View Full Version : Ever Heard of Gilgit?
asuspine
15th Mar 2010, 20:05
A beautiful valley in Northern Pakistan
http://images3.jetphotos.net/img/1/5/8/8/38069_1268519885.jpg
treadigraph
16th Mar 2010, 18:17
I'm sure I've read some great stories in the past about PIA's operations in there with DC-3s and F-27s.
Gets a couple of mentions from F-27 days in Alexander Frater's book "Beyond the Blue Horizon", starting with tall stories he was told about it, through to him reporting a discussion with PIA pilots who said it wasn't as hairy as it was often cracked up to be. Yes, you fly up a valley prone to low cloud, but there are sensible minima, which can lead to suspensions for days, and you can make a 180 if you need to pretty much anywhere along the way.
forget
17th Mar 2010, 09:59
asuspine, Delete _tb from your URL - you're showing a thumbnail.
shobakker
17th Mar 2010, 10:00
Been there & been into Skardu - now that was an interesting flight...!
Here
History of PIA - Pakistan International Airlines (http://www.historyofpia.com/tr.htm)
is an interesting little trip report about going to Gilgit in F-27 days.
Geezers of Nazareth
18th Mar 2010, 09:37
Somewhere up in the valley, probably in the town of Gilgit itself, I'm sure that there's a hotel which has an old PIA DC-3 fuselage in the grounds. I remember seeing pictures on Google Earth sometime in the past.
asuspine
18th Mar 2010, 14:13
That hotel is in Skardu and it name is Shangrila. Hope you would like the new one as well. Cheers
shobakker
18th Mar 2010, 14:18
Flying into Skardu was (don't if it is now) an "interesting" experience. If I remember rightly, the PIA flight was always scheduled for an early start so that they could delay it indefinitely if there was any cloud...
I was actually asked up front for an outstanding view of the Karakoram range as we flew into Skardu - got some great pics of K2 and Masherbrum somewhere...
The Shangri-La Hotel in Skardu is about as close to the mythical Shangrila as you could get - a beautiful crystal clear mirror calm lake, surrounded by stunning peaks and yes, the old DC3 in the grounds adds a little fun to the stay...It's a shame that this part of the world is so riven by political & religious problems as the tourism potential is massive....
asuspine
18th Mar 2010, 14:55
Flight schedule is same as there is no change in weather pattern. Flying in and out of Skardu is still an exciting experience.