World's Most Bizarre Airline - North Korea's Air Koryo
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- čas přidán 10. 05. 2024
- The flying experience on North Korea’s “one-star airline” Air Koryo is completely different from any other airline! You can fly this airline and visit a museum at the same time! But are they really bizarre and terrible?
I share my experience of flying Air Koryo on their Soviet Ilyushin IL-62, Ilyushin IL-18 and modern Tupolev 204 and Antonov 148 aircraft. It actually has more leg room and the seats are wider than most other airlines, customer service may be better than United or RyanAir. There are free food and drinks for everyone. It is definitely an exotic experience you don't want to miss!
The aviation tour to North Korea has given us the opportunity to visit many parts of the country including the sacred Mount Paektu near Samjiyon. I share some of the first hand insights about the country, the tour guide, accommodation and food.
The video also covers North Korea’s first Air Show; Wonsan AirShow. It was the most exotic airshow I've ever attended with a lineup of rare Soviet vintage fleet of Air Koryo and North Korean Air Force, many joy flights on Air Koryo, and the possibility to meet with North Koreans freely at the airshow.
Russian here. My grandfather Dmitry Vilde was building the engines for the TU in 50s. It was near Kuibyshev (now Samara), a small work town called Upravlenchesky. Some captured Germans from ww2 worked there in luxury (measuring by that time) conditions - high salary, meat and milk supply etc, they were engineers who helped our engineers to work. I have published some of his personal letters and pictures of that time. Incredibly interesting, Sam. Thank you for your videos and for your interest in Soviet aviation. This job actually saved my grandfather from ww2, during which he stayed in Moscow and was making engines for war planes in Moscow suburbs. Peace to all❤
So sad Russia is more and more becoming like North Korea
@@sbbfbwnxpquenflqpiso sad that the west thinks they have the moral high ground. Nope, we don't, we are in no position to lecture anyone. If you think we are free, you are deluding yourself. We are puppets in the hands of the 1%. We dance to their tunes. We count nothing, we are only good as long as we are useful.
@@sbbfbwnxpquenflqpi I don't know about that, not sure if you've ever heard of a place called the soviet union. 😅
Thanks for sharing
freaking communists
The condition they keep their airplanes in is seriously impressive.
Don’t judge a book by its cover. As an ex aircraft engineer you are putting your life on the line flying in these aircraft, what’s the maintenance,? Etc
@@maxbee4460 I'd rather fly with these old Ilyushins than with Boeing 😅
@@maxbee4460Boeng builds very unreliable planes
@@maxbee4460 I'd put my life in a Russian plane before getting on a "Made in America" disaster
The material maybe already reach the end of its life. So any flight will be a potential danger.
I admire your balance of acknowledging the odd realities of North Korea without making the video all about criticizing those things.
I agree! I respect him not being condescending or sarcastic in his monologue.
Yes I fully agree!
Summer of 1990, I flew Aeroflot from NY to Moscow. Hearing the jet's engines in your video brings it all back. Not sure if they've since fixed it or if your audio just didn't pick it up, but in addition to being incredibly loud, the engines were slightly out of tune with each other. The end result being that on top of being the loudest jet I've ever flown on, there was a fluctuating ?warble? ?harmonic? between the engines that I hope to never experience again. Ever. Good times. edit to add: all the seats on the plane reclined fully onto the seats behind them. We were told it was so that the planes could be quickly converted to cargo planes for the military. For 60+ high school students, it was better than 1st class. We reclined all of our chairs and the back half of the plane became a huge sleeping area. We were also allowed to take a small set of stairs down into the cargo hold (where we played cards until the cold got to us).
I flew Aeroflot from Moscow to Siberia in winter. When we were landing, the pilot said there was ice on the runway. He made everyone stand in the back of the airplane on landing to weigh down the tail. It still floundered back and forth like a fish struggling on a line. Absolutely terrifying in every way. Lots of people were throwing up. But that man landed that damn airplane, and everyone survived! It was rough though.
And the engine sounds makes my day. All the birds looks so good.
No shortage of skill involved in keeping vintage jets in the air. Great footage of the planes.
Thank you for making this documentary about my airline. I hope you enjoyed our services. I have ordered new planes from uncle Vlad to improve our reputation ❤ - Chairman Kim
Hahahaha 😂😂
Chairman Kim, when can I have a ride on one of these planes?
