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S V Choong

About Subang in her heyday

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I remember in 1988 or 1989, an air france concorde visited subang! I was there along with a lot of people at the viewing gallery. wow...the roar of the snecma engines as the concorde did a flypast was amazing! still remember that day vividly. even met my standard 3 english teacher there!

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Gavin : Here's the link to a picture I took of Malaysia Airlines' A310-300 F-ODVF.

fodvf03mh.jpg

 

With Andrew's help long ago, I maintained this website but have since lost touch with it and do not know how to update it any more. I wish I know how to pluck that picture and put it here.

 

KC Sim

Edited by Gavin Andrew David
Inserted Image

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Has anyone here been on the Aeroflot IL-62 on the Moscow-Dubai-Kuala Lumpur?

 

What was the service like? Would imagine it was really difficult to obtain a visa to go to the USSR. Not that it is any easier to obtain a visa to enter the Russian Federation today!

Edited by S V Choong

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Gavin : Here's the link to a picture I took of Malaysia Airlines' A310-300 F-ODVF.

http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/1145/F-ODVF-03MH.jpg

 

With Andrew's help long ago, I maintained this website but have since lost touch with it and do not know how to update it any more. I wish I know how to pluck that picture and put it here.

 

KC Sim

 

Understand Geocities will be closed down soon, better to save these historic photos soon.

 

:drinks:

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... Would imagine it was really difficult to obtain a visa to go to the USSR. Not that it is any easier to obtain a visa to enter the Russian Federation today!

 

I went to Moscow twice in '94, and the visa applications were routine and harmless, just needed confirmed itineray & accommodation. For business, an invitation required. I think it's still that way now.

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Thanks for posting the photo of MH leased A310 :clapping:

 

What KK Lee said is right;better save the rare historic photos soon :good:

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Has anyone here been on the Aeroflot IL-62 on the Moscow-Dubai-Kuala Lumpur?

Eh ? I thought the routing was Kuala Lumpur-Bangkok-Sharjah-Moscow vv ? It was operated using 313 before KUL was officially suspended.

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Got something to share with you guys here:

 

SZB1stDayCover.jpg

 

I was suprised to see this :blink: luckily my father managed to recover his First Day Cover album! :yahoo:

 

Back then,this First Day Cover only costs 10 sen :lol:

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Has anyone here been on the Aeroflot IL-62 on the Moscow-Dubai-Kuala Lumpur?

 

What was the service like? Would imagine it was really difficult to obtain a visa to go to the USSR. Not that it is any easier to obtain a visa to enter the Russian Federation today!

 

Flew once on the Il-62M from Heathrow to KUL via Moscow (Sheremetyevo)and Karachi in 1985. The LHR-Moscow sector also used the IL-62M. No visa required to transit at Moscow... but had to wait some 9 hours at the airport for the flight to KUL! I recall the immigration officer wanted to have my Cross pen as souvenir, but had to refuse as it has sentimental value to me. Perhaps there were not many western goods available in the then USSR.

 

It was a one-class cabin. I can only recall steak served from Karachi to KUL, as there was this large lump of beef served. I suppose it was halal as I requested for MOML, and likely uplifted at Karachi. I opted to sit at the very end of the cabin (next to the engines) and my ears were 'ringing' for days after the flight!

 

The cabin crew were not those 'young' ones were are so used to in Asia. There was one stewardess who looked about late 40s. But I have encountered elderly crew on TWA and BA, so I was not too surprised.

 

What struck me was how huge the body build of the pilots... almost bear-like :)

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Flew once on the Il-62M from Heathrow to KUL via Moscow (Sheremetyevo)and Karachi in 1985. The LHR-Moscow sector also used the IL-62M. No visa required to transit at Moscow... but had to wait some 9 hours at the airport for the flight to KUL! I recall the immigration officer wanted to have my Cross pen as souvenir, but had to refuse as it has sentimental value to me. Perhaps there were not many western goods available in the then USSR.

