You used to be able to get very good total immersion Russian language courses in Belorussia, and very cheap.
My po-rusky is not quite up to the aero club’s award presentation but enjoyed it nevertheless.
Jan_Olieslagers wrote:
How’s about UMMB Borovaya for a meet-up?
Definitely!!
Jan_Olieslagers wrote:
To be honest I wasn’t really serious – if so, I had posted in the “Trips & Airports” chapter
Oh! :-(
Die Geister, die ich rief…
Of all the suggested destinations, this would be the most interesting. Flying is always a bit about adventure, too, isn’t it?
@ultranomad
ok, then I vote for Borovaya!
@WhiskeyPapa, fortunately, it’s no longer a month (like it still is in Russia). The same section in the AIP specifies 5 days’ notice for flights to domestic airports.
ATC should have English…. at the club fields probably not. But whoever’s on radio could drag a pilot with airline ambitions (required to speak English) into the tower. I don’t think English would be the problem. And the trip could be arranged. It would take a month, and you probably will have to take on board navigators as Ultranomad noted (I missed his post when I wrote mine). I’ll be in Minsk early-mid December and could ask. Would actually be a fun and memorable trip, but a hassle to arrange. That said, we’d probably get the permission (eventually….)
The problem is not so much about exceptions as such. It’s the Russian-only ATC/FIS outside of international airports and IFR routes.
Thank you WP. To be honest I wasn’t really serious – if so, I had posted in the “Trips & Airports” chapter – but I was curious. And yes, for the little bit of rumour I heard about Belarus it must be like Russia at its worst. Looks like one more reason for me to drive rather than fly to the really interesting destinations. I don’t doubt though that, if once one gets there, the locals will be as friendly and accommodating as one could wish for.
If Belarus is like Russia, it would be easy enough to meet up at a port of entry, but much more difficult to go to one of the aeroclubs/grass fields. If you’re serious, I can can call Borovaya and ask. Actually I started my training in Yak 52s in a club outside of Moscow. I bet they’d be quite hospitable if we could get all the permissions.
Hm, as I suspected, and even worse … The massive hurdle is not only administrative…
That rule sounds like Russian tradition. Would it still be adhered to, actively, in Belarus and in Russia? Would it be any use to apply for an exception?
AIP Belarus, GEN 1.2:
3.5 <…> In order to operate international flights to aerodromes not approved for international flights it is necessary to use escort crew service for such flights. A foreign aircraft carrying out such flights should land at an international airport to take onboard a member (members) of escort crew, and only then this aircraft will be cleared to continue flight to its destination aerodrome. An applicant shall be notified about agreed conditions and peculiarities of the flight via FCCC.
