AULIE-ATA

аэропорт закрыт 1994 · the airport closed in 1994 · we go there at night

▌THE PLACE

Aulie-Ata airport: about 8 km south-west of the town, a Soviet regional airport, flights to Frunze, Tashkent, Moscow in summer. Closed in 1994. The runway is 3.5 km long, longer than it needed to be, nobody knows why (everybody knows a reason).

Now: in autumn the farmers dry grain on it. Sometimes, in bad weather, planes that can't land at Talas Air Base land here instead and wait. Otherwise: wind, birds, us.

our map of the airfield, drawn in ballpoint — our map. Daniyar drew it on the marshrutka back, so the runway is crooked.

⚠ RULES OF THE NIGHT CREW: (1) never alone; (2) never inside the tower, the floors are rotten; (3) be polite to the watchman and the farmers, it's their place; (4) take nothing, not even a bolt; (5) if a plane lands, leave. we are serious about 5 now.

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the night crew · Talas · Sony Handycam (Daniyar's dad's, 2003) with NightShot, it still works ·