Going to North Korea?

[MSX]

After someone posted a question on another forum asking "Would you flt on old Russian metal?" i was told that a british company sells Aviation tours to the DPRK offering flights on the entire Air Koryo fleet.

For the relatively low price of €1,995 you get tickets from Beijing to Pyongyang and back, 7 nights at hotel, food(three meals a day with one drink per meal), travel throughout the country(with the group, in an air conditioned vehicle), all entry fees to "any places that might be of interest" and the use of English speaking KITC guides aswell as flights in Il-18, Tu-134, Tu-154, Tu-204 and An-24. Optional pleasure flights are offered on Il-62, Il-76 and An-148.

Link to the site found here: http://www.juchetravelservices.com/The%20Tours/_Aviation%20Tours.html

I might just book one of the trips. Maybe not next year, but who knows?

My question though is, has anyone here gone on one of these trips before? If so, what did you think? Was it worth it, or was it just a waste of money?

[MSX]

Oscar, this info generally looks more like just ad, and not like objective info. "entry fees to "any places that might be of interest" - no way, only hosts will decide what is "a place of interest", not you. "aswell as flights in Il-18, Tu-134, Tu-154, Tu-204 and An-24. Optional pleasure flights are offered on Il-62, Il-76 and An-148." - really doubting, especially flight on Il-76, which is cargo plane. Traffic in North Korea is really limited, so you will have to make 4 round trips to try all plane types, which is quite doubting in terms of both costs and routes availability.

[MSX]

Oscar, this info generally looks more like just ad, and not like objective info.

Oops. I didn't mean to make it sound like an ad. Sorry about that. :blush:

Anyway, i realise that the hosts decide what is "of interest" even though not all group members think it's interesting. It is logical though as the group might otherwise split up.

About the optional flights, i too had my doubts about it, but my friend claims to have read trip reports from these trips which included Il-76s. I have not seen any real trip reports about these tours, but i have seen trip reports including photos of Air Koryo flights. None with the 76 though. I have seen Il-62s, Tu-154s and Tu-204s.

While the traffic may be limited, there are nine days there according to the site, so there might be ample time for all flights. Maybe the flights are for example Il-62 one way and Tu-134 back.

[MSX]

Oops. I didn't mean to make it sound like an ad. Sorry about that.

- Oscar, I did not mean that you presented this info like an ad; I meant it was initially written like an ad.

By the way: flying from Stockholm to Beijing will cost around the same money like the rest of the trip, so it will finally be not so cheap.

[MSX]

Oscar, do you seriously intend to fly all the way up to North Korea to just fly on the soviet airframes?

[MSX]

- Oscar, I did not mean that you presented this info like an ad; I meant it was initially written like an ad.

By the way: flying from Stockholm to Beijing will cost around the same money like the rest of the trip, so it will finally be not so cheap.

Oh. My bad.

True, but if it is really that cheap it could be a once in a lifetime experience.

Oscar, do you seriously intend to fly all the way up to North Korea to just fly on the soviet airframes?

Not just to fly soviet aircraft. I actually find DPRK an interesting country, even though i've never known why. And there is more than planes i'd like to spot in Pyongyang.

[MSX]

None with the 76 though.

Not just to fly soviet aircraft.

Oscar, take a look at this - http://www.flymig.com/zero-gravity/

It costs more expensive than North Korea idea, motsly due to fancy Moscow hotels pricing but the zero gravitation experience on a IL-76 worth that money!

[Офлайн Flight fanЗаслуженный авиатор]

I've seen that before(but not with that much information), and i have been thinking about it. And as there is more freedom as a tourist in Moscow than there is in Pyongyang, it is more appealing. And Moscow has also been on my list of places i'd like to visit for quite some time.

And as my grandma and grandpa somehow found out about me thinking about going to DPRK they got worried. I don't know how accurate it is, but they had seen something on TV about the state taking 10-year olds to see executions. So despite my love of soviet airliners i don't think i'll go there. Atleast not any time soon.

[Офлайн TushinecВторой пилот]

Подскажите, как это всё правильно прочитать?

[Офлайн EugeniusЗаслуженный авиатор]

Подскажите, как это всё правильно прочитать?

- есть два варианта:

А) Выучить английский язык
Б) Использовать вот эту программку http://translate.google.ru/?hl=ru&tab=wT, либо какой-то ее аналог.