Tu 144 is the first passenger supersonic. Russian aviation

Tu-144 is a supersonic passenger aircraft created in the USSR in the late 60s. It was launched into series and was used for some time for commercial passenger transportation. In the USSR, very high hopes were placed on the Tu-144 - this machine was supposed to connect the regions of a huge country, and later go to international routes. However, this did not happen.

Tu-144 is undoubtedly a legendary and unique machine. This is the first passenger aircraft in the world with supersonic speed. At the same time, another supersonic jet passenger aircraft was being created - the legendary Anglo-French Concorde. In fact, the development of these two aircraft was another Cold War-era competition. Soviet designers were in no way inferior to their Western counterparts, however, the project of the Soviet supersonic aircraft lost to the Concorde economically.

Flights on supersonic aircraft were very expensive, and in the USSR, as you know, there were no rich people. Tickets paid for only a small part of the cost of fuel and maintenance of these aircraft. The Western passenger was ready to pay for comfort and speed, which is why the Concordes became a successful commercial project, and the Tu-144 soon sunk into oblivion. For comparison, two figures can be given: for the entire period of operation, the Tupolev aircraft carried 3284 passengers, and the Concorde - more than 2.5 million.

The Tu-144 was used as a passenger airliner for less than a year, later the aircraft were used for other purposes, they were tested or transported urgent cargo over long distances. In total, sixteen aircraft were produced (twenty Concordes were made), the last flight of the Tu-144 took place in 1999.

Tu-144 set 13 world records.

History of creation

The 50s and 60s of the last century became the era of the rapid development of jet aviation. In 1947, the American experimental aircraft Bell X-1 broke the sound barrier. In the mid-50s, the USSR and the USA began to create serial fighters with supersonic speed.

In the mid-60s, the technologies for creating such machines were already tested and the designers seriously thought about creating passenger aircraft at supersonic speed. Then it was really the call of the times. In addition, the use of such machines promised significant advantages for airlines: flight time was reduced, and there was no need to make intermediate landings to refuel the aircraft.

It turned out to be a very difficult technical task to create a supersonic passenger liner. The Americans, having weighed all the pros and cons, abandoned this idea, recognizing it as inappropriate. In Europe, the development of such a passenger aircraft was carried out by the British (project Bristol 223) and the French (project Super-Caravelle). In 1962, they decided to join forces, the joint project of a supersonic liner was called "Concorde" ("Consent"). The Soviet Union also became interested in such an aircraft, especially since the Europeans did not make secrets from their developments - models of future liners were exhibited at international aerospace shows.

In the USSR, the creation of a passenger supersonic liner was entrusted to the Tupolev Design Bureau, whose specialists had the richest experience in building jet passenger aircraft. In addition, it was the Tupolevs who created the Tu-22 bomber, which had supersonic speed.

In 1963, a resolution of the Council of Ministers appeared, which ordered the creation of a passenger liner with a flight range of 4000-4500 km, a cruising speed of 2300-2700 km / h and a passenger capacity of 80-100 people.

The appearance in the USSR of a supersonic passenger liner became a real world sensation. In 1971, the Tu-144 made several test flights between Moscow, Sofia, Berlin and Paris. During this period, the experimental operation of this aircraft at Aeroflot began.

Serial production of the machine was launched at the Voronezh Aircraft Building Plant.

Design description

Tu-144 is an all-metal monoplane with low location wing, made according to the "tailless" scheme. The fuselage is semi-monocoque, with skin resting on stringers and frames. The chassis is tricycle, there is a nose strut.

The power plant of the aircraft included four NK-144A or RD-36-51A turbojet engines, which had a pair arrangement. Each of the engines had its own air intake. The engine nozzles protruded beyond the edge of the wing.

The aircraft fuselage was conditionally divided into three parts: nose, center and tail. The cockpit was located in the bow, its canopy was inscribed in the contours of the fuselage and the nose fairing, which could rise and fall. In the central part of the liner there were passenger compartments, which, together with the bow, formed a single whole. In the tail section of the Tu-144 there was a fuel tank-caisson, and at its tip there was a container for a braking parachute.

The wing of the aircraft had a variable sweep angle, it is 76° at the root and 57° at its ends. The wing skin is made of special aluminum alloy plates. On the trailing edge of the wing are elevons made of titanium alloy.

The cockpit was made lowering to improve visibility during takeoff and landing. Raising and lowering the cabin was carried out using a hydraulic drive.

The fuel was located in 18 fuel tanks located in the wings of the liner. The Tu-144 also had a special balancing tank installed in the rear of the fuselage. It took fuel during the aircraft's transition from subsonic to supersonic flight.

The Tu-144 was controlled by an on-board computer, the landing approach took place automatically in any weather and at any time of the day. Also, automation monitored the status and operation of all on-board systems, which was a novelty for the Soviet aircraft industry.

The aircraft landing gear consisted of a front strut with two wheels and two main struts with four twin bogies.

An interesting feature of the Tu-144 was the front retractable horizontal tail (PGO), which was located in front of the fuselage, just behind the cockpit. PGO created additional lift and increased the maneuverability of the aircraft. Also, with the help of the horizontal tail, it was possible to slow down faster during landing, which allowed the Tu-144 to use shorter runways.

The crew of the Tu-144 consisted of three people. Passenger capacity ranged from 98 to 150 people, depending on the modification of the liner.

Liner operation

One of the most important (and most tragic) days in the history of the Tu-144 was June 3, 1973. On this day, the first Tu-144 crashed in Le Bourget during a demonstration flight. The tragedy happened in front of 350 thousand spectators.

The accident occurred near the French town of Goussainville. Five crew members were killed, seven local residents Almost thirty people were injured.

The Soviet airliner tried to demonstrate the maneuver that the Concorde had performed the day before - to fly over the runway, and then climb again. However, it did not work out as planned: the plane began to dive sharply, and at an altitude of 120 meters it began to fall apart. First, one wing fell off, then the tail section. Then the design of the liner collapsed completely.

The causes of the disaster have not been finally clarified to this day. There is a version that the crew was forced to make a sharp maneuver to avoid a collision with the Mirage fighter, which photographed the Tu-144 in flight.

