BeechTalk - BT - Who wants to hear stories flying an Antonov?

Username Protected · **Posted:** 24 Dec 2025, 12:27

In the thread about the auto land episode Jeff Wright mentions an experience with making an emergency landing in an Antonov. I suspect that I am not the only one who would like to hear more about this topic and the background of getting a type rating. Jeff, Would you care to indulge us?

Username Protected · **Posted:** 24 Dec 2025, 17:03

What’s an Antonov cockpit look like?

Username Protected · **Posted:** 24 Dec 2025, 19:43

Username Protected wrote:

What’s an Antonov cockpit look like?

Probably just like 1954

Username Protected · **Posted:** 24 Dec 2025, 20:06

Hi Mark,

Sorry it's not really much of a story. Just a typical young man who wasn't sure what to do with their life. I took a break from college to work the oilfields in Kuwait after the 1st gulf war, and then rather than go home to the US I caught a gig as a freight dog for an operation based out of South Africa. It wasn't so much about the flying or any sense of adventure - I was young and there was a simpler explanation, a little redhead from Port Elizabeth.

The company I flew for operated a little of everything from piper aztecs, to king airs, to Antonovs. Most of the work involved taking equipment into mines in the middle of the continent.

The bigger planes were leased. Sometimes the lease included a crew, sometimes not, and sometimes a partial crew. The latter was the spot I landed in most often. I wound up with SIC type ratings in the AN24, AN32, and AN12. Truth be told I didn't do a whole lot of flying, the main reason they put me there was to be the liaison with crew from our company, and to speak French where needed with ATC and ground staff. I also got a maintenance engineer's license and that was part of the job - we both flew and wrenched. To this day I can't read a menu or road sign in Russian, but I can navigate a hydraulic piping diagram.

We were sent to Ukraine for the type ratings but for maintenance engineer, my boss Winnie Privett administered that exam himself. If you search you can find some posts from him here. To this day, that test was the hardest thing I've ever done.

I learned more about flying from a couple of the crusty old Russian captains than any CFI. Met a lot of wonderful people. And occasionally there were some pretty terrible episodes (not so much flying, more like off-duty things). But on balance it was a good experience for a young person, both flying lessons and life lessons.