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From Russia with Lots to Love
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Posted By: Nickens, Dan
Date Posted: Oct 7, 2019
Description: The L-65 was only one of the airplanes I was privileged to fly. I was
also offered flight time in a Borey (I was told it means “northern
wind” by an executive with AeroVolga, the manufactuer). Before
getting in the airplane I was shown how it was built. It is as well
constructed and likely tougher than anything coming out of Airbus or
Boeing.
Date Taken: September 2019
Place Taken: Samara, Russia
Owner: Nickens, Dan
File Name:    - Photo HTML
Full size     - <img src="/show.php?splash=7XZlSEl8Qh">
Medium    - <img src="/show.php?splash=7XZlSEl8Qm">
Thumbnail - <img src="/show.php?splash=7XZlSEl8Qs">
Category:
Favorite option: If you want this item to be marked as a favorite, click on the black heart. A Russian Borey Uncovered    Make Cover Photo     
Clear Cover Photo      

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Read what others had to say:

Nickens, Dan - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Though I was certain the airplane was tough, I can’t say I was all that comfortable being in a tightly
enclosed cockpit. It’s not there wasn’t enough room. It was more the limited visibility.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    A benefit of more flying time was another chance to play on the beautiful Volga River. The limited
visibility of the Borey couldn’t hide that.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    The Borey flight included a diversion for a tour of downtown Samara.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    The most impressive thing about the flight to me was the pilot. His name is also Dimitri. He flew
the Borey like he was born to it. He is also the master engineer of the Borey and a variety of very
sophisticated seaplanes produced by AeroVolga.

    
  
Don Maxwell - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    "2877G"? Is it destined for the US of A?     
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    If you click on the top picture, Don, you can see the registration: RA 2877G. I don’t think it’s going anywhere but I suppose it
could. 		    
  
Don Maxwell - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Aha! I hadn't noticed that--nor paid attention to the paint job, either. "Fondation Saint Exupery" seems intriguing. So does "Life Odyssey." And #FLY FOR LIFE."

Thanks again, Dan. You're improving my impression a them Rooskie engineer guys. (Actually, it's only the gum'mints I'm wary of. People are just fine almost everywhere.) 		    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    There was also an invitation to fly this one of a kind amphibian. I’m not sure what it is called, but it
was designed and built by Valentine (the principal engineer with SeaBear Aircraft). It was pretty
clear that it was a tough, well designed floatplane but it had one critical concern: it looked like its
open cockpit was really cold to fly in! I explained that I was a thin-blooded Florida wimp when I
declined. Valentine was nice enough not to laugh. Much.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    One of the things that first attracted me to the SeaRey was its close nit family of flyers. The warm
hospitality with which we were greeted made it abundantly apparent that the same atmosphere is
alive and thriving at SeaBear Aircraft.

There were so many ways we were welcomed. The most heart-warming was a traditional Russian
dinner at Dimitri’s home with his family. There was a Russian feast laid out for us. That was
followed up with entertainment in the form of Russian Karaoke and music. There was a traditional
Russian dance. There was wine and vodka…lots of vodka.

And there was a delightful young lady just entering college. When asked what she does for
recreation, her reply was “selfies”. Is that any different from U.S. girls this age?

This is a great family of aviators, much like Progressive Aerodyne was long ago. They quickly
became good friends. Too bad our national politicians can’t figure out how to get along the way
individuals do.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Valentine’s family took us on a tour of Samara. It is a beautiful city that has been the center of the
Russian aerospace industry since World War II. It went through some very hard economic times
with the collapse of the Soviet Union. The effect of that was some of its best engineers turned to
designing tough amphibious aircraft. That is what gave ultimately
what gave rise to the current SeaBear.

An R-7 (or P-7) is on display at the Cosmic Samara museum. This family of rockets was used for
many purposes, from ICBMs to the current Soyuz design.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    In the center of town is a monument to manned flight: The Monument of Glory. The pedestal is said
to symbolize a ray of light rising skyward. That’s exactly what it looked like late in the afternoon as
Valentine and his family took us on a tour of the town.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    The monument was erected to memorialize the workers of Russia’s aircraft industry for the
contributions they made to winning the Great Patriotic War (WWII). The impressive steel winged
man is 13 m tall and sits atop a 40 m pedestal.