 

It was a one-class cabin. I can only recall steak served from Karachi to KUL, as there was this large lump of beef served. I suppose it was halal as I requested for MOML, and likely uplifted at Karachi. I opted to sit at the very end of the cabin (next to the engines) and my ears were 'ringing' for days after the flight!

 

The cabin crew were not those 'young' ones were are so used to in Asia. There was one stewardess who looked about late 40s. But I have encountered elderly crew on TWA and BA, so I was not too surprised.

 

What struck me was how huge the body build of the pilots... almost bear-like :)

You are the man, Rozhan :good: What was there airport like back then?

 

What was the experience on the IL-62M? Was it inferior or comparable to the US and European products of the time? Your ears must have been well served by the 4 noisy gas guzzling engines! I would not even want to imagine sitting next to two old noisy P&W engines on the B727s let alone four of them :)

 

Isaac, I think the IL-62M was on the KUL-DXB-Moscow route. Routes must have changed when they introduced the A310-300s.

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That plane looks kinda like Concorde/Tu144...

 

I reckon this FDC is so gonna be invaluable to you ;)

 

Yes it is,as my dad once keep it. :lol:

 

My guess for the SST on the FDC are Concorde :rolleyes:

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Off-topic: Pak Din's taxi comes in at 3:55. Remember the cartoon in Mingguan Malaysia by cartoonist Nan?

 

O/T: And the fare was 10 ringgit, a princely sum those days. I wonder where Pak Din took them from Subang ... and at the end, Jins Shamsuddin got hugged by Noorkumalasari, many times also! Hahaha ... :D

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You are the man, Rozhan :good: What was there airport like back then?

 

What was the experience on the IL-62M? Was it inferior or comparable to the US and European products of the time? Your ears must have been well served by the 4 noisy gas guzzling engines! I would not even want to imagine sitting next to two old noisy P&W engines on the B727s let alone four of them :)

 

(OT) The experience was good actually. I had always wanted to try it out.. flying in a Soviet aircraft, and set foot on Soviet territory :) Those were the old days of the Cold War, and the 'USSR' evokes such mystic, probably due to the west which was forever demonizing the USSR, the KGB etc. Not helped by the stern looks of former Soviet presidents of that time e.g. Leonid Brezhnev, Konstantin Chernenko, Yuri Andropov (although Andropov warmed up a little when a little American girl wrote a letter to him... look for Samantha Smith in the Net for the story)

 

The cabin itself was not too bad. If I recall correctly, the back seat table looked different from the usual plastic ones. They were made of some kind of stainless steel. Seats were quite comfortable for the all-economy cabin. Since the flight was not full, I had the whole back part of the aircraft to myself. Oh yes, the 4 Soloviev engines were screaming loud but I thought I enjoyed it, not knowing the 'ringing' to come for the next few days :D !

 

During the long transit at Sheremetyevo, we were actually allowed to exit the terminal. I was alone at that time and had no mood to venture beyond the airport. I now regret not taking a trip to Moscow for sightseeing. I killed time roaming about the relatively modern airport, learning new names of Soviet cities and capital cities of eastern Europe via the flight information display. Most planes there were obviously Soviet made, but I remember seeing a Lufthansa A300 as well.

 

It took almost exactly 24 hours since I left LHR to reach KUL, arriving at about 4pm. The sight of Subang Airport was such a joy after being away from home for several months.

 

I believe the aircraft will only fly out the next day as the engines would be covered after the flight.

Edited by Rozhan
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(OT) The experience was good actually. I had always wanted to try it out.. flying in a Soviet aircraft, and set foot on Soviet territory :) Those were the old days of the Cold War, and the 'USSR' evokes such mystic, probably due to the west which was forever demonizing the USSR, the KGB etc. Not helped by the stern looks of former Soviet presidents of that time e.g. Leonid Brezhnev, Konstantin Chernenko, Yuri Andropov (although Andropov warmed up a little when a little American girl wrote a letter to him... look for Samantha Smith in the Net for the story)

 

The cabin itself was not too bad. If I recall correctly, the back seat table looked different from the usual plastic ones. They were made of some kind of stainless steel. Seats were quite comfortable for the all-economy cabin. Since the flight was not full, I had the whole back part of the aircraft to myself. Oh yes, the 4 Soloviev engines were screaming loud but I thought I enjoyed it, not knowing the 'ringing' to come for the next few days :D !

