A little bit of aviation history...
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A little bit of aviation history...
It has been over 10 years I believe since the former East German air carrier "Interflug" had its last flight. I am trying to find out a few things I couldn't find in any book or site:
* What was the aircraft registration like?. .* What ICAO codes were used for airports?. .* What was the official aviation language in the eastern block countries?. .* Were flight levels in feet or meters?. .* Did they use different naviagation systems?
* What was the aircraft registration like?. .* What ICAO codes were used for airports?. .* What was the official aviation language in the eastern block countries?. .* Were flight levels in feet or meters?. .* Did they use different naviagation systems?
Actually flew with Interflug, in 1980 (I think) on a charter from Gatwick to Dresden (then in E Germany of course).
Aircraft was a Tu134, they had reggies starting with DDR-. Think their ICAO code was IF.
From what I remember, the aircraft ferried in empty to pick us up....and departed empty after it brought as back 2 weeks later (economics not a consideration, obviously).
I also remember ramp workers at LGW stopping work to photograph us as we taxied out (Interflug were . .rarely seem outside of Eastern Europe and Havana in those days!).
What was I doing....just my parents idea of a Package Holiday with a difference...and it was!
Aircraft was a Tu134, they had reggies starting with DDR-. Think their ICAO code was IF.
From what I remember, the aircraft ferried in empty to pick us up....and departed empty after it brought as back 2 weeks later (economics not a consideration, obviously).
I also remember ramp workers at LGW stopping work to photograph us as we taxied out (Interflug were . .rarely seem outside of Eastern Europe and Havana in those days!).
What was I doing....just my parents idea of a Package Holiday with a difference...and it was!
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Aircraft registration was DM-XXX first and changed to DDR-XXX later (don´t know exactly when but must been in the 80´s). Finally registration was D-XXXX after 1990. . .Knowing from east german films and an east german television soap opera about the interflug (don´t remember the title but it was repeated in television two years ago and I found it very interessting) official aviation language was english.. .Some more details might be found in a book I read about two years ago taken from the library so I can´t look into it again to answer your questions ´Weg und Absturz der Interflug - Der Luftverkehr der DDR´, Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus, Berlin 1994 ISBN: 3-89488-071-6 DM 39.80 (unfortunately in german language) or in this PDF-file where the old and the final registration is shown.. .Instrumentation of the Interflug planes was with metrical altimeters, so I assume flight levels were generally given in meters in all eastern block countries.
I´ll e-mail you more information if I find some.
I´ll e-mail you more information if I find some.
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The airport shop at Berlin Schonefeld still has a good collection of postcards from the Interflug era which include ramp shots of their IL-62s and some too of their A310s. The ramps shots are very atmostpheric indeed of the East Berlin days.
[ 08 February 2002: Message edited by: Tom the Tenor ]</p>
[ 08 February 2002: Message edited by: Tom the Tenor ]</p>
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IF's three GE powered A310-304s were registered as DDR-ABA,ABB,ABC. They are now in the German Luftwaffe Transport Fleet. Additional Interflug fleet (1989) included: 29 TU134, 12 IL18, 2 TU154, 16 IL62.