    
  
Ken Leonard - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Such classic Soviet art! This one does seem to capture positive spirit.     
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    When I was growing up there was much talk about “godless Communists”. What I saw was more
churches than Communists.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    The local men say it is legend that the most beautiful girls in Russia are from Samara. These young
“Samara Girls” were happy to pose for foreign tourist. I can confirm that the women I met in
Samara were beautiful in many ways, the nicest of which was their welcoming of strangers.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    The sand beaches along the Volga are plentiful. I found they have some good rocks too. Good thing
the Russian amphibians are a tough lot!

    
  
Philip Mendelson - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Awesome Job Professor Nickens!!!     
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 07,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Thanks, Phil, but it wasn't a gold coin left by the pirates. It was only a common piece of chert.     
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Samara is a lovely city on the Volga River. The waterfront is magnificent. Back in olden days,
though, it was inhabited by pirates that preyed upon river traffic. None of that scourge was in
evidence on a peaceful late September day.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Perhaps a visit in winter would be less lovely, but on a beautiful fall day the sunset was spectacular.
The scene was melancholy only because we were leaving behind new friends and kindred spirits.

    
  
Mark MacKinnon - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Well, here I am at a wifi and I still can't see all the pics after several refreshes. Just wait until Tim Hortons hears about their crappy wifi.

Dan, the Borey has the same engine/prop configuration as the Anderson Kingfisher, with the prop right in front of the windshield, which you have previously expressed concern (maybe discomfort) with. Did you feel the same with this?



    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Yeah, I’m not a fan of that configuration, Mark. Maybe it’s because I always feel like I have something hanging over my head?     
  
Don Maxwell - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Heretofore, Dan, my knowledge of Samara was confused by a very short Somerset Maugham story about a different city by that name in present-day Iraq, double-R SamaRRa. (See below.)

Your one-R Samara is a very different place! And your excellent report shows it to be much more welcoming than Maugham's. Carol and I set out for that neck of the woods once on a Vespa. But we got only as far west as Budapest, where the autumn weather caused us to turn south toward sunny Greece. Reaching Samara would be a lot quicker and warmer on an airliner...




"The Appointment in Samarra"
(as retold by W. Somerset Maugham [1933])

The speaker is Death

There was a merchant in Bagdad who sent his servant to market to buy provisions and in a little while the servant came back, white and trembling, and said, Master, just now when I was in the marketplace I was jostled by a woman in the crowd and when I turned I saw it was Death that jostled me. She looked at me and made a threatening gesture, now, lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoid my fate. I will go to Samarra and there Death will not find me. The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it, and he dug his spurs in its flanks and as fast as the horse could gallop he went. Then the merchant went down to the marketplace and he saw me standing in the crowd and he came to me and said, Why did you make a threating getsture to my servant when you saw him this morning? That was not a threatening gesture, I said, it was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Bagdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra. 		    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 07,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    I ended up in Budapest too, Don! Ann wrangled me into a river cruise for our 40th wedding
anniversary. I figure it gives me points towards buying a SeaBear.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 07,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Unfortunately I can't get into the air with this boat. The closest thing I found to flying was this
heavy RV at the Munich airport. I'm thinking even the big P&W would have problems getting this
thing up.

    
  
Don Maxwell - Oct 07,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    HOT DOG !!! I relish that boat! But just mustard on my dog, please. Und ein kalter stein bier für alle.     
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 07,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Quite an appropriate expression considering the time of month, Don.     
  
Don Maxwell - Oct 07,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Bist du jetzt dort im Wien? oder München?     
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 07,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    It’s Tuesday. The boat is scheduled to be in Slovakia, but I haven’t verified that. I can confirm that I’m where Ann has decided we
will be, Don. 		    
  
Don Maxwell - Oct 08,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    No worries. I'm sure Ann has excellent taste in ports.     


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