How many of you would take this excursion?

4. Pushing the envelope in a MiG fighter jet
Location: Moscow
Duration: One night
Price: $38,695

Adrenaline junkies will surely get a fix of a lifetime by climbing aboard a MiG fighter jet at Sormovo Airbase for a thrilling flight at two times the speed of sound over Russia's landscape. This adventure is not for the faint of heart, so a brief physical exam is required before you climb aboard. Crystal Cruises combines this exclusive ride with a full-day of sightseeing in Moscow and brief visit to historic Nizhny Nov

Seems a bit Pricey !

Sodey

I see that tour offered all the time in my pilot magazines. I wouldn't be surprised to see it soon stop, at least for Americans, given the recent bellicose actions by Russia.

Dave, Are you a Pilot? I am debating whether or not to take flying lessons (mid life crisis type of thing)

If so, how much do you fly and do you own or rent your plane?

Sodey

I'm not a pilot yet. I am studying and taking lessons. A friend of mine is a commercial pilot and he got me interested in taking lessons. Unless you fly a lot or have loads of money, owning an airplane is not a good idea. My friend recommends getting into a joint ownership for an airplane, aka a partnership. You can get more airplane for your money and the maintenance costs are shared. You may be interested to know that many of the rental airplanes are not owned by an FBO but are privately owned. Private owners will contract with an FBO to rent their airplanes out. It helps defray costs.

I've been quoted about 5K for all the classroom and flight instruction thru certification/license. Does that sound reasonable?

That doesn't include the airplane costs. A more likely figure is 10K or more. I am studying DVDs and books I got at King, which can help greatly in the ground school parts.

That is an experience that has been offered to westerners since before 1990. When I stayed in Russia in 1990-1991, many Americans were coming over to enjoy Mig flights. Yes, they were not the "current" state of the art Migs, but Migs nonetheless. You at least got to make a sonic boom over land without a congressional inquiry.