THE SIGHT & THE SOUND 1/4 : Flight onboard Alrosa TU-154M RA-85684 from Moscow (DME) to Sochi (AER)

Announcements on Social Media for event flights on Soviet Classics within Russia always come on too short notice. Getting a visa, getting leave from your employer, shifting plans, especially if you live as far as Japan, are the most common reasons for a “No No”.

After missing the Kosmos TU-134 pleasure flight from Zhukovsky, there was another announcement that the Izhma TU-154M RA-85684, operated by Alrosa Avia would perform a Farewell rotation from Moscow to Sochi on a weekend in August. I had barely four weeks ahead for planning, yet the decision was clear, this opportunity was not to be missed, by all means.

Simon De Rudder and Mikhail from Alrosa were the mastermind behind this idea and after getting my Russian Tourist Visa, it was off to Moscow from Tokyo via Frankfurt.

In 2018, Alrosa is still operating scheduled flights on TU-154, TU-134, AN-38, AN-24 and helicopters from their operational bases in Mirny and Udachny. Sampling these beauties would require a 10 day itinerary, which I am simply unable to afford, not taking into account the usual unexpected changes on short notice. Making things worse, filming and photographing opportunities are extremely limited on these remote locations. A foreigner travelling alone without prior official arrangements, is always under suspicion and high risk.

This Sochi rotation proved to be the perfect and very reasonably priced alternative for a bunch of likewise minded avgeeks, travelling overnight from various parts of the world, gathering at gate 51 on the lower level of the departure concourse of Domodedovo Airport.

This video features flight 6R 9993 onboard TU-154M RA-85684 from Moscow (DME) to Sochi (AER) on August 18, 2018. During approach over the Black Sea our flight was sent into an hour long holding pattern, because Adler Airport was closed for Government VIP traffic.

This video is the uncut and original version including 60 minutes of approach in holding.

History of Tupolev 154M RA-85684

Airframe 90A851 was manufactured 1990 and delivered to the East Siberian Division of Aeroflot Soviet Airlines on October 30, 1990 and registered CCCP-85684. CCCP-85684 was newly registered RA-85684 and operated for Chita Avia after 1993 and was leased to Sayanyi on September 21, 1998, however stored shortly thereafter on October 13, 1998 under the name of Avia Express Cruise until April 28, 1999.

RA-85684 was acquired one month later on May 28, 1999 by Alrosa (Aviakompaniya Alrosa) a subsidiary of the Alrosa Mirny Diamond Corporation formerly Alrosa Mirny Air Enterprise based in Polyarny and Mirny.

On September 7, 2010, RA-85684 operating flight 6R 514 from Polyarny / Udachny Airport to Moscow DME suffered a complete failure of the electrical system in-flight. A successful emergency landing was made at closed Izhma Airport but the aircraft overran the overgrown runway and was substantially damaged. All 81 people on board escaped uninjured. The aircraft was under the command of Captain Andrey Lamanov, later awarded the title “Hero of the Russian Federation”.

This aircraft was flown via Ukhta (UCT) to Samara (KUF) on March 24, 2011 for repairs and returned back to service on June 16, 2011.

Flights 6R 9993 on August 18 and 6R 9994 on August 19, 2018 were operated in honor of the first flight of the TU-154 and the Day of Civil Aviation in command of the Hero of the Russian Federation Captain Andrey Lamanov himself.

RA-85684 performed her final flight on September 29, 2018 from Mirny (MJZ) to Novosibirsk (OVB) under special flight number 6R 684. It is planned to preserve RA-85684 for display in Novosibirsk
Enjoy with me the Sights and especially the Sounds of one of the last flights onboard a passenger service TU-154M.

Thank you for visiting my channel.

Flight details

Flight : 6R 9993
Date : Saturday, August 18, 2018
Aircraft : TU-154M
Registration : RA-85684
Former Registrations :
- CCCP-85684 (Aeroflot)
- RA-85684 (Chita Avia, Sayanyi, Avia Express Cruise)
Built : 1990
From : Moscow (DME)
To : Sochi (AER)
Take off : 09:15 h (0615 UTC)
Touch down : 11:54 h (0854 UTC)
Flying time : 2 hours 39 minutes (including holding)
Flying distance : 1.675 km (including holding)
Altitude : 11.887 / 11.894 m
Speed : 946 / 707 / 774 / 763 km/h
Flight Captain : Lamanov, Andrey
First Officer : Shatalov, Gennadiy
Flight Engineer : Bogdanov, Mikhail
Navigator : Aleksandr, Yakub
Cabin Crew : Busarkina Arndt, Natalya
Cabin Crew : Belous, Viktoriya
Cabin Crew : Smyshlyaeva, Irina
Cabin Crew : Volkova, Irina
Cabin Crew : Nedrigaino, Mariya

Видео THE SIGHT & THE SOUND 1/4 : Flight onboard Alrosa TU-154M RA-85684 from Moscow (DME) to Sochi (AER) канала Daniel Frohriep-Ichihara