According to another hypothesis, during the maneuver, the aircraft's control system failed. Many years later, one of the leaders of the Tupolev Design Bureau admitted in an interview with journalists that some units that had not yet been tested were on the plane.

There is also a version that during the maneuver, a movie camera fell out of the hands of one of the crew members, blocking the steering column, but this is not confirmed by the records of the flight recorders.

The official conclusion indicates that the catastrophe could have been caused by a fall of a person in the cockpit of the liner, but it is emphasized that no material evidence of this has been found.

As a result, the causes of the crash were named unidentified, the pilots were buried at the Novodevichy cemetery.

Despite the disaster in 1973, the Tu-144 was shown at the Le Bourget air show in both 1975 and 1977.

During the visit of Secretary General Brezhnev to France in 1977, he was shown the Concorde, which by that time was performing international and intercontinental flights(Rio de Janeiro and Bahrain). After arriving home, Brezhnev ordered to start commercial exploitation Tu-144 in the USSR.

Even earlier, work began on increasing the range of the liner. New, more economical RD-36-51A engines were installed on the Tu-144. The modification of the aircraft was named Tu-144D. On December 26, 1975, the liner made its first flight Moscow - Alma-Ata, carrying mail. At the end of 1977, passenger transportation began.

For piloting the liner, the most experienced pilots were selected, after they were specially trained. And on the Tu-144 they hired the most beautiful flight attendants.

Two aircraft flew on the route Moscow - Alma-Ata, they were equipped with NK-144A engines, which allowed the Tu-144 to fly no more than 3 thousand km. The cost of a ticket for a Tu-144 was 80 rubles, while the price of a ticket for a regular plane was 62 rubles.

The fuel supply was barely enough to reach the destination, the pilots had no reserves. If, for some reason, the plane was denied landing in Alma-Ata (and on the spare runway in Tashkent), then there was nowhere to land. Each Tu-144 flight turned into a real test for both pilots and aviation authorities.

The Soviet leadership had serious plans for the Tu-144. They wanted to launch the Tu-144D modification along the Moscow-Khabarovsk routes, and then bring it to international flights. However, this was not destined to come true.

On May 23, 1978, an experimental Tu-144D aircraft crashed. Due to the destruction of the fuel line, the third engine ignited and the cabin smoked. The crew went to forced landing. As a result of this incident, two flight engineers were killed, they were unable to leave the plane after landing.

July 31, 1980 with the Tu-144D there was another an emergency situation which almost ended tragically. At supersonic speed, one of the engines was destroyed. The crew managed to land the car, and the engines were sent for revision. During the tests, they again showed unsatisfactory performance. In addition, a change of power took place in the country - Brezhnev died, and the new leadership of the state was skeptical about the project of a new aircraft. In the end, it was decided to continue transporting simpler and cheaper subsonic aircraft, and the Tu-144 project was closed.

For some time, the liners were used to deliver urgent cargo and conduct test flights. The pilots involved in the program of the first (and last) Soviet "shuttle" "Buran" even trained on the Tu-144.

The main reason for the termination of the Tu-144 project was not technical problems or even disasters, but its economic unprofitability. Even for Soviet Union, where they did not like to count money too much, the operation of this liner was too expensive and pointless.

With old engines, its flight range was about 3 thousand km, which was very small for a high-speed supersonic aircraft. On long-distance routes, the liner had to make landings for refueling - this nullified all its advantages. After all, the essence of creating such a machine was to make fast non-stop flights between distant settlements. For comparison: the flight range of the Concorde exceeded 6400 km. And the RD-36-51A engine, which provided a flight range of up to 5300 km, could not be brought to mind.

In addition, the cost of tickets for the Tu-144 even to a small extent did not pay for the costs of flights and maintenance of the liner. The leadership of the country did not want to take more money from Soviet citizens (and they didn’t have any), so the liner became just an expensive toy, another proof of the achievements of Soviet designers.

Tu-144 - research laboratory

In the mid-90s, the passenger liner took part in a research program that the Tupolev Design Bureau conducted jointly with the Americans. NASA has been exploring the possibility of building a next-generation supersonic airliner.

For research, the Tu-144LL aircraft was used, which was a heavily modernized version of the Tu-144D. New NK-32-1 engines were installed on it instead of RD-36-51A, which had long been discontinued.

The Americans were interested in many issues related to flying at high speeds: studying the temperature of the skin and the design of the liner, the operation of the power plant, assessing the stability and controllability of the aircraft in different flight modes, friction coefficients, and much more. In addition, the customers studied the characteristics of the atmosphere at high altitudes, the degree of exposure to the crew and passengers of cosmic radiation, ways to protect the cabin and cabins from the noise of the on-board systems.

It is often said that the Soviet Tu-144 aircraft is a clone or a copy of the Concorde. It is not true. These machines are very different both structurally and even externally. The Tupolev machine is much more powerful, it has more takeoff weight and she is able to take on board more passengers. Tu-144 has a number of interesting technical features (for example, PGO). This allowed the Soviet airliner to use shorter runways.

However, at the same time, the Tu-144 was losing to its competitor in the most main feature- in flight range.

After the 2000 disaster, the Concorde was also taken out of service. The era of passenger supersonic aircraft is suspended. However, we can confidently say that humanity will return to the idea of ​​ultra-fast passenger flights, but this will happen at another round of scientific and technological progress. Today, work in this direction is being carried out in several countries around the world.

Characteristics

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

Tu-144 - the beginning of the creation of supersonic passenger liners. The flights of military strategic aircraft aroused the interest of aviation designers, primarily due to their speed, range and high payload.

The development of passenger supersonic ships began simultaneously in several highly developed countries. For Russia, this was the first post-war decade.

The history of the creation of a supersonic passenger liner

The Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR laid the foundation for the creation of a new generation passenger aircraft.

It was supposed to design an aircraft with a passenger capacity of up to 150 people, a flight speed of at least 2,500 km per hour, a flight range, with an overload tolerance, of 6,500 kilometers. The design and development of the superplane was entrusted to the design department of Tupolev A.N.

