It's been another crazy year, hasn't it, this year?
Flying all over the world, loads of stuff going on
but I figured it was time to do a bit of a video about the best and worst of 2021
as we get towards the old festive period.
So, we're going to start today
we're talking about the three worst flights that I have taken in 2021
In the number 3 position is a flight that's only saved from being higher up
by the fact that it was on such an insanely cool aircraft type.
That is the Kostroma Aviation Enterprise, Antonov 26
This flight was an interesting one
In one regard it was one of my best flights of 2021
getting to ride on this incredible old Soviet converted cargo plane
but equally, it was probably the most uncomfortable flight I have ever taken.
I travelled hours by train to a tiny town in a remote part of Russia
just to make a video on this veteran old aeroplane
that you can't fly on anywhere else.
It was quite possibly the furthest I have ever gone out of my way
to ride on one specific aeroplane.
My entire trip to Russia was leading up to this one flight.
But, once I got on board things took a bit of a turn
the flight attendant spotted me making a video out of the window
and she wasn't quite as impressed as me.
She literally sat down in the row in front of me
staring at me to make sure that I wasn't filming a single thing.
Now, how I managed to make a video out of this in the end, I have no idea
but, I honestly expected to be carted off by Russian agents
when I landed in St. Petersberg.
So, my number 2 worst flight of 2021,
well, it's an aircraft that's been nothing but disappointment for me
every time I've tried to ride it something's gone wrong
and this time was no exception.
Of course, it can only be the TezJet MD-80 in Kyrgyzstan.
Now, some aircraft I just don't seem to have much luck with
I've been wanting to fly on an MD-80 for so many years
just something about the rear-engined airliner feels really nostalgic to me.
I flew on the last MD-80 with SAS many years ago
and ended up sitting in the worst seat on the plane
at the side of the engine where there was no view.
Now, in June 2021, I found an airline in Kyrgyzstan
that still flew the MD-80
so determined to actually get a flight on board an MD-80
with a window view this time,
I made the long trip to Kyrgyzstan to take a flight on board.
I got to the airport and was delighted to see
I'd finally got my chance,
until I got on board and sat down,
and realised I'd been seated in exactly the same seat as last time
with no view at all out of the window.
Yet, it was fun, kind of, riding on the MD-80, but...
I wish I had more luck with them.
[Crew] Hello Sir, welcome on board. [Noel] How are you?
[Crew] I'm very well, yourself... Oh Sorry.
[Noel] Throwing them everywhere now. Thank you very much.
Right, on board, let's go home.
I always love the food service you get on these short hops
it's a 20 minute flight or so today
up to Manchester from Heathrow
and look, a nice antipasti breakfast
Now, one thing that's not gone away this year
is the tremendous impact of the last two years on everyone's mental health
I know loads of you have been going through some really tough times
and I just want to let you know that you're not alone.
Personally speaking, things have been pretty crap in the last year
between the impacts of COVID on everybody's lives,
the uncertainty, and of course the impact of the trolls
which seems to be a never ending battle, really.
Sometimes it can be pretty tough to keep on smiling,
even when you don't really feel like it.
I've been up here above the clouds, is one way that I've been coping
with the issues that have been going on,
but I have also been going through a bit of therapy this year as well.
Which has been really helping me, and things are starting to
hopefully, get a little bit better.
On that note, I'd like to say a big thank you to BetterHelp for sponsoring this video
they offer a phenomenal service, which assesses your needs
and matches you to one of over 20,000 licensed professional therapists.
It's not a crisis line, but it's not self-help either,
it's professional therapy done securely online.
Aside from weekly video calls with your therapist
you get 24/7 access to them via a live chat
which is so handy.
I know from experience how things pop up, in the moment,
throughout the week, and by the time you've got your session
they might be at the back of your mind.
You simply sign up on the website and answer some questions
and BetterHelp will get to work
matching you with a qualified therapist to suit your needs.
I know how can sometimes struggle to find the right match
when it comes to therapists, I've been there, done that,
I've been through quite a few in my time.
But, with BetterHelp you can switch to another one
simply, quickly, and easily
if you're finding that it's not working with the therapist that you're assigned.
They also offer you financial aid to help you with the cost
if you're in a bit of a tough situation.
BetterHelp are offering a special offer to my viewers
you can get 10% off your first month
when you sign up at betterhelp.com/noel
So, it's finally time to reveal my worst flight of 2021
Now, it's not often I take a flight that leaves me
quite as shaken as this one did.
But, on a sunny January day in Mexico
I took a flight that left me in need of a stiff drink
That's right, it can only be one flight in the top spot
Aéreo Guerrero from the land of sombrero.
Now, I fly an awful lot
and I have ridden on some pretty beaten up planes in my time.
I'm also a pilot, in fact I have even flown a Cessna Caravan before
but I don't think I've ever taken a flight that left me quite as worried
as my ride on the Cessna Caravan in Northern Mexico.
After a pretty scary experience being followed across the desert
by armed guys in a pickup truck
I arrived at the airport to take my flight across to Baja California.
Ready to get our flight with Aéreo Guerrero
(phew) see if we get any more excitement today.