@@bwillwin1505 depends on my mood
What is the deal with Russian engines being loud AF?
@@ChairmanKim - The only interesting thing about flying are the stewardesses. Excellency, you did everything right on this point.
@@ColonelMacPimpDaddy They are assuring the passengers it is not Boeing.
wow - it’s amazing how well-preserved these beautiful airplanes are - they look as if they’re maintained on a daily basis - it would be worth a visit just to fly them
I wouldn't. Aviation-grade steel is high quality but have defined lifespans. When you're evaluating a civilian aircraft's age don't think about the flight hours, at least not when you're evaluating the airframe itself, the wingbox, wing struts, cabin & the like.
It's compression cycles that matter. These planes at altitude expand & on landing contract. Under UV radiation & working under vibration, metal has a limited number of compression cycles before microcracks start to develop. Once the wingbox starts developing cracks the plane's done.
How many compression cycles have these aircraft been through over the Decades? Alot. I wouldn't trust their domestic service planes.
@@CoffeeAndPaul true but a lot of commercial airplanes are older than 30-40 years still in service and they are getting used much more than for example this il 62
I flew jets for an American airline and the only time they were cleaned was for repainting.
Looks like a neat and different experience in an interesting place.
@@ryansheppard1227 Dont' lie. Unless you are talking some backwaters airline with 1 plane.
I'd love to know who is qualified to fix that MiG-21 after that horrific tail strike on landing. But hey... let's all cheer for female pilots! That's what's really important, right?
I lived in the GDR, near Berlin Schönefeld. The IL-62 was really incredibly loud on take-off and landing.
It's amazing that you were able to fly it
Louder then a VC-10?
It was even louder when it crashed.
C'mmon Tu 134s were louder...
No you didn't
Guten tag Schönefeld
Those old Soviet planes look amazing. The TU154 always reminded me of Thunderbird 1.
Sam, thanks for this video, you have no idea how much I enjoyed it and how technical and informative it was especially as a Mexican who lived 5 years in Russia and who practiced aviation decades ago. Thank you and blessings!
Great video Sam! This one was a special video. I tuned in to see what NK looks like.
From flying like a prince in an Emirates first class suite to sitting in the back row of an Air Koryo IL-62, you have experienced everything. In my next life I want to be Sam Chui.
He actually flew like a prince, I remember his video about flying on a decommissioned 747 that belonged to Saudi royalty.
🤔
There are some interesting other types airlines in South America that are quite different than those two he can try.
Next life you be the flight crew serving Sam Chui😂
Thank you for the video and all the footage of beautiful old birds doing what they do best in the sky. Glad to see so many happy faces enjoying an event, hope life keeps getting better for them.
My pleasure!
You are nuts...
I wonder how many "happy faces" would love to get the hell out of there 😞
@@guitardzan5641you and I know why they keep 2 people with you at all times.
#1 to keep u from seeing the real N. Korea
#2 so the 1 person can keep the other from escaping
@@john-nx4xn Yep
An eye opener! Thank you & well done throughout!
This was awesome. I lived in Seoul as an American for 3 years and loved it. Thanks for sharing this.
But you wouldn't have loved Pyongyang, now would you?
@@richardtibbitts38413 generations sentenced to hard labor
I was flying in my young age almost all the soviet planes. An 24, Yak 40, Tu154, Il 86, Il 62 and Tu134. Very nice memory and a typical smell of the airplanes.
I much prefer this style of editing from you Sam, rather than the over edited pieces.
It's a different style because of when this video was shot. It was when he was mostly doing his video's on his own, so it has that more raw uncut look. I'm grateful he still has all this footage to go back to. Today Sam has a lot of help to shoot and edit, so it has that more polished professional look now. But I do appreciate the early stuff when he wasn't so known to the aviation industry and now get's invited by airlines and other aviation related industry.
to bad his info is very out of date, back in 2012 maybe you would get your phone taken, this was no longer true few years later, as you can see on other travel videos
@@automatedrussianbot8043 He was referring to his early trip back then.....not to his later trips.
Glad you came back safe and sound!
Love this video! Thanks for sharing, Sam!
You guys are so brave to take those old airplanes , even their leader only takes train 😂
More like stupid. I’ve seen their safety record.
@@saltysailor141 What do you expect from a country that spends 90% of it's GNP on weapons?
How many times have you heard that those planes have crashed? Those propellers will kill any bird that comes around and will not burn in the engine. It may be old but doesn't need much maintenance to keep it running.