Aleksey Andreevich, the son of A.N. Tupolev, was appointed head of the department responsible for the creation of a supersonic liner. The following specialists were included in this department:

• constructors;
• technologists, whose duties included preparing materials for the aircraft;
• strength engineers responsible for strength, stiffness and service life.

Tupolev Jr. stood before the creation of the aircraft of the future, the role of which was determined not simply in technological superiority over the West, but rather its political confrontation. Under the leadership of Yuri Popov, appointed by Tupolev, junior lead designer, the team of the design department of Tupolev A.N. completes work on the creation of a superplane.

The air supersonic liner took to the skies in the last days of 1968, ahead of the Western-style flight by two months. Two months later, a passenger plane of British and French designers "Concorde" was launched.

There were only two passenger supersonic aircraft in the world: TU=144 and Concorde. The crew of the supersonic passenger ship consisted of Aeroflot pilots, who were co-pilots, test pilots of the Tupolev design department were appointed commanders.

The design of the superplane Tu-144

The high speed of the aircraft invested some features in its design:

• the aircraft is made according to the “tailless” low-wing scheme, which corresponds to the aerodynamic scheme, where only the planes built into the trailing edge of the wing are excluded;
• ailerons, aerodynamic aircraft control elements, are a structure of four sections occupying the trailing edge of the aircraft wing consoles, ensure its reliable control; the keel is a multi-spar device combined with tail section ship hull, its inner part is used as a fuel caisson tank for fuel;
• the fuselage is made with a downward deflecting cabin fairing, longitudinal side windows. This design provides full visibility in front of the vessel at the time of its takeoff, climb and flight at a constant speed;
• the forward part of the fuselage is equipped as a cockpit;
• in the central part there is a passenger compartment, which has a sealed structure together with the cockpit; the tail section of the fuselage, arranged as a caisson tank for fuel, has a hermetic design, at the end of this compartment there is a container for a brake element (parachute);
• three-post chassis with front strut wheels with a twin wheel design.

In the Soviet Union, the Tu-144 was the only supersonic passenger vehicle, the speed of which was twice the speed of sound. The plane covered the distance from Moscow to the Turkish capital in 40 minutes. At present, the operation of the supersonic apparatus has been discontinued.

Some structures were cut and scrapped. The surviving copies are the property of the Aviation Museums. The creation of a supersonic air passenger structure can be considered a prestige program that does not have the economic need to use this level of aviation services.

They say that time heals. Alas, time only erases from memory and destroys. To save, and sometimes even to return the lost, constant hard work is needed. Today's story is about volunteers working at the Air Force Museum in Monino and about their dream - to restore the original appearance of the Tu-144 aircraft with the number USSR-77106.

2015

The work of volunteers at the Air Force Museum began 10 years ago, on June 18, 2005. Then, on the eve of the Flying Legends air show, the museum management allowed volunteers to wash the plane. Almost 50 people who gathered, having previously purchased buckets, rags and brushes from the nearest store, were able to wash the fuselage from a thick layer of dirt.

As usual, the holiday died down, and everything would have returned to normal, if not for the understanding of the value of one of the largest aviation museums in the world and a strong desire to prevent a repeat of the fate of Khodynka.
These noble motives united dozens of people: the newly formed organization of voluntary assistants of the Air Force Museum replenished its ranks with specialists with valuable knowledge and selfless aviation lovers who quickly gained experience in the restoration business.

These are completely different people - by age, gender, education, profession. For example, it was thanks to the patience and diligence of the fair sex that it was possible to clean tons of dirt from the salons of the restored exhibits, reupholster chairs, pack silica gel, and do much more. In a word, there was work for everyone, and there was no lack of enthusiasm.

With the accumulation of authority in the eyes of the museum administration, voluntary assistants began to be trusted with more and more responsible procedures and, in the end, were allowed to access the exhibits themselves.


2015

The history of the aircraft Tu-144 USSR-77106 (No. 04-1)

Tu-144 No. 04-1 (the first aircraft of the fourth series) was built in Voronezh in 1975. On March 4, the commander of the aircraft, Honored Test Pilot of the USSR, Hero of the Soviet Union A.I.Voblikov, took off into the air. A director approach, an automatic control system, an autothrottle and other units were practiced.

1980

In the winter of the same year, without waiting for the completion of state tests, operational flights from Moscow to Alma-Ata began. Mixed crews of the MGA, MAP and ZHLIiDB of the Tupolev company, employees of airports and air traffic services learned to operate a new generation of liners, maintain it and put it into operation.

The program leader was USSR-77106, which made its first flight to Alma-Ata on December 26, 1975. Another similar board subsequently came to his aid. They carried mail, cargo, technical staff, press representatives and employees of numerous related enterprises. Then regular flights began for ordinary passengers, and on 77106 they continued testing to fine-tune the air conditioning systems, fuel system, etc. In total, the aircraft flew 582 hours. He ended his career on February 29, 1980, when the crew of G. Voronchenko overtook him to the Air Force Museum in Monino, where he remained forever:

1980

devastation

Having carried out the first work on the aircraft on the eve of the air show, the enthusiasts did not abandon the "carcass". Throughout the snowy winter of 2005-2006, the car was cleared of snow. And in the spring they made a difficult but responsible decision - to restore the interior of the cabin and the passenger compartment.

Why was the decision difficult? The eyes of the volunteers saw a spectacle of monstrous devastation. Hunters for non-ferrous metals, and just vandals, ruined and plundered everything that was possible. The cabin has lost most of the instruments.

2005

Moreover, almost all devices were unique and it is not possible to find them now, even on the black market.

The skin was barbarously torn apart in search of the “necessary”, and at first a bunch of wires and plastic hung from the ceiling, making it difficult even to pass through the cabin.

In addition to the man-made disaster, traces of the harmful effects of natural and climatic factors were found everywhere. The glazing has become cloudy over several decades, the foam rubber in the seats has rotted and crumbled. Even more terrible is the fact that under the layers of handicraft applied paint there were pockets of corrosion.

But the eyes are afraid, but the hands do. And thanks to the efforts of volunteers, with the support of industry experts, a number of large companies, and without help from the museum administration, the work began to boil. whole year garbage was raked out of the cabin and cabin, washed, cleaned of snow and brought at least some order. After that, it was the turn of restoration work.

