Plans to set up a ‘RA-85123 fun club’.
Editorial, De-mythology, Times&Spaces, Clash, RA-85123 Fan Club Add comments 
Whenever I look at this model, an ‘old idea’ of starting a ‘new topic’ emerges, and nudges me again gently, and it seems at this time I’m going to do something with regard to it. OK, here’s what it is: let’s explore the idea of setting up an on-line fan club of devotees (should say ‘Lonely Hearts’ 
) to some particular plane, - the Tupolev-154M, reg. # RA-85123.
I proclaim myself as a founder and Chairman, and a ‘Club Member #1′. Who’s next?
It is a plane with a sort of remarkable history, - not a very long one, though, because as a NEW BUILT plane it was delivered to the ‘Air Lines of Kuban’ just in 2006 - a very interesting fact by itself, - for the Tu-154s serial production was stopped in late 90s.
As you maybe know, the Tu-154s were (in fact, still are, in some regions of Russia) genuine work horses of the Soviet Airline industry for decades. It was in the city of Samara (formerly, in the Soviet Union time the city was known as ‘Kuibyshev’, - ‘КУЙБЫШЕВ’ in Russian) where they used to ‘churn out’ the 154s’ in great numbers at the ‘Kuibyshev Aircraft Manufacturing Plant‘.
So, in the late 90s, after many years since the beginning of serial production, everything looked like a demand for this type of plane had waned to a degree where it would be wise to ‘wrap things up’, and stop the line. However, a few unfinished hulls (one of them - of a would-be ‘RA-85123′) remained sitting on the assembly floor, as if ‘frozen’ in a process of getting shape and appearance of the new planes.
Yeah, how it turned out, it took them a while, - a few years, at least, to ‘make it eventually to a paint shop’ :) In a few recent years most of them were finished, but the time span they were under construction appeared to be more befitting the average duration of some home build projects, not the serially fabricated airliners Oh, well, there’s been tons of things going on during these years in Russia, and in the end of the day it is amazing the plane (RA-85123) has at last been completed, and not scrapped and sold as a pile of ‘aluminum chips for recycling’. Well, there is some irony in this statement too…
(to be continued…):
- two liveries ‘tried on’ in one year
- FMS-equipped Tupolev-154
June 27th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
I’ve never had the pleasure of flying one but
the TU154 sure is a beautiful airplane. I’ll go
next as member #2.
June 27th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
Kelly,
here we go.
I’m granting the ‘RA-85123 Fan Club Membership #2′ to you with my unfathomable pleasure.
Congratulations!
The Club is delighted to have you as a member. As for a model, I’ll start working on an arrangement as soon as possible. But it’ll certainly take some time. I’m going to make a dedicated post on how this model was delivered from the RA-85123’s recent home base Krasnodar, Russia to Calgary, Canada. It is making up a story on its own.
Provided our club grow into sustainable entity, - first, financially, of course:), - we may be able to invite our ‘hero’ for participation in one of the air shows, say, Abbotsford. There we’ll get our rides!
Again, it is pleasure to talk to you,
and now it is your duty - to visit regularly this blog to check on our ‘baby’:))
Cheers,
Sergey
June 29th, 2007 at 11:01 am
Hey, put me down too. I am interested in all things about aviation and enjoy seeing photos from all over about this subject.
Thanks for sharing.
June 29th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Hello, OldDog,
It is a pleasure to see you in the Club. Sure, come on in, and a membership #3 is all ready for you. Let me introduce Kelly - the member #2 :). Kelly and I work together.
And Kelly - let me introduce OldDog, my friend through the Flickr photo-website. He is a resident of our city, and I appreciate his expert knowledge about it, and our province as well.
So, let the Club Be!
I will think about ‘Membership Cards’ too.
There’s no rush, and we’ll discuss it over time.
Welcome, gentlemen, on board the RA-85123 Fan Club!
Fins Up,
Clashmaker
July 4th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
I came back to this posting after reading your most recent entry. Just curious about the history of this plane. You say the serial production of this model ended in the 1990s and then state that this is a new model delivered in 2006. So was this plane just held in storage for a few years and then recently completed or did they ramp up the production line again?
Someday we will have to meet for coffee and I can tell you about the time I flew from Frankfurt to Samara and then on to Kazan for a short visit in June 2005! I remember the many de-commissioned planes at Samara.
July 4th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
OldDog,
that’s the Russians’ ‘NewTricks’ - how they accomplished it :)) I’m jocking.
Yes, there were a few unfinished airframes standing by on the factory floor in Samara city after the ‘announcement of the end of serial production’. This sort of ’stand by’, in a situation where the Russia’s economics was still in the transition, with many frequent changes of ownership, with lots of uncertainty, continued for very long - a few years, I believe. Actually, this plane is LUCKY, for they might have just sent it, yet unfinished, for recycling.
Eventually, one of the most powerful industrial groups in Russia called ‘Basic Element’ (led by Oleg Deripaska) bought the Samara Aviation Production Plant (Aviacor), and the Airlines of Kuban as well (the company, where I used to work, and who’s got the RA-85123),
So, they invested (a bit:) into the whole thing, and as a result, the plane was finished with construction in 2006, and the Kuban got it .
But they didn’t RENEW the Tu-154 production at all.
Certainly, we should get together, I know both places well, especially Kazan.
By the way, rumors are, Kazan is about to get the brand new… CRJs of Bombardier (!)
So, we’ll be looking forward to seeing pictures of the first CRJ’s arrival to the city where my flying career once took off
Talk to you,
Clash