You mean Boeing 737 Max
@@emt9370 you gotta be ignorant to the next level to say that. It’s not like they have a choice, when Uncle Sam has sanctioned the f out of them and all their western stooges like Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed don’t sell their planes to them. So yeah, good luck peddling propaganda dimwit
The speak of an aviation enthusiast, you really had a great time there. Cheers for the video!
Fascinating video, Sam! Air Koryo truly is a glimpse into a different world of aviation. Your deep dive into the airline's unique features, from its vintage Soviet-era aircraft to its peculiar in-flight services, was both informative and intriguing. It's amazing how Air Koryo reflects North Korea's broader isolation and distinct culture. Your thorough research and engaging presentation made for an eye-opening experience. Keep up the great work in bringing such rare aviation stories to light!
Wow Air Koryo!!!! Your content is so amazing I loved the behind the scenes series I hope you will do some more
FASCINATING VIDEO. An absolute instant classic @SamChui
KJU is the best leader in the world. We love KJU and North Korea 🇰🇵. Some many people want to move to NK. The country is amazing 🙂↔️
@mantis10_surf85 see if any north Koreans would like to swap citizenship with you?
@@jimtuite3451 who said anything about supporting that murderous regime
@@jimtuite3451 , I haven’t met one NK citizens that would swap citizenship with me. Believe me, I’ve tried. They don’t want to leave utopia. I understand! KJU RULES! 🇰🇵
@@mantis10_surf85 As Internet trolls go, you're not even a good one
I just flew United out of Florida , it was late. The plane was dirty. The crew was surly. Air Koryo could teach United a few things.
Of course, United doesn't use slave labor.
Las aerolíneas del continente Americano desde Alaska hasta la Patagonia son una verdadera letrina, no hay una sola que se salve, y las aerolíneas Europeas no se quedan muy atrás, el mejor servicio lo ofrecen las de Asia.
Thank you Sam! I appreciated, especially, your enthusiasm and your non-condescending narration. Great job! 👍
I was really surprised by how dirty it was at the airshow around the booths and food stands. It looked like there were no garbage cans. Not sure how safe that is around jet aircraft. At 17:19 there was trash everywhere. Having worked for Lufthansa for almost 25 years, that really shocked me that people would be allowed to be that careless with their trash.
Since my wife is from South Korea, there is no way I'm going to make that trip to North Korea, so thank you for going for us!
Great video!
Hi Sam, just winter to say thank you for the topics and bringing us around all these differents topics with an unparalelled passion.This vidéo on Norah Korea reflects my gratitude
Another superb video report Sam. You are so lucky to be able to experience these visits and see and actually fly on some of these iconic aircraft. MiG21 ? IL-62 ? That pristene IL-18 my personal favorite. I'll never get to see them so Thank You so much for sharing !
I like the fact they keep the old things running, also the GDR subway wagons still running and not in the museum. Skilful pilots, I mean just look at the old technical parts in the cockpits. Real arm muscle power acquired and a good feeling for the plane without any autopilot. Love that screaming sound from the jet engines. These planes will still be running in 10-20 years, if the have enough maintenance and parts for repair.
Great video, thanks!
Thanks for sharing Sam!
I'm a former international flight attendant with Air Koryo before the pandemic. Thank you for your lovely video. I'm so glad you enjoy DprK. 💕 💕
NK is not even Third World. Their Supreme Leader and "Beloved Father" Kim Jong Un, lives like a god while the rest of the country has lowered the bar to a new level of national ghetto.
I thought North Koreans didn’t have access to the Internet and CZcams?
Comrade, I think you are not in North Korea.
You have youtube in the North?
@@4banger875propaganda officers do 😂
Your genuine curiosity for a place / operation, and true respect for people shines through in your videos Sam Chui. Thank you for sharing these experiences with us!
A vintage show by you an excellent documentary!!
I enjoyed this video. Thanks Sam!😊
This is a surprise! I never thought (nor did it ever occur to me) that North Korea had an airline😮. That airshow you showed in the vid was also quite surprising. Thanks for sharing!
That "airline" is purely for show. Only for tourists and government officials. Did you notice all the aircraft just sitting on the taxiways?
Thank you Sam for this great video of these beautiful aircraft. I have been an aircraft engineer all my life..( I,m now 79 ) and during my career have been fortunate enough to work on both the Il-62 and the Il-18. Like you say the Il-62 is indeed a mighty machine.