Documentation

For qualified restoration work, it was necessary to learn everything, or almost everything, about the design of the aircraft.
The most valuable technical documentation was found in the museum library. Some of the documents were provided by Aeroflot.

Letters, communications, contacts

It took nearly a decade to undo what a few vandals had done in a matter of days. Of course, if there were at least some financial resources, many works could be carried out on the principle of outsourcing, and not by the forces of a small volunteer brigade. But we can only dream of sufficient funding so far.

Due to the fact that it was impossible to move on independently in such a serious and large-scale project as the restoration of a huge jet liner without professional support and knowledge, a lot of letters were written to organizations directly related to the creation of the Tu-144.

The main partner in the Tu-144 77106 was Alexey Nikolaevich Amelyushkin, widely known in narrow circles as the savior and keeper of the last two Tu-144D 77114 and 77115 preserved in Zhukovsky.

Aeroflot provided great assistance. The airline donated to the museum a lot of valuable equipment from old decommissioned "carcasses", including much-needed spare parts, interior items of Soviet aircraft, on-board fire extinguishers, tools, etc.

Ladders and ladders

To carry out even the simplest work on an aircraft, a set of stepladders is required. And in order to organize a visit to the salon during the Open Day, you need real ladders.

The management of "Yakovlev" presented the museum with two stepladders, one of which - with a rise of the platform up to 8 meters. Such a ladder was part of the ground equipment of the Tu-144 and was intended for access to the upper part of the fuselage. It is from it that you can provide washing of the “roof” and normal access to the mechanism of the front wings.

Airports "Vnukovo" and "Domodedovo" provided assistance to the museum, allocating two decommissioned, but completely repairable and suitable for further use of self-propelled ladders.

Within a few seasons, a concrete pocket for the ladder was built on its own.

Now it is possible to provide "civilized" access to the aircraft cabin.

Chassis

During the years of exposure, the pressure in the tires of the wheels practically disappeared and the aircraft “sat on the rims”. Rubber for the Tu-144 is unique and has not been produced for a long time, but over time, old used tires taken from the Tu-144LL were delivered from Zhukovsky.

In order to avoid further deformation of the pneumatics, in 2010 the aircraft was installed on special stands.

Under the front support, from under which the concrete slab began to “float” to the side after the rains and threatened to warp the plane, a large channel was laid, and later, with the help of a tractor, the slab was moved into place.


2012

While the plane is confidently standing in the middle of the plate. It is possible that in the future it will be necessary to repeat the procedure if necessary.

Not immediately, but the enthusiasts managed to return to the previously postponed issue of wheel restoration. The wheels were changed at one time, but they are far from new. Magnesium discs gradually eats corrosion.

Therefore, the foci had to be literally cut down with grinders, the flaws were puttied, the disks were polished, and then everything was primed with pickling and epoxy primers and prepared for painting.

Now the chassis looks like this:


2015

2015

They also painted the stand themselves.


2015

Landing lights for the front landing gear were provided by Tupolev.

Portholes

The glazing of the salons and the nose for 30 years of parking under the scorching sun completely lost its transparency, became cloudy and turned yellow. Each porthole made of the newest E-2 plexiglass at that time, intended for operation under conditions of high temperature and high-speed loading, was sanded and then polished. They worked in full chemical protection, since E-2 glass contains fluorine. Of course, it is no longer possible to bring them back to their original form, but now at least it has become clear what is happening inside and outside the liner.

Cabin

Hunters for non-ferrous metals in the process of robbery turned the central console. They were too lazy to unscrew it, so they tore out everything of value “with meat”. The pilot seats were also in a sorry state.

The devices received from partners made it possible to complete the plundered dashboards in the cockpit by about 60%. Some of the old stock was found in Zhukovsky from Tupolev, and something had to be bought from hucksters for fabulous money. Despite donations from visitors, 90% of the funds were still invested from the personal money of volunteers.

Green plugs were put on the rest of the indicators, indicators and consoles. The spectacle was not particularly optimistic. It turned out something like this.

The bent and dented body of the center console was completely removed, dismantling half of the aircraft. Volunteers had to master the profession of a tinker and painter.

However, the result was worth it.

The deformed and irreparable handle for opening the window in the cabin was made using a 3D printer.

Once, going into the cockpit to check the condition, they discovered the consequences of another filming on board, which the museum kindly organized. An unnamed television vandal played pilot. The button on the steering wheel, in the most visible place, was destroyed. There are no replacements, of course.
A similar button was found in a radio parts store, and the engraving was done on a CNC milling machine.

They demanded the restoration of the pilot's seat. The paint on them peeled off, the leather upholstery was worn out, the soft parts of the pillow rotted, and the mechanisms stuck. It took a whole day to dismantle one chair.


2010

Old paint was washed off the parts of the chair frame. With incredible efforts, all the numerous nodes were reassembled, and the public was presented with an impressive design with leather cushions, folding armrests and embossed dressing of covers in the manner of sports cars.


2010

Especially for vandals and marauders, I would like to note that all purchased devices do not remain on board. At the end of the holidays, everything of value is immediately removed and stored under lock and key.

February 2015:


2015

2015

2015

Salons

In parallel, work was underway on the passenger compartments. Since it was impossible to restore the entire huge liner with the help of volunteers, we decided to concentrate on the first “luxury” cabin and the second, small tourist class cabin. It was necessary to replace the upholstery, cut by vandals, to repair the curtains on the windows, to restore the broken consoles for individual passenger service. Something was partially borrowed from the third, largest salon.


2015

2005. For almost 40 years, the foam rubber inside the seats rotted, crumbling to the floor with sticky crumbs, the upholstery got dirty and sagged, folding tables disappeared.


2005

Blocks of seats were dismantled one by one and repaired in the hangar, spending almost a fortune from personal funds.

A set of tables for the “luxury” was found at the Tupolev company, but they promised to make new ones from scratch.


2015

The original "antimacasars" (napkins-headrests) were provided by Aeroflot.


2015

An interior lining material suitable for repairing interior panels was found at an automobile factory.

