Patriotic military music filled the cabin. Flight attendants handed out Communist propaganda magazines. As Leighton put it, that 2012 flight on Air Koryo airlines from Beijing to Pyongyang was an experience “beyond belief.”
That’s high praise. Leighton may rank among the most accomplished “avgeeks” in the world. He said he’s flown on at least 50 different kinds of aircraft and racked up an estimated 2 million air miles.
“The IL-62, by western standards was quite old, but it was actually one of the newer planes I flew on while I was there,” Leighton told CNN. Only a handful still fly in commercial service worldwide, he said.
Its interior decor might have been inspired by a waiting room inside a 1970s Soviet doctor’s office, Leighton joked. Upholstery: saggy and blue. Walls: a kind of speckled linoleum. Odd, yes. But also spectacular and well-kept.
The 28-year-old Canadian native who lives in Redmond, Washington, has Rain-Man-like avgeek skills, which he’ll show you — if you prompt him. “When I get on a plane I can not only tell you where it was manufactured, I can also tell you when it was produced,” Leighton said.
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Bragging rights create “a healthy element of friendly rivalry,” among his fellow avgeeks, Chui admits. “But aviation is big enough for everyone to enjoy.”
Enthusiasts gather at conventions like a Seattle-area event co-sponsored by airlinereporter.com called AvgeekFest — which has quickly gained popularity since it launched in 2009. A self-described “Super Bowl” for enthusiasts is Airliners International — hosted this June in Atlanta.
These are the places where avgeeks will be writing their bucket lists of planes they most want to fly on.
For Leighton, there seems to be no shortage of determination. His holy grail is a four-engined Russian bomber nicknamed “The Bear,” many of which are still in service at Russian and Indian military bases.
“There has to be some sort of quasi-legal way to get on one,” Leighton said. “So I’m gonna keep working at it.”