Thanks again...and best wishes.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I have flown on IL- 62 on Dhaka - Tashkent - Moscow route.
Most likely IL-62 used to fly non stop in Moscow - Havana route.
Thank you Sam for the great video.
@@anjankumardas3426 The Il-62 had to make technical stops between Moscow and Havana (and other transatlantic destinations). For many years, Shannon, Ireland was the principal en-route stop for fuel and crew changes.
so imagine how much money they paid in JET FUEL for an airshow inside a country that has more starving people than aircraft mechanics and scientists.
This is a form of cruelty because your average north Korean citizen doesn't fly in any of these!!
@@faithreturns333 Let's just enjoy the beauty of these old and rare machines without always having to overthink about everything. I think everyone knows about their economic troubles.
Thank you for sharing this!
The Air Show was great! Thank you 🙏🏼
another great video Sam..thanx
Sam, your video brought back lots of memories from my youth when I used to fly an AN-26. Wow, lots of memories. Awesome old birds, good job reporting on this airline.
The airshow looked absolutely amazing
Wow! Thank you so much! So incredibly interesting😊❤
Probably safer than flying with Boeing today.
Hahahaha
No
Lol good one😅
Probably not.
👍😂😂
Thank You from Denmark :- ) One of the most interesting (and different) youtube video's I've seen in many years!
Thank you. This was so informative. The air show is fantastic!
This was great- thanks!! You got to see the cockpit and even sit in the captain's seat!!
That one star airline food I saw in this video is better than all the airlines I flew
Hahah so true
be serious
Absolutely correct 😅
Facts
It's one star airline cause it's North Korea
Great Video Sam
Great job on this video. Thank you.
Sam, you gotta be one of the luckiest CZcamsrs in the world. I'd give anything to go to an airshow in North Korea. Just to fly on those vintage Soviet aircraft would be a wish come true. This is one of your best videos I've ever seen.
It turns out this is one of the most interesting videos I've seen on youtube!!
BETTER than Me at the zoo ?
@@xl000 you don't even make it to the zoo.
I love you so much Sam Chui, thanks for this great exposure
That is straight up cool. Seeing those old aircraft in pristine condition. Thank you for sharing that story. Way cool.
I spent a career working and living in a multitude of countries. Post-career, I rarely travel. In this era, we have the rare benefit to virtually visit anywhere in the world (thanks to people like Sam) and I can't imagine a lot of money and dealing with the downsides of airline travel to see far-flung places that I can see on CZcams.
I wish I could fly with the IL 18 again, have so many childhood memories flying with it, love the sound of the turbo props.
Or Il-114. This thing is just something else.
@@alexturnbackthearmy1907 That was rare, and was used only on international routes. IL-18 was a staple on domestic flights in the 60 and early 70-s. Trips to grandma in Baku, Azerbaijan from Tallinn Estonia, was my childhood.
15:31 - That tail strike hurt.
women☕🤣
@@Xtariz Imaging the female pilots slaming the canopy after exiting the aircraft
There probably dead by now
@@qingyuanzhang3644 OH stop it you... 😅🤣🤣
Write-off
So cool! Love the music production btw!
thank you!!!! those sounds of TU-154 and IL-62 are really music to ears!!! I was flying on them since my childhood and really miss those beautiful aircrafts!
you narrate really well, thank you for the vid
Great video Sam!! Always great for you to bring us aviation sights that are nearly impossible for most to see!
Holy moly, that tour guide is beautiful.
Thank you Sam. Always, enjoy your vlogs for a long time. Pakistan and CT, USA.
Its pretty incredible how a repackaged video with content from years ago has got 2 million views in just a few days! Props to you Sam, it is interesting though I have seen it all already haha
Wow, this was fascinating!!!
Well done, Sam. A great presentation. I flew on a huge Antonov An-22 from Prestwick Airport Glasgow, UK way back in 1996 to Goma, Zaire (now DRofC) which has a really long runway. We stopped in Athens, Khartoum and Nairobi for refuelling. It was full of Plant vehicles for building roads in the refugee camps post Rowanda"s genocide situation in in 1994. I had to sit on a wooden plank spanned across one of the windows. It was a madness flight but a great experience. I spent 8 months out there as a civilian with a UNHCR contractor.
