THE SIGHT & THE SOUND 1/6 : Flying Dandy AN-24 LZ-CBC inflight documentary from Sofia to Varna

• published: 08 Aug 2015
• views: 29

Still feeling the fatigue in my bones from my Tupolev marathon two months before, I soon felt the urge to sample more of Bulgaria's exciting yet dwindling classic aviation scene in 2003, sencing that happiness will not last forever and everything will come to an end. So, once again, I was off to visa-free Bulgaria in July 2003, invited by Hemus Air to complete my series of in-depth studies of Soviet aviation technology, this time, once again onboard the faithful and unique Flying Dandy's only AN-24 flying exclusively on domestic and European routes for Hemus Air. Six flights onboard AN-24 were on my agenda, beginning with a domestic rotation from Sofia to Varna and back, just to warm up my camera for the next day's rotation to Bratislava and Leipzig. Everything was well prepared. Camera on, batteries loaded, crew and ground staff informed, approval for staying on board in Varna granted, seat reserved in cabin and in cockpit. There is only one thing, that always remains mysterious and unpredictable besides the weather : The fellow passenger ! On the outbound flight an Arabian passenger in traditional outfit was accompanied by his grand-family, his wife, children and another female. While boaarding, he pushed me and other passengers aside using his hands and ellbows with rude force, climbed on board and claimed the complete front section of the aircraft for himself and his family. The flight could not depart as the other passengers onbaord could not take their assigned seats, because this fellow stood in the aisle, marking his claim and hindered the other passengers with physical force to pass. The Cabin Crew was helpless and only thanks to the help of the Cockpit Crew, the situation could be resolved and we could finally depart with some delay. This inflight documentary features the first leg from Sofia to Varna with window view from the cabin. Watch and enjoy with me the Sights & Sounds of Classic Aviation. Thank you for watching my channel ! Flight details Flight : DU 971 Date : Friday, July 25, 2003 Aircraft : AN-24B Registration : LZ-CBC Former registrations : - 040 (Bulgarian Air Force) - LZ-MNI (Scorpian Air) - 040 (Bulgarian Air Force) - LZ-CBC (Heli Air Services) Built : 1970 From : Sofia (SOF) To : Varna (VAR) Take off : 10.50 h (0750 UTC) Touch down : 11.49 h (0849 UTC) Flying time : 59 minutes Flying distance : 430 km Altitude : 13.000 ft / 4.000 m Speed : 435 km/h Captain : Kovachev, Valentin Check Captain : Kolev Georgiev, Ivan Flight Engineer : Georgiev, Hristo Cabin Crew : Genovska, Petya Cabin Crew : Hristova, Borislava