- We are just hardly
maybe two or 3000 feet above the terrain at the moment. (dramatic music) We'll make this turn right,
like this, and then left. And then again, over here, and this is where our
runway is going to be. We never continue. If this area is cloudy,
and it's filled with clouds and you're unable to see the mountains. So, this is a very critical point. - [Computer] 500. - [Sam] Good morning. I am with Mr. Saddam
Hussein from Pakistan. He's driving me on the
way to Islamabad Airport. And today's a big day for me. I've been waiting for this for many years, going to the Northern area of Skardu. (upbeat music) - [Majid] My name is captain Majid Akhtar, from PIA, flying the ATR 42-500, and with me today is captain Satib Hamid. - Hello. - [Majid] And he's getting familiarised with the route today, and then he'll be flying on his own. So these check ride, as well
as his training flight today. Flight time is about an
hour and five minutes, and approach procedure's
pretty much straight in, but the tricky part is actually
what we call the Zulu bend. The Zulu bend is like a Z. And we have basically one,
two, three, four tight turns. It's very tricky, and this captain's decision
is actually very critical, especially flying to the Northern areas. - [Sam] The whole flight is VFR? - [Majid] Absolutely, the
whole flight is completely VFR. We cannot be inside the clouds, especially near the mountains. (plane engine roaring) (indistinct speech) (machine beeps) (upbeat house music) - [Majid] Right now, we're in clear direct to position (indistinct), which is actually where the
high terrain area starts. So at the moment, we're
just crossing Haripur, and the Tarbela Dam on the left hand side. - [Sam] Have an orange juice. Thank you. So I'm sitting in this
very cosy cabin here. This is actually the reverse facing seat, and now the mountains are here, and it's getting very scenic. - [Majid] You can see
Nanga Parbat on this side, and that's the Indian
border right behind it. Haramosh straight away,
straight right there, and this is a Rakaposhi
on the left-hand side. Two main peaks. So today we're flying the normal route, because the visibility is excellent, and from here, we'll
just do a straight cut. And the turning point is Position Punji. It's called this Counter Punji. From Punji, if you take a left turn, you'll go to Gilgit. If you take a right
turn, you go to Skardu. So, we are just hardly, maybe two or 3000 feet above
the terrain at the moment. (dramatic music) - [Majid] You can actually
see K2 all the way back. It's quite difficult to tell. It's a very perfect shape
on the very far end. That's actually K2. Basically, we made a right
turn from Position Punji, and now we're descending
to our landing altitude, and it's all VFR, and this is the point where
you make the decision. If you see that area,
the valley over there, is blocked by clouds, this is the time you make a right turn, and you go back to Islamabad. So we never continue
if this area is cloudy, and it's filled with clouds, and you're unable to see the mountains. So this is a very critical point. Basically, we have this landmark up here, and we call it the saddle. You know the horse saddle? It's a flat area, and it's
like a little wide, flat area. That is the time where
we make a right turn. That is a very tight turn. So what we do is we keep our speed low, and we try and stay on profile, and then we make this turn. This is known as the
Zulu bend, the Z bend. We're coming this way. So we make this turn right,
like this, and then left. And then again, over here, and this is where our
runway is going to be. So this turn is this first one here. And this one is also a very tight turn. So here, we must have
our speed under control, and then we start
configuration, flaps, gears, et cetera, early. (machine beeping) (dramatic music) - [Computer] 500. (indistinct radio chatter) (dramatic music) - Sam, welcome to Skardu. The elevation here is 7,316 feet, and we left 1761 in Islamabad, and as you have seen, Captain Sahib made an excellent landing. It's very difficult taking on the ATRs. - Yeah. - [Majid] And here we are. Temperature is zero
degrees right now, outside. - I am really speechless.
It's an incredible place. 7,400 feet off sea level, but wow. Going through the saddle, the
tight turn over the mountains. That's where you're getting excited. Thank you very much, Captain. - Hello.
- [Sam] Hi. How are you? - Hello.
- [Sam] Hi. - Welcome to Skardu. - [Sam] Thank you. Thank you. Goodbye. - You're welcome. - [Sam] See you next time. Bye-bye. (indistinct chatter) I've been wanting to come
here for a very long time. I heard about Skardu from
my first trip to Pakistan. It's been nine years,
and I am here right now. I'm so excited. The mountain landscape,
everything is unreal here. (plane engine roaring) - [Sam] Where's your terminal?
How the people walk here? - It's a three kilometre
that way from here. - [Sam] Oh.
- Yeah. - [Sam] Okay.
- Distance. - [Sam] So, they come by bus?