 

During the long transit at Sheremetyevo, we were actually allowed to exit the terminal. I was alone at that time and had no mood to venture beyond the airport. I now regret not taking a trip to Moscow for sightseeing. I killed time roaming about the relatively modern airport, learning new names of Soviet cities and capital cities of eastern Europe via the flight information display. Most planes there were obviously Soviet made, but I remember seeing a Lufthansa A300 as well.

 

It took almost exactly 24 hours since I left LHR to reach KUL, arriving at about 4pm. The sight of Subang Airport was such a joy after being away from home for several months.

 

I believe the aircraft will only fly out the next day as the engines would be covered after the flight.

The West have definitely demonised the USSR and former countries of Commie blocks, through media and etc. Today they continued to do that, not so much with Russia but with China.

 

Seriously, who would have known that the USSR dismembered in the early 90's. I am not sure if Moscow is a safe place to visit after hearing all the somewhat shocking stories from visitors who returned from visits there. Not sure what it was like during the Commies era though.

 

One thing I heard about Aeroflot during the 80s or 90s was that they do not have any kinds of insurance or compensation as stipulated by IATA towards there members. Is that correct? For examples, victims involved in an accident that involves Aeroflot aircraft were not given any cover/insurance of any sort. One reason why the airfare was cheap.

 

How much did you pay for your airfare to go on Aeroflot flights, Rozhan and how would it compared to other options like MAS, BA or SIA?

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The West have definitely demonised the USSR and former countries of Commie blocks, through media and etc. Today they continued to do that, not so much with Russia but with China.

 

I have to agree with you there. I was fortunate enough to visit Vietnam, China, East Germany and Poland during the 'Cold War' era. I visited Moscow just after the USSR broke apart (dang!), but things were still fluid then. All those places were peaceful & pleasant. However street crimes were rampant in post-USSR Moscow. My Russian friend removed the rubber blades of his car's wipers whenever he parked - 'some a*hole might steal them', he muttered. :)

 

In any case, I'm planning to do the Trans-Siberian rail journey in the next couple of years or so. Anybody game? We might even have "Train Journey of the Living Dead"! Hahahah! :D

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However street crimes were rampant in post-USSR Moscow. My Russian friend removed the rubber blades of his car's wipers whenever he parked - 'some a*hole might steal them', he muttered. :)

 

I've read in a book by Tony Mendez, a CIA disguise expert that that is actually common before the breakup of the USSR, and that if you want to know which car belongs to the KGB, you should look at the car with a wiper blade fixed to it!

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I have to agree with you there. I was fortunate enough to visit Vietnam, China, East Germany and Poland during the 'Cold War' era. I visited Moscow just after the USSR broke apart (dang!), but things were still fluid then. All those places were peaceful & pleasant. However street crimes were rampant in post-USSR Moscow. My Russian friend removed the rubber blades of his car's wipers whenever he parked - 'some a*hole might steal them', he muttered. :)

 

In any case, I'm planning to do the Trans-Siberian rail journey in the next couple of years or so. Anybody game? We might even have "Train Journey of the Living Dead"! Hahahah! :D

Doc, you must have a way of dealing with the visa. I remember my father was trying to secure a visa to the People's Republic of China so that he could accompany my grandfather to return to our ancestral hometown for a visit during the 80s. It was proved all too difficult as they had an age restriction, plus as a Chinese, you would not want to mistaken yourself with the Malaysian Communists guerillas at that time. At the end he gave up and he died before China opened her doors.

