Back in 2009 Maria came across a former Aeroflot Tu-104 that had been left on the ground at a local airfield in Siberia since the late 1970s. This sight inspired her to find out more about that aircraft and was the start of a journey to which she has devoted plenty of time and efforts since.

Together with a group of volunteers, Maria has been painstakingly researching and restoring this aircraft, taking care of sourcing original parts and components wherever she could find them on the internet and bringing the cabin back to its original state.

As the aircraft is nearing completion, she joins us today on the podcast to tell us her story and that of this very inspiring passion project!