Today’s Movie Monday was filmed not long after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and takes a deep look at where the Russian airline industry was in its transition from existence as an arm of the communist government to more than 400 airlines competing amongst a loose confederation carriers. The absolutely jaw-dropping anecdotes by pilots, passengers and crews punctuate the documentary, as well as some hairy landings on Russian jetliners.
The 1995 documentary also illustrates the headwind of perception new Russian aircraft makers will face when seeking western acceptance of their new jetliners. Fifteen years later, this documentary is screaming out for a follow up to see where the film’s main characters and the industry is today. Airplaneski! runs around 70 minutes over five parts. Enjoy!
This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.
This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.