Now, little did I know the adventure was only just getting started
the aircraft had more parts that weren't working
than even the most beaten up old club aeroplanes I've flown
and the pilot spent the entire flight chatting on WhatsApp
and listening to Spotify.
As the aircraft weaved around the skies of Mexico
descending and turning while the pilot updated his group chat.
I honestly started to wonder if we were going to end up
making it to the destination at all
as the pilot really didn't seem to be that interested
in the whole business of flying the plane.
In over 700 flights this is, hands down, the most scared
I've ever been on a flight
and, it's fair to say I enjoyed a pretty strong glass of tequila
as soon as I stepped off the plane.
Now it's not all been crap this year,
I've had some absolutely fantastic flights through 2021
I've been really lucky to do some amazing things
and therefore, it's time to start with my best three flights of 2021.
We start with a flight down in Africa that I took right at the beginning of 2021
and it was with a fantastic organisation called Mission Aviation Fellowship.
I spent some time in Kenya right in the beginning of the year
where I was invited to fly with an airline
who a doing fantastic work in connecting
some of the poorest communities across Africa
Mission Aviation Fellowship take essential aid
and humanitarian workers right to where they need to be.
On the day I flew with them we went up to a tiny village
called Marsabit in Northern Kenya
before overflying the world's largest refugee camp at Kakuma
To see these tiny remote communities are one of the reasons I love my job so much
I get to see the places that even locals wouldn't necessarily visit
and see how aviation is transforming lives on every corner of the planet
Now, there are some aircraft types out there still that are incredibly rare
that you can still fly on today
and some of them are really difficult to get a hold of.
I was really, tremendously lucky to get a ride on one of them
a couple of months ago over in Canada
with an airline called Air Inuit.
In September this year I took a flight
to a tiny village in Northern Quebec called Puvirnituq
Now, visiting such a remote community was, as always a complete thrill
and landing on the gravel runway was incredibly cool.
But, to get back to Montreal I got to ride on this incredible
Boeing 737-200 Combi.
This would have been pretty cool as it was
but the incredible crew on this flight
went completely out of their way to give me an experience to remember.
Now, Air Inuit know what a unique fleet they have,
and they go out of their way to give us AV Geeks an incredible experience
when we've travelled to the remotest parts of Canada to ride on one.
Now my favourite flight of all of them, in the entire of 2021
wasn't on a particularly exotic aircraft type
and it wasn't to anywhere particularly exotic either
but what I did find at this place
was some of the most amazing people that I have ever met
on any of my travels.
It's Alliance, Nebraska.
In January I booked myself on a flight to America's least used airport
Now, I am well used to travelling in America
and I know that typically you don't have to plan much in advance
when you're there, everything just seems to work out
Alliance, Nebraska however was a little bit different.
It's a tiny town in the middle of Nebraska
and to make matters worse I arrived in the middle of a snow storm.
Just me, my suitcase full of shorts,
after my Mexican adventure and a GoPro.
Alliance has no taxi service, just a seven mile walk in heavy snow
but thankfully a lovely family took me under their wing
within minutes of my arrival
driving me around the town, showing me the sights,
and even taking me for a beer.
[Friendly man] You got a ride down to wherever you need to go?
[Noel] I haven't got a ride, no.
[Man] I can give you a ride if you need one [Noel] Thank you so much, very kind of you
[Man] That way to don't have to **** around [Noel] (laughs) Thank you
This trip may not have been the most exotic one I've done this year
but it was certainly the most rewarding.
I met the most incredible people on this adventure
which taught me two things that have shaped every trip that I have done since.
Firstly, it doesn't matter if things start going wrong
they always work out in the end.
Secondly, no matter where you end up the world people are overwhelmingly good.
I've met some absolutely incredible people on these trips
and even in the most adverse of situations
I don't think I've ever met a single person who's proved that wrong.
Now, one thing I'm really proud of this year is my second channel
which I launched in January
and so far almost 12,000 of you have subscribed
to see my flying adventures.
In 2022, I am hoping to release even more content on my pilot vlog channel.
So, if you're not already, please make sure to subscribe at the link on the screen now.
I would like to say a huge thank you to every single one of you
who's watched my videos throughout the year and sent me such lovely messages.
I really do appreciate every single one of you.
I'd also like to say a huge thank you to my Patreons
who have kept me going through the year
via our WhatsApp group and weekly Zoom calls.
We really have a lovely little community going,
so, thank you to every single one of you.
So, here we are then, almost back home.
Another year of flying done all around the world
and here we go on the way back through the Peak District
heading back home.
I just want to say thank you so much to everybody for your support this year
it's been another incredible year
the support that you guys have given and supported through the year
through the channels and everything online,
all your personal messages to me, I read every single one of them
I might not be able to reply to them,
but they really do mean the world when I get them
So, thank you again for all your support for watching the videos
and stay tuned because we've got some amazing stuff coming up
over the next few weeks alone,
let alone into next year.
It's going to be a fantastic year for the channel
and I am looking forward to bringing you as much content as I can
from all around the world.
But, in the mean time, thank you as always, so much, for watching
take care, and I'll see you on the next one.
Bye for now.