The shabby floor of the passenger compartments was removed with carpet, and the excess carpet tracks donated by Aeroflot lay in the aisle between the seats (they are temporarily removed during work).


2015

Third Salon

The third, largest passenger compartment as a whole was preserved with the exception of details: the foam rubber of the seats was completely rotted, and most of the numbering panels were broken.

Entire panels went to complete the first and second salons, and the rest were broken out.

One of the small private companies agreed to carve a mold and stamp a batch of parts to replace those broken at cost, the museum paid the bill.

The epic with the fitting and installation of new panels dragged on for three years. It was necessary to cut some holes that were not amenable to casting, separate the parts into the left and right sides, putty the weights, fit in place, primed, painted and assembled.

Part of the original flight attendant call buttons was lost; they, along with the console covers, had to be replaced with remakes. First, everything was thoroughly degreased, then a thin layer of primer on plastic and three layers of two-component paint with intermediate drying of each layer.

In total, about fifty panels were made.

They turned out to be alive.


2015

The filling of the seats of the third salon with new foam rubber took the whole of 2014 and the beginning of 2015, and just a week ago the salon was fully staffed!


2015

All 120 economy class seats have been restored. Each cover was signed and subsequently the chair stands in its historical place. Together with the material and transportation, the restoration of the chairs cost 120 thousand rubles.


2015

One folding chair was left in its original form, so that you can compare how everything looked before restoration.


2015

bow

From the beginning of the restoration, there was a desire to bring the aircraft into a more spectacular landing configuration with the nose down and wings out. After lengthy work on washing, lubricating and resuscitating all devices, it was possible to manually lower the nose of the aircraft using a backup mechanism.

Then the electrical system was debugged, and now the front fenders are extended and retracted, they lock, the limit switches work in a timely manner and the motors turn off.


2015

Work doesn't stop

From month to month, the plane is transformed, and the changes are visible everywhere. Last year alone, the performance of the air temperature gauges in the passenger compartments was restored. Work has begun on the installation of a new power distribution board, through which the aircraft will be powered by electricity.


2015

As it was in the original, the light control will be carried out from the flight attendants' shields. 50% and 100% power modes will be implemented, as well as a standby light. The latter worked from a 28 Volt network and will eventually be restored to the original, while about half of the light bulbs are revived.


2015

Constant care

During heavy snowfalls, the wing of the Tu-144 with an area of ​​500 square meters is covered with a very heavy snow cap. And during a thaw, having been soaked with water, a huge mass of snow can disturb the alignment and put the plane on its hind legs. Therefore, in winter it is especially important to regularly clear the aircraft of snow. A team of three volunteers armed with shovels spend almost all daylight hours cleaning the wing.

Another problem is dampness. During the restoration work, when removing the ceiling panels, moisture was found under the thermal insulation, the fuselage skin was saturated with water from the inside. Under these conditions, pockets of corrosion inevitably arise, threatening to destroy the liner.

To get rid of the dampness that appears inside the Tu-144 during periods of thaw, several hundred kilograms of silica gel were purchased, which volunteers packed in cotton bags, carefully sewn by girls from old sheets and pillowcases. The bags are evenly distributed in the cabin over the luggage racks, seat pockets, cabinets and sinuses.

But the initial measures to drain the aircraft did not solve the problem. Weekly heating of the interior with an MP-85 engine heater, known as "Gorynych", could not expel moisture.
Then, at the end of 2013, a project was launched on boomstarter.ru to purchase a special industrial air dryer. and raised the required amount.
For a partial day of work, a liter of water was collected in the purchased dehumidifiers. These two liters could sharpen the plane from the inside.

Show product face

After flying to Monino at the beginning of 1980, for almost 30 years museum visitors had no opportunity to see the salon. For the first time, Tu-144 opened its doors to visitors during the Open Doors Day on May 9, 2009. And for numerous visitors, and for the volunteers themselves, this day was doubly celebratory - a victory was won over oblivion and destruction.

The completed cockpit greeted visitors with the hum of a fan above the instrument panel, the ticking of aircraft clocks, and the light of light bulbs. The guests were able to see the “luxe” salon and the second salon, where just before the holidays the upholstery on the chairs was reupholstered.

There is a desire to make a full-fledged exposition, which would allow you to plunge into the era of large fast cars and the conquest of “space and space”. First, they made a poster that attracted the attention of visitors. Almost no one passed by, watched, read, interested.
There are plans to make information boards with the history of the aircraft and the history of the restoration process.

In addition, a collection is being made (accepted as a gift or, in extreme cases, bought at a minimum cost) attributes of Aeroflot of the USSR of the Tu-144 era. So, if you have elements of the uniform of the late 1960s - early 1980s, as well as uniform headgear, shoulder straps and insignia, buttons, air tickets, luggage tags, labels, onboard utensils - they can be transferred to volunteers to replenish the exposition. Also, "lifetime" photographs of the Tu-144, especially the side of the USSR-77106, will be useful.

Not all problems can be washed away

Washing the Tu-144 in its current form is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, dirt is washed off. And on the other hand, the condition of the paintwork over the years of parking in the open air is such that the paint flies off along with the dirt, and in some places traces of corrosion are already visible.

Unfortunately, the paint on the plane has completely lost its structure, and the dirt is absorbed into it like a sponge. You have to pick up mops, buckets of water, washing powder, and scrub with pressure manually.

However, this cannot continue indefinitely - the aircraft needs a full-scale restoration of the paintwork.
It will require scaffolding of the aircraft, full sanding of the old paint, application of a dressing primer, then a fresh primer and painting.>

Taking into account the previous work on the cockpit, salons, chassis and windows, there is every chance to bring the exhibit to a good world level - no worse than in Sinsheim, Germany. However, if the previous work could be financed mainly on its own, now the price of the issue is a minimum. 3 million rubles, and then, in pre-crisis prices.

Help Wanted!

The only engine of all changes for the better is the participation of caring people. Almost all the work was done not only by the hands of volunteers, but also, to a large extent, at their own expense. Of course, donations from museum visitors also played an important role.

Of course, I would like the owners of the aircraft, the Air Force, or the administration of the Shchelkovsky district, on whose territory the museum is located, to allocate funds for the work. However, so far appeals to officials have not brought results.