I'm pretty old 😊. I flew in some of those old helicopters and aircraft of the British Forces in my 26 years of service (1966-1993).
I thought you presented the N.Korean people with great respect.
Looks like an interesting time, though I doubt all people would be welcome. This is what the US State Dept says about Americans traveling to DPRK, "Do not travel to North Korea due to the continuing serious risk of arrest and long-term detention of U.S. nationals. Exercise increased caution to North Korea due to the critical threat of wrongful detention."
Thanks for giving those who can not travel there a glimpse.
I dunno man......seems like you are risking yr life on the OG airplane.
You earn my respect already !!!
Since their purpose is to represent and impress foreigners (as much as you can with 50 year old tech), I guess that these planes are kept in best possible condition because nothing would be more embarrasing for NKs leader than an airplane full of western tourists crumbling apart mid flight.
What a treat! Keeping all those beautiful soviet vintage aircraft airworthy and in great condition is amazing and just worth the ticket. A very unique experience.
Couldn't agree more!
Who says they're in great condition? They fall out of the sky on a regular basis.
I do agree and all that the old planes are cool, but these planes could be falling apart and come from a time when air travel was more dangerous than it is now.
@@thomashenebry8269I say they’re in great condition. I am the chief engineer of Air Koryo.
@@Boodoo4You When would you say anything else?
This is fascinating - thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the video. Enjoyed.
What a really great video. Absolutely fascinating stuff.
I love all your videos. They are most interesting that others vlogger.
What a treat! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Sam, nice job.
wow, better than ever, super cool, and I'm glad that you shared this, but I'm going to stay home, have fun!!!
only Sam can bring to us instructive vídeos like this
yeah especially at 17:23 where you see all the trash all over the ground at the 'air show'
they are a godless generation
@@faithreturns333 worthless opinion from "faithreturns"
All flight attendants are so beautiful and cute🥰
Hand-picked by dear leader, of course.
Sadly that usually includes separating them from their family early on (though they usually were a resource burden anyway).
Fascinating video. I learned a lot.
Thanks for this great video, Sam. You always do a great job in putting knowledge into your videos.
Very well done.👍
Phenomenal report Sam! Please keep the great content coming!
Thank you for the great video, it is a real eye opener
That looks like a lot of fun! I hope to try one day! You were privileged!
They have us beat in the flight attendant category.
By a mile
us, who?
Those Ilyushin Il-62 engines are ridiculously loud. Easily the loudest jet engines I've ever heard on a commercial airliner. I can only imagine what it's like onboard at the back of the plane.
Efficient or reliable. In Soviet Russia, you couldn't have both. They chose reliability. Well, Soviet reliability that is.
Those early 707, DC8, Convair 880 four engine airliners were pretty loud too. I remember them flying over my house when I was a kid.
The old Boeing 727 had a loud footprint as well.
Fuel into noise. Beautiful!
They are deafening loud, I hat a seat right next to the engines on a flight from Berlin to Leningrad in the 1980s ....
very nice video Sam. well done
I went to the DPRK a few years ago and flew with Air Koryo. A wonderful experience!
Very enjoyable video. An interesting insight into Nth Korea.
13:15. . WOW! That landing would have shaken the pilot's dental fillings out!
D😂😂😂😂😂😂🎉
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂❤
That's a military plane.
They probably pulled a couple of her teeth out, without pain killer, for making such a poor show for those tourists.
It felt me like its tail is lost.
Interesting that the author mentioned the "N.Y. philharmonic 'band'"- it's called "N.Y. philharmonic orchestra"- you made my day dude! But in a summary a nice documentation of places we usually cannot visit. Thank you for uploading this!
It's all looking very vintage!! It's so interesting. And they're all very clean! What an incredible experience.
Very interesting with Sam, really enjoyed your reports from, what to us is a mysterious country. Bravo 👏
It’s so mind boggling that how resilient these guys are yet they can’t get rid of one guy.
And replace him with what puppet?
What happened to those countries that had Saddam and Gaddafi thrown out?
The problem is the system. If they get rid of one guy, another would take over and perpetuate the same atrocious situation. They need to reform the system and then it wouldn’t matter whether one guy is there forever or not..
North Korea is controlled by China
Very, very interesting video! Thanks for sharing.
very well done video,..very nice airline. thanx for sharing
You nailed it Sam!! I will be looking for you in the future. A delightful presentation.
Nice video Sam
Great video! Thanks!
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing!!!!