Shocking anti-GA narration about Russia,Ignat.But not too shocked after having read books of Svetlana Aleksejevich.I understand it can take decades…
But nevertheless,how did this guy manage to cheat the “system” ?
Flight_TV wrote:
getting Russian citizen with navigator qualification onboard,
Many thanks for explanation.
Why is that required? As private pilots we are well equipped and trained to navigate everywhere in the world. To me this is the biggest obstacle, I would never agree on this.
This means a Cessna 150 with two pilots on board are excluded to fly to Russia, also a bigger plane full of luggage. That is almost ridiculous.
I will wait until this unsensial rule is lifted.
The translator requirement has been in place for VFR for as many decades as anyone can remember.
Rust did that flight mostly below the radar, and where he was tracked nobody got sufficiently excited about a 100kt target to intercept it. Gorbachov reportedly fired some generals afterwards. I imagine a 500kt target would have got a lot more attention (successfully or not). This is how things work in communist countries; everyone is afraid of using their initiative in their job in case it backfires and p1sses off some Party official which is usually a career terminating move i.e. the chance of getting this after 100 years of faithful service in protecting the Motherland from an American Imperialist invasion reduces from 10% to 0.001%. Even in the land of slightly more freedom we waited 3 years for this 
A Russian colleague flew his Glasair Sportsman in 2014, but I haven’t heard from him since and don’t know whether he got official approval. I understand much GA in Russia is “unofficial”.
Simon
highflyer wrote:
Why is that required? As private pilots we are well equipped and trained to navigate everywhere in the world. To me this is the biggest obstacle, I would never agree on this.
This means a Cessna 150 with two pilots on board are excluded to fly to Russia, also a bigger plane full of luggage. That is almost ridiculous.
I will wait until this unsensial rule is lifted.Then you will have to wait until “the policies of the Russian government” changes which will not happen for at least as long as Mr. Putin is in office. It has been noted several times in this forum that authoritarian governments are not fond of private aviation. In a country where international NGOs are regarded as covert spy operations, how do you expect foreign PPLs to be treated?
@simon32
Yes, unofficial. At best times guerilla share was about 40%, now it’s close to 70% and growing. Not because the pilots are bad, but because the laws are being made increasingly impossible to obey. Since I don’t see a reg # on his tail, he probably didn’t get any papers. If you know the guy’s name or at least an airfield he based at, I can try to fish him out. The circle is tight and we as the only dedicated professional TV crew in the field, know if not everyone but at least everyone more or less notable. This type is uncommon in Russia, so my writer/producer Evgeny should know if not him then someone who knows him.
@highflyer: @Peter got it all exactly as it is.
@Airborne_Again I heard numerous rumors from various sources, that China is going to allow private GA. It is already possible there, but in fashion of 90s Russia: technically allowed but too much red tape to make it feasible for anyone but really hardcore fans. I know one R44 owner/pilot, Ivan Zhadnov, he is reportedly the only private heli pilot that successfully visited China, it was in 2014 or so. Lots of paperwork but he made it.
By the way, Russian private Bell-407 that did successful circumnavigation this spring, was allowed only IFR and FL120 when crossing Alaska…
Airborne_Again wrote:
ATC don’t speak English outside the international IFR routes.
Does that mean on IFR routes russian ATC speaks English and consequently flying to Russia IFR is allowed on own navigation?
Airborne_Again wrote:
how do you expect foreign PPLs to be treated?
According to ICAO-rules.
Does that mean on IFR routes russian ATC speaks English and consequently flying to Russia IFR is allowed on own navigation?
Of course. Otherwise, foreign airlines couldn’t practically fly in Russia.
I did it twice (fly IFR in Russia).
boscomantico wrote:
Of course. Otherwise, foreign airlines couldn’t practically fly in Russia.
I pointed out this contradiction before but did not get sufficient reply. To make it clear: IFR is possible in Russia as in Western Europe, the russian navigator is for VFR only?
This would be great news. Would you please give some more informations concerning your flights to Russia, as destinations, availability of Avgas, fees, entry permits….?
Flight_TV wrote:
At best times guerilla share was about 40%, now it’s close to 70% and growing. […] Since I don’t see a reg # on his tail, he probably didn’t get any papers.
There used to be a lot of Yak aircraft in Germany with a Russian registration (RA-xxxx) issued by the Aeroclub of Russia. Then after many years, the authorities found out that this “Aeroclub of Russia” did not exist and the registrations were not official Russian registrations but completely fake. The aircraft were grounded and are now mostly on the Lithuanian register. That was about 4 years ago.
So undercover Russian GA also existed in Western Europe 