Instead of an afterword

Ten years ago, a group of enthusiasts undertook a huge task - preserving for history the unique Tu-144 aircraft stored in Monino, near Moscow, on the territory of the Central Museum of the Air Force. These were difficult years, but a team of like-minded people managed to go through all the trials and saved the plane.

Today we need to take the next step: to recreate the original appearance of the car and give all aviation lovers the opportunity to see one of the most beautiful and technically advanced airliners of the 20th century.

Everyone can render all possible assistance to the cause, both with personal participation and with a monetary donation. Even a small translation will help restore lost interior details and prevent the development of corrosion.

In order to make a donation, you can use the most convenient way for yourself: 77106 in LiveJournal, where the progress of work is described in detail. Also, the current state of affairs can be seen on the forum in the appropriate thread.
There is also a group

Post on the birthday of the great Russian aircraft designer Tupolev "> Post on the birthday of the great Russian aircraft designer Tupolev" alt="TU-144. The sad story of an aircraft that was ahead of its time Post to the birthday of the great Russian aircraft designer Tupolev!}">

Today, on the birthday of Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev (1988-1972), the legendary aircraft manufacturer who designed more than 100 aircraft, Babr decided to recall the post about the pinnacle of aircraft engineering thought, about the legend, and, in our opinion, the best passenger aircraft in the history of mankind - the Tu- 144 and its tragic fate

Once upon a time, in childhood, many Soviet boys on a shelf in their room had a model of an unusual aircraft that bowed its nose like a heron. Unusual contours, huge engines and funny "ears" - everything said that this was not just a plane with the inscription of the USSR on its triangular wings.

From Mokva to Turkey in 40 minutes!

The plane is interesting that it was the only supersonic passenger aircraft in the USSR.

For those who are not strong in physics - he flew 2 times faster speed sound. Those. if flyingto shout something after the plane, then the plane will fly away faster than the sound reaches it. At two times.

From Moscow to Turkey the plane flew in 40 minutes at a speed of 2200km / h, and in America nothing prevented us from being in 3.5 hours after takeoff.

After flying on such a huge speed, the wings and skin of the "Carcass" heated up to 150 degrees.The pilots even joked: "Let's land, put the kettle on the wing - we'll make some tea."

Flight routes and predicted profitability of flights at full passenger load.

It's worth just thinking: work on the creation of the Tu-144 began in the mid-50s of the 20th century, just 10 years after the end of the War! Just imagine what an incredible level of progress our country has gained, despite the fact that it was half in ruins!

Of similar aircraft in the world, except for the Tu-144 there was only the well-known Concorde, so in total in the history of aviation there were only two supersonic passenger aircraft from the USSR and jointly from England and France.

It is worth noting that our Tu-144 was the first to be put into operation, namely on December 31, 1968. The first Concorde took to the air on March 2, 1969.

November 1, 1977- the beginning of operation of the world's first supersonic passenger aircraft Tu-144 - the first flight No. 499 this airliner performed on the route Domodedovo - Alma-Ata. The ticket cost 83 rubles 70 kopecks (22 rubles more than the Il-62 or Tu-154). For comparison, 83 rubles is more than half of the average salary of that time. Not without a curiosity: after boarding passengers and sealing the cabin, the airfield services could not drive away the ladder - the batteries were dead. The fact is that special ladders-escalators were built for the Tu-144 high altitude working on electric batteries. They became the cause of the incident, as a result of which the departure of the supersonic Tu-144 was delayed for half an hour.

For the first time in history domestic civil aviation, food on board the Tu-144 was served in individual packaging on trays served on the ground. Everyone who flew the Tu-144 was stamped in their passport: “flyed the Tu-144”. And even the tickets for this plane were special, with special markings - in the upper right corner the type of aircraft "Tu-144" was indicated.

Aeroflot pilots flew on such aircraft only as co-pilots, test pilots were always appointed as commanders of the aircraft design office Tupolev. A total of 55 flights were made and 3194 passengers were transported. The Tu-144 also provided 11 first-class seats, apparently for very influential passengers.

Unusual nose design The TU-144 was due to the high flight speed and sweep of the fuselage: during takeoff and landing, the nose "pecked down" and straightened during the flight. Of course, it would be possible to fly and land with a "stretched nose", but then the pilots would not be able to see the runway.

“The forms of the Tu-144 supersonic passenger liner are graceful and impetuous… In the spacious cabins of the liner, the color scheme of which can be made taking into account the traditions of individual airlines, 120 passengers are freely accommodated… Short travel time, high flight regularity, excellent passenger comfort, flexibility and efficiency in the use of the aircraft - all this opens up for its operation on many airlines”

Number of built serial The Tu-144 (16 units) and the Concordes (20 units) were approximately the same, but unlike the Carcass, the French aircraft were in active operation until the 90s, although it was unprofitable - it received money from the state.

London ticket price- New York in 1986 was 2745 USD. Allow such expensive flights could and can only be very wealthy and busy people, for whom the formula "time is money" is the main credo of existence. There are such people in the West, and for them flying Concordes is a natural saving of time and money. rich in the USSR business people, for which time would turn into money, did not exist. So, the service market that was supposed to satisfy the Tu-144 simply did not exist in the USSR. The plane obviously had to become largely unprofitable in Aeroflot, flying half empty.

The world's first supersonic passenger aircraft, serial.

Successes in the creation of supersonic combat aircraft in the 1950s, including those of a heavy class, created a favorable environment for studying the possibility of creating a supersonic passenger aircraft (SPA). The history of the appearance of the first SPS projects goes back to the first post-war years, when several hypothetical projects were proposed in the USA and Great Britain, which were very far from practical implementation in terms of their technical solutions. In the second half of the 50s, first experimental, and then serial supersonic heavy aircraft for military purposes, and, almost immediately, on their basis, the world's leading aviation firms prepare projects for ATP of various aerodynamic and layout schemes. A detailed analysis and further study of the proposed ATP projects based on the first supersonic bombers showed that the creation of an effective competitive ATP by modifying a military prototype is an extremely difficult task (in contrast to the process of creating the first jet passenger aircraft based on subsonic heavy combat aircraft). The first supersonic combat heavy aircraft, in terms of their design solutions, basically met the requirements of a relatively short-term supersonic flight. For ATP, it was required to ensure a long cruising flight at speeds corresponding to at least M = 2, plus the specifics of the task of transporting passengers required a significant increase in the reliability of all elements of the aircraft structure, subject to more intensive operation, taking into account the increase in the duration of flights in supersonic modes. Gradually, analyzing all possible options for technical solutions, aviation specialists, both in the USSR and in the West, came to the firm opinion that an economically efficient SPS should be designed as a fundamentally new type of aircraft.

