Hi all,I just came back from a holiday in Bulgaria on a TU-154. What a bucket of S**t that was!. The emergency exit was leaking water all the way and I'm sure the pilot was having problems getting the spoilers to deploy. Scary!CJ

That'll teach you to scrimp on flight costs!! :-lol

...:-lol I've heard that you can buy one of those TU-154 thingies for

Spotting at eham I saw one come in doing a real sharp turn maybe half a mile from the threshold rwy 06; way too high he made a nosedive, didn't make it and had to go around and get all the way back in lineup. I guess he was trying to squeeze in front. Alotta smoke and noise offcourse, they're not allowed there anymore. Pity....

I fly on these things all the time for work. They are a little on the scary side if they are not well maintained. The planes themselves are quite durable, but lousy maintanence and flight crew make most flights on them an adventure.>Hi all, >>I just came back from a holiday in Bulgaria on a TU-154. >What a bucket of S**t that was!. The emergency exit was >leaking water all the way and I'm sure the pilot was having >problems getting the spoilers to deploy. Scary! >>CJ

Never been on one (don't want to!) but see them often at East MidlandsEMA doing charters to Bulgaria. Apparently they are built like brick****houses and as previously stated are extremely durable. Probablyneeded as well!!!!RJH320

LMAO! :-lol Tupolev, Built Strong, yes? hahaha I'm used too them, I love em! :hahBest Regards Derek Beal :-wave[link:www.aeroflot.com]http://flightsimmers.net/va/aeroflot724/header_logo_ru.jpgPROUD RUSSIAN/CANADIAN! :D http://www.x-plane.org/users/dbeal/3dflags...om_russi2bl.gif http://www.x-plane.org/users/dbeal/canadaa.gif

Good thing the Hong Kong airport authorities didn't let the Air Koryo Tupolev's in :DKitty MercuryCathay Pacific Virtual Pilot (CX252)

Hello CJ,care to specify which airline and if possible registration the plane was? I am a bit surprised to hear what you have to say, as I have been working with one of those airlines, Air Via, and had a totally different impression. They were highly professional and had their planes in perfect order. Back in 1994 we operated one of their planes in Switzerland while ours (Caravelle) was in maintenance overhaul. We had it up and running for 8 weeks here without a single tech snag, flying 4 legs per day on heavy load routes. I was very impressed with the performance and reliability of that particular aircraft, which was a 1991 built TU154-M series. Even then, the plane was certified to CAT II ILS operations and we had a great time on it. Since, I have flown the TU in the full flightsimulator at Sofia Training center and the handling of it has confirmed my very positive view of this type. On a recent visit to one of Air Via's TU's I took stock of quite some changes in avionics since, including double independent TCAS systems and totally new navigation equipment. I have also seen one plane of Hemus Air equipped with TCAS and dual FMS. Of course, there are several older planes around that are in bad shape, mostly old B-2 variants. Re the "rain" from the exit: I have not experienced this on a TU but it was quite frequent on the Caravelle's main door. Usually it would appear during climb and descent, reason being condensation of humid air between the door seals. Very inconvenient. If this happened on a Air Via TU, which got btw all completely overhauled during last Winter including repaint, I am sure it was an isolated event that got rectified immediately after that flight. Unfortunately, the only way to do that is to open the exit and to dry out the seams, which can prove a bit difficult in flight.... Best RegardsUrs WildermuthLSZH

Darren, you might find old B-2's for very few money. The last I heard on a factory new TU was some years ago around US$ 20 Mio, but that was one that had spent some time waiting for a customer. I'd have to check but I believe you'd have to shell out a great deal more than 150'k

i flew it to bulgary when i was a little kid. the emergency exit door fell off. i dont understand how. my mum told me. she was pretty scared. it was a balkan airlines. i dont think the whole door fell of, but some parts. there was not any open holes or anthing though. that would be a lot worse;)

The thing you have to remember about airplanes- much like cars or anything else, is that you get out of it what you put into it. Any airplane is going to be a bucket if it's not properly maintained.

The airline was Hemus Air (Although the plane was painted in a Balkan Holidays livery). Don't know what the Reg was.CJ