 

I was actually planning to visit North Korea, the remaining real deal Communist nation. It is proven a bit difficult now as I have a newborn son and could not even travel for at least a year or two. Oh perhaps the upcoming trip is to visit the Malaysian High Commission in Canberra and register him as a Malaysian citizen before he turns 1 year old. :)

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Doc, you must have a way of dealing with the visa. I remember my father was trying to secure a visa to the People's Republic of China so that he could accompany my grandfather to return to our ancestral hometown for a visit during the 80s. It was proved all too difficult as they had an age restriction, plus as a Chinese, you would not want to mistaken yourself with the Malaysian Communists guerillas at that time. At the end he gave up and he died before China opened her doors.

 

Interesting tale, pity your dad did not make it to the hometown. I can tell ya, the Saudi visa experience was the worst! From now on I'm gonna engage a runner for the job.

 

I was actually planning to visit North Korea, the remaining real deal Communist nation. It is proven a bit difficult now as I have a newborn son and could not even travel for at least a year or two. Oh perhaps the upcoming trip is to visit the Malaysian High Commission in Canberra and register him as a Malaysian citizen before he turns 1 year old. :)

 

Yes, NK is the only true communist state left, well, maybe Cuba also. But visiting NK is not trivial either - you need to do it via an authorised NK travel agency, and the tour is normally ex-Beijing, and there'll be a minder tailing you all the time. I'd like to try it too one day, maybe on the way to catch the Trans-Siberian at Vladivostok. :D

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How much did you pay for your airfare to go on Aeroflot flights, Rozhan and how would it compared to other options like MAS, BA or SIA?

 

Aeroflot flight from London to KUL via Moscow was about GBP200 in total. At that time, the exchange rate was around MYR 3.50 - GBP 1.00, so about MYR 700 all in. Now that was cheap considering MAS was charging double for the cheapest APEX fare. I bought the ticket in London.

 

I don't know the fares for SQ or BA to KUL. I only flew BA (and TWA) for several transatlantic flights between LHR and LAX, which cost GBP 299 return during the months of April-Sept 1985.

 

As for the insurance thing, I'm not sure. I did keep my original Aeroflot ticket but can't find it at the moment to check the T&C

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Yes, NK is the only true communist state left, well, maybe Cuba also. But visiting NK is not trivial either - you need to do it via an authorised NK travel agency, and the tour is normally ex-Beijing, and there'll be a minder tailing you all the time. I'd like to try it too one day, maybe on the way to catch the Trans-Siberian at Vladivostok. :D

Haha, yeah, heard about the minder tailing thing. A Hong Kong guy whom I happened to know through my cousin told me that he visited Pyongyanga year or two ago. They had a NK minder tailing them and even listened to their conversation. I think they must have had a minder who is able to understand Cantonese too. The first day they were in their hotel, which is located on an island in the middle of the river, they complained about the quality of the food. The next day their meal improved vastly. They suspected the minder had passed on the message and NK was trying to save face. He also said that one is not allowed to show any signs of disrespectness when photographing with the statues of their beloved leader, the late Kim Il Sung. If you must photograph with Kim Il Sung, you must stand stiffly and if you don't conform to their standards, they won't let you take any photos.

 

Heard that streets of Pyongyang is rather clean, probably a lot cleaner than KL.

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Haha, yeah, heard about the minder tailing thing. A Hong Kong guy whom I happened to know through my cousin told me that he visited Pyongyanga year or two ago. They had a NK minder tailing them and even listened to their conversation. I think they must have had a minder who is able to understand Cantonese too. The first day they were in their hotel, which is located on an island in the middle of the river, they complained about the quality of the food. The next day their meal improved vastly. They suspected the minder had passed on the message and NK was trying to save face. He also said that one is not allowed to show any signs of disrespectness when photographing with the statues of their beloved leader, the late Kim Il Sung. If you must photograph with Kim Il Sung, you must stand stiffly and if you don't conform to their standards, they won't let you take any photos.

 

Heard that streets of Pyongyang is rather clean, probably a lot cleaner than KL.

 

Yup, all tourists get such minders, and they would tend to have researched about you.

 

And the streets are probably cleaner because there's limited potential trash to start with.

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