In the Design Bureau of A.N. Tupolev, the solution of the problem of designing SPS was approached in the early 60s. The first technical proposals of the Design Bureau for the SPS were mainly based on the projects of long-range bombers. Later, when work began on the Tu-144, S.M. Yeger proposed a preliminary design of the Tu-144 with NK-144 engines. In addition to the Design Bureau of A.N. Tupolev, OKB-23 of V.M. Myasishcheva was engaged in preliminary study on the topic of ATP in the USSR. In this design bureau, at the end of the 50s, proposals were prepared for several original SPS projects (M-53, M-55A, M-55B and M-55V).

Assembly of serial Tu-144

The beginning of the 60s was marked by the deployment of practical work on the Anglo-French ATP "Concorde" (the beginning of research on the topic in 1955-1956) with a cruising supersonic flight speed of more than M = 2 and a flight range with 120-140 passengers on board 6000-6500 km . At the same time, the main US aviation firms, based on their vision of the future ATP market, began work on designing a much larger ATP than the Concorde, designed to carry 250-300 passengers at a cruising speed of up to M = 3 at a distance of 7000-8000 km (projects Boeing, Lockheed, Douglas).

An analysis of the conditions for the existence of the future ATP, carried out in the USSR in relation to the level of domestic aircraft manufacturing and its immediate prospects, as well as economic opportunities country and the needs of the Civil Air Fleet, showed that for the USSR the most preferable way is to create a domestic SPS, in terms of its expected flight performance, close to the Anglo-French Concorde. During the creation of the Soviet SPS, a number of scientific and technical problems were posed before the domestic aviation science and industry, which our neither subsonic passenger nor military supersonic aviation faced. First of all, to ensure the required performance characteristics of the ATP (double flight at a distance of up to 6500 km with 100-120 passengers, in combination with acceptable takeoff and landing data), it was necessary to provide a significant improvement in the aerodynamic perfection of the aircraft during cruising flights at M = 2-2 ,2. The aerodynamic quality in these modes had to be increased to 7.5-8.0. It was necessary to solve the issues of stability and controllability of a heavy aircraft during flights in subsonic, transonic and supersonic regions, to develop practical methods for balancing the aircraft in all these modes, taking into account the minimization of aerodynamic losses. A long flight at a speed of M = 2 was associated with research and ensuring the structural strength of airframe units at elevated temperatures (close to 100-120 degrees C), it was necessary to create heat-resistant structural materials, lubricants, sealants, and also to develop types of structures capable of operating for a long time in conditions of cyclic aerodynamic heating. Very high demands were placed on the units of the power plant: it was necessary to create powerful and economical engines that would operate stably in supersonic flight conditions, to solve the problems of regulating air intakes operating in a wide range of altitudes and speeds, ensuring the regulation of the required inlet air flow with the smallest possible aerodynamic losses. It was most rational to carry out a long supersonic cruising flight at high altitudes, respectively, the head and modular design bureaus were tasked with developing principles for creating new air conditioning systems, and then specific units and systems that provide comfortable conditions for passengers and crew at high altitudes (up to 20 km) and during long flights with significant heating of the airframe structural elements. It was necessary to create a number of new devices and systems that provide automatic flight control, accurate navigation in conditions of long-term supersonic flight and automatic landing. There was a need to study the environmental features of the operation of the SPS, associated with the release into the atmosphere a large number engine exhaust gases at high altitudes and their effect on the ozone layer, the impact of noise and sonic boom on people, animals and buildings, the impact of long-term flights at high altitudes on passengers and crew associated with exposure to solar radiation. When creating the SPS, based on the conditions for its painless implementation into the existing transport system, it was necessary to take into account the peculiarities of domestic and international systems when designing the ATP air transportation, existing airports and air traffic control.

Rolling out an experienced Tu-144 from the ZHLI and DB hangar (Zhukovsky)

