small meal from their service trolley (which needed to be transported up and down the aisle), everyone had plenty of opportunity to get their photos without the stress of being rushed. Several participants were able to visit the flight deck, and even more would have accepted the invitation if the flight was a little longer.

This 51 minute Belarus Aviation Holiday 2016 Part 3 video presentation is a comprehensive film documentary of the departure from Minsk and the flight to Pulkovo, culminating in the very impressive approach and landing at Pulkovo, the taxi-in, and deplaning of the aircraft. The journey back to Minsk on the Belavia Tupolev Tu-154 is presented in part 4 of this film series.

For more Belarus Aviation Holiday Videos:

Belarus Aviation Holiday 2016 Part 1

Belarus Aviation Holiday 2016 Part 2