- Yeah, they come by bus. - [Sam] Then they board
the plane from the land. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - [Sam] Is the airport under construction? I saw two runways. - Yeah, there is three runways. Yeah. One is a near to terminal building. And the second one where you just landed. And this third one is under construction. - [Sam] So, you become an
international airport soon, right? - [Man] Inshallah, yeah, yeah. - [Sam] Inshallah. - [Man] From second December, we can become as
International Airport Skardu. - [Sam] We are walking on the runway on the way to the terminal. This is the new runway. - It will operate in coming year, in 2022. - [Sam] How long is this runway? - [Man] It's a six kilometre. - [Sam] Six kilometre runway? - [Man] Yeah. - [Sam] That's going to
be the longest runway in the world - [Man] Yes, it will become IFR. - [Sam] IFR runway. Right now, the sole runway is VFR. - Yeah, VFR. - Hey.
- Hi. - They're so nice. They're giving me a quick
tour between my flights, so we're rushing out
to do some sightseeing. This is Mr. Shakil.
- Hello. - Yeah, and Attas. - Asser.
- Asser. - Yeah.
- And then this kid- - My name is Jalal. - Jalal. Nice to meet you guys. Wow, this is super
beautiful. Super beautiful. (upbeat music) This is Shangri-La. They took me here. It's unreal. The water is so clear. It's like beautiful settings. I have to come back to visit now. There's lots of reasons
to come back to Skardu. - [Man] Orient Skyline operated
in early '50s in Skardu. - [Sam] That's before Pia,
right? Orient. Orient Airways. - And it was crashed- - [Sam] Crashed here. - [Man] Crashed landing in desert. All people survived. No one died. - [Sam] Oh, really?
- [Man] Yes. - [Sam] That is a good
recovery. Good recovery. - [Man] Shangri-La all about this plane. - [Sam] It's a hotel now? Yeah. - [Man] Now it's a coffee shop. - I asked him why whether Skardu can be a winter destination, but they told me the problem
is electricity shortage. How many hours electricity
you have every day? - Four to five hours. - Only four to five hour electricity. - Yes.
- Oh my gosh. We just saw the A320
coming in and doing a turn and final approach into Skardu
over the mountains, banking. It's actually different to
the ATR flight I came in. ATR flight came from behind me, and they did a very steep descent, coming down through the mountain. (upbeat music) - So colourful. Everybody turned up to board on the plane by stair one by one, and you can take as many
photos you like on the ramp, and it's surreal, the backdrop. It's just so unreal. And this is where it gives me the energy. The world's an amazing
place when you come to here, and see something like this. Thank you. Thank you. See you. - [Man] Thank you. - [Sam] Thank you. Thank
you, bye bye. Bye bye. - [Man] Goodbye. - A very short visit,
but I have to come back. What a beautiful spot. - Welcome aboard flight BK452
from Skardu to Islamabad. I'm Captain Kalim Hussein, and this is my co-pilot today. PIA is the only legacy
airline which is bringing in the lifeline for these
Northern area people, and our flight time will be 45 minutes. We'll fly at an altitude of 28,000, with beautiful views and route, and you'll enjoy the flight. - After departure, we'll be turning left and crossing Abim Satpara Lake, and beyond that is the route
to the roof of the world, the Deosai Plains. - As you know, this is the
highest altitude runway in Pakistan. It is 7,300, and due
to the higher altitude, our performance is compromised, so we have to take longer, take
(indistinct) in the summers, and the cloud performance
is also a factor. (indistinct radio chatter) (dramatic music) (plane engine roaring) (indistinct radio chatter) - (indistinct) altitude. - [Man] Check. (upbeat house music) (indistinct) - So, you just had a view of K2. And we're lucky we have
good visibility today, but just take Karakoram's to the right. Over here, this one's (indistinct). They're about, 21,000, 19,500. And to the left are the Himalayas. There, you can see the
mountains Nanga Parbat, and just beyond that, the
Deosai Plains as well. So, that there is the Bull's Head, it's also the Peak Tofana. It's 19,600. And it's a very critical
wait point for us as well. It's a good physical
feature for us to notice, you know, when we're flying to Skardu. - [Kalim] There's (indistinct) Valley, and on our right is Gilgit Valley. This is Nanga Parbat, and in the bottom of Nanga
Parbat is our Fairy Meadows. - Okay, Sam, so we're
Southbound right now, at 28,500 feet. And to the right side are
the Hindu Kush Ranges, and the furthest mountain
that you can see in this range is the tallest, Tirich Mir. That, to your left, are the Himalayas. And if you can see, if
you can spot that bowl, with all that mist in it,
that's Srinagar Valley. Behind us are the Karakoram. That's where K2 is. - [Computer] 100 above. 500. 100. 50. 40. 30. 20. Recharge. Recharge. Recharge. (plane rumbling) - Okay, Sam, bye bye. Have fun. - Hey, Sam, next time don't
fly the ATR, fly the 320, get a highest perspective, you know? - Just came back to Islamabad. I'm still thinking the amazing
views I saw on the flight, the three mountain ranges:
Himalayas, Hindu Kush, and the Karakoram. But not only the views, the
amazing aeroplane flying. But I think the best is the hospitality, that humanity, when you come to Pakistan, they gave you the very best. I thought I was lucky, but it is really that
hospitality that moves me. Had a great trip here.
