Siem Reap to Phnom Penn via military helicoptor

This hasn't been possible for many years now.

There' a company called Sokha Helicopters that do the trip for $700

Does that include the RPG rockets?

I doubt it could as cheap as 50 usd.

It used to be 35, until... See the date at the bottom of this article. This was when the "Army Helicopter Tourist Service" went out of business.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com<BR><BR>Air force officers chase tourist dollars

[Photo: The danger of travelling on RCAF helicopters was highlighted on
April 1, 1998, when this Mi-17 crashed in Preah Vihear]

By Stephen O'Connell and Lon Nara

ROYAL Cambodian Air Force officers are running an unofficial tourist
flight service between Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Anlong Veng using
antiquated Russian-built helicopters.

In Phnom Penh tickets are available for the irregularly scheduled
flights from the Narin Guest House, a popular place to stay for budget
travelers.

Makara, who is in charge of ticketing at the guest house, said the
service was provided "secretly" by officers in the air force "to get
money for food".

Staff at the Narin Guest House said the helicopters fly tourists at
least 10 times a month - usually when the air force has missions
scheduled to Siem Reap or Anlong Veng. The flights depart from the
military base at Pochentong Airport. Sometimes they will have as many
as 20 tourists on board, paying $35 each for the one-way ticket, he
said.

When first contacted by the Post, Makara warned that the flight was
potentially dangerous. "Because we are both Cambodian, I advise you not
to take the helicopter - it's better taking the fast boat," he told
Post reporter Lon Nara.

Makara said foreigners liked to take the flight because helicopter
rides were usually much more expensive in their home countries.

Sources told the Post that the Mahogany Guest House in Siem Reap also
advertised the air force flights.

But the sideline has drawn criticism from civil aviation authorities.

Keo Sivorn, Director of Flights Operation and Air Safety Department for
the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, said it is illegal for the air
force to be involved in a civilian passenger service, adding that
officials in Civil Aviation had been unaware of the air force's tourist
flights.

Sivorn said the air force does not carry insurance for such
flights. "If a helicopter crashes no one will be responsible."

He also said tourists needed to be aware that flying in military
aircraft voided their travel insurance.

He said there are real concerns about the safety of the military
helicopters, as the air force does not abide by international civil
aviation standards for maintenance and pilot training.

He said apart from being illegal, the air force flights have an unfair
advantage over commercial operators as they do not have to pay
navigation, landing, and other applicable fees.

Royal Cambodia Air Force Commander Sing Samnang said the air force has
only chartered helicopters to oil [exploration] companies or to
American teams searching for MIAs - but always with the approval of
higher authorities.

"This is illegal," Samnang told the Post. "I have never offered air
services to tourists. I am pretty sure that there is no such thing
happening in the Royal Cambodian Air Force.

"This is ridiculous. I will launch an investigation about this matter,"
he said.

Phnom Penh Post, Issue 9/19, September 15 - 28, 2000
C Michael Hayes, 2000. All rights revert to authors and artists on
publication.
For permission to publish any part of this publication, contact Michael
Hayes, Editor-in-Chief
http://www.PhnomPenhPost.com - Any comments on the website to Webmaster

I had heard of journalists hitching on military flights back in the early 1990s,when it was dangerous to go by road or boat. I wish Id known about it the first time I came here, for $10 extra it sounds like it was a much better trip than the boat.

Forgot to mention, you can get short flights in a helicopter over Angkor for $50 nowadays.

...but please consider the carbon footprint of using a helicopter! In Angkor, get the hot air balloon: cheaper, far less noise, longer - and a lot cleaner!
contact info
experience report

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>I had heard of journalists hitching on military flights back in the early 1990s,when it was dangerous to go by road or boat.<hr></blockquote>

Exactly. That's how it got started, because of the dangers on the roads and on the Tonle Sap in the early 1990s.

Cambodia was closed to foreigners from April 17, 1975 all the way through the 1980s. After the Paris Peace Accords were signed by all of the Cambodian political factions in October of 1991, United Nations soldiers began arriving into Cambodia to oversea the peace agreement, and the national elections scheduled for May of 1993. With these United Nations soldiers came journalists, many of them freelance journalists who had no money, no nothing, only a potential story to follow. Phnom Penh is open again!

At the time, in early 1992, the Khmer Rouge was still very much alive. Pol Pot himself was still very much alive, and he was living in Anlong Veng, just up the road from Siem Reap. At the time, in early 1992, it was not possible for journalists to get up to Siem Reap by road or by boat. However, our freelance journalists being ever resourceful, they continued to look around in Phnom Penh. Eventually, they discovered that some friendly Cambodian helicopter drivers were willing to take them to Siem Reap for a small fee.

Thus began the "Army Helicopter Tourist Service".

It wasn't a joke at first. At the time, in early 1992, only the airfield in Siem Reap was controlled by government soldiers. The surrounding countryside was still controlled by the Khmer Rouge. Only the most adrenaline junkie journalist would have considered using these flights. In May of 1993, the Khmer Rouge attacked Siem Reap and killed a number of people. Would anyone here have wanted to be on one of those flights, at that time?

Over the years, as conditions improved in Cambodia, the local guest house owners in both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap learned about this ride. As the article above states, it got so bad, the friendly Cambodian helicopters drivers were carrying up to 20 foreigners per flight. This was a receipe for disaster, if one of those helicopters ever crashed with 20 foreigners on board, so the responsible journalists at the Phnom Penh Post put an end to it by publishing the above article in September of 2000.

Has this friendly Royal Cambodian Air Force service been revived? If any reader here wants to ask about it, simply check in at the Narin Guest House in Phnom Penh or at the Mahogany Guest House in Siem Reap. Maybe the guys who work in these places today have more current information? Has this service been revived?

Potential users might want to read closely the comments in the article above about travel insurance.