All these tasks, with the involvement of Western experience to a certain extent, were studied in detail at TsAGI, at the Design Bureau of A.N. Tupolev, and other Design Bureaus involved in the program for creating the Soviet SPS. The official basis for the start of work on the domestic SPS of the first generation (SPS-1), which received the designation Tu-144, was the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR in 1963 and the Order of the same year. OKB A.N. Tupolev was asked to design and build an ATP with a cruising flight speed of 2300-2700 km / h, the practical range of supersonic flight with 80-100 passengers was 4000-4500 km; in the reloading version with additional fuel tanks and with 30-50 passengers - 6000-6500 km. Operation from airfields of the first class with a normal takeoff weight of 120-130 tons. It was supposed in 1966-1967 to build five copies of the Tu-144 (two copies for strength tests). Given the technical complexity of obtaining the maximum flight range of the first domestic ATP, it was decided to work in two stages: at the first stage, the practical flight range achieved was to be 4000-4500 km, at the second stage, the Tu-144 was to reach a range of 6500 km. The engines for the Tu-144, in accordance with the recommendations of CIAM, were given by-pass turbofans with afterburners. OKB N.D. Kuznetsov, on the basis of the gas generator DTRD NK-8, it was undertook to create for the future Soviet ATP TRDDF, designated NK-144, with a take-off thrust of 20,000 kgf and a specific fuel consumption in supersonic cruising mode at the level of 1.35-1.45 kg / kgf hour. It should be noted that the success of the Tu-144 project to a large extent depended on the success of the engine builders. The choice for the Tu-144 turbofan engine operating on afterburner in cruising modes was by no means indisputable, it made it possible to obtain for the Tu-144 a less stressful engine in terms of temperature (respectively, more reliable and less expensive), as well as a more optimized engine for flying in a wide range of altitudes and speeds than in the case of choosing a single-circuit turbojet engine. Great doubts were caused by the possibility of obtaining moderate fuel consumption in cruising modes on this type of engine and, as a result, ensuring the required flight range. All this was not a big secret either for Tupolev or for MAP. Even at the design stage, OKB-23 obtained calculated results indicating that it is quite realistic to obtain an acceptable supersonic flight range on a heavy aircraft, provided that engines with specific fuel consumption within 1.2 kg / kgf hour are used. Such an engine was created in prototypes by the beginning of the 60s in the USSR - it was a single-circuit non-afterburning turbojet engine "16-17" (take-off thrust 18000 kgf, specific fuel consumption in cruising mode 1.15 k / kgf hour), developed in the Design Bureau -16 P.F.Zubtsa. The Anglo-French, choosing the type of engine for their Concorde, took an intermediate compromise path, choosing for it a single-circuit turbofan Bristol "Olympus" 593 with a small degree of forcing and specific fuel consumption in afterburner 1,327 kg / kgf hour (takeoff thrust in afterburner 17200 kgf) . Unfortunately, work on Myasishchev’s projects of heavy supersonic engines was closed, respectively, in the early 60s in the USSR, the line of development of powerful economical non-afterburning single-circuit turbojet engines was temporarily interrupted (OKB-16 was transferred to the subject of solid fuel rocket engines), and, as a result, by the beginning of the design of the Tu-144, the Design Bureau of A.N. Tupolev had to take a technical risk, relying on the NK-144 turbofan engine. Soon, in 1964, when the design of the Tu-144 with the NK-144 was in full swing, it was decided to revive work on economical powerful non-afterburning turbojet engines for the ATP: in OKB-36, under the leadership of P.A. Kolesov, the design of a single-circuit turbojet engine RD-36- 51 for the Tu-144 with a maximum takeoff thrust of 20,000 kgf and an expected specific fuel consumption in supersonic cruising flight of 1.23 kg/kgf h.

Andrey Nikolayevich appointed A.A. Tupolev as the chief designer and head of work on the Tu-144. It was under his leadership, with the involvement of the best forces of domestic aviation science and technology, that the ideology and future appearance of the Ty-144 was born in the "K" division. In the future, after the death of A.N. Tupolev and the appointment of A.A. Tupolev as the head of the enterprise, the topic of the Tu-144 was led by Yu.N. Popov and B.A. Gantsevsky. Soon, the Tu-144 becomes one of the main and priority topics in the activities of the Design Bureau and the entire MAP for the next 10 years.

The aerodynamic appearance of the Tu-144 was determined mainly by obtaining a long flight range in supersonic cruising mode, provided that the required stability and controllability characteristics and the specified take-off and landing characteristics were obtained. Based on the promised specific costs of the NK-144, at the initial design stage, the task was set to obtain Kmax = 7 in the cruising supersonic flight mode. According to the total economic, technological, weight considerations, the number M of a cruise flight was taken to be 2.2. During the study of the aerodynamic layout of the Tu-144 in the Design Bureau and TsAGI, several dozen possible options were considered. The "normal" scheme with horizontal empennage in the tail section of the fuselage was studied, but it was abandoned, since such empennage contributed up to 20% of the total drag balance of the aircraft. They also abandoned the "duck" scheme, assessing the problem of the influence of the destabilizer on the main wing. Finally, based on the conditions for obtaining the required aerodynamic quality and obtaining minimal focus differences at subsonic and supersonic speeds, we settled on a low-wing scheme - "tailless" with a composite delta wing of an ogival shape (the wing was formed by two triangular surfaces with a sweep angle along the leading edge of 78 ° - for the front influx parts and 55 ° - for the rear base part), with four turbofan engines located under the wing, with a vertical tail located along the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, and a tricycle retractable landing gear. The design of the airframe mainly used traditional aluminum alloys. The wing was formed from symmetrical profiles and had a complex twist in two directions: in the longitudinal and transverse. This achieved the best flow around the wing surface in supersonic mode, in addition, such a twist contributed to the improvement of longitudinal balancing in this mode.

Elevons were placed along the entire trailing edge of the wing, consisting of four sections on each half-wing. The wing structure is multi-spar, with a powerful working skin made of solid plates made of aluminum alloys, the central part of the wing and elevons were made of titanium alloys. The elevon sections were powered by two irreversible boosters. The rudder was also deflected with the help of irreversible boosters and consisted of two independent sections. The aerodynamic shape of the fuselage was chosen from the conditions for obtaining the minimum drag in supersonic mode. In order to achieve this, they even went to some complication of the design of the aircraft. A characteristic feature of the Tu-144 was the descending, well-glazed nose of the fuselage in front of the pilot's cabin, which ensured good review at high takeoff and landing angles of attack inherent in an aircraft with a low aspect ratio wing. The lowering and lifting of the forward fuselage was carried out using a hydraulic actuator. When designing the deviating non-pressurized part and its units, it was possible to maintain the smoothness of the skin at the joints of the movable part with the pressurized cabin and the rest of the fuselage surface. The shape of the engine nacelles was determined mainly by layout considerations and the conditions for the reliability of the operation of the power plant. Four NK-144 turbofans were placed close to each other under the wing. Each engine had its own air intake, and two adjacent air intakes were combined into a common unit. Underwing air intakes are flat with a horizontal wedge.

Experienced Tu-144 at the airfield LII MAP Zhukovsky

The flow deceleration at supersonic flight speeds was carried out in three oblique shocks, in a direct closing shock, and in a subsonic diffuser. The operation of each air intake was provided automatic system control, which changed the position of the wedge panels and the bypass leaf, depending on the operating mode of the NK-144 engine. The length of the engine nacelles was determined by the size of the engines and the requirements of TsAGI and CIAM to ensure the necessary length of the air intake channels for the normal operation of the engines. It should be noted that, in contrast to the design of the air intakes and engines of the Concorde, where this process proceeded as a single whole, the design of the NK-144 and engine nacelles with air intakes went as two largely independent processes, which led to some extent to oversized engine nacelles and in the future to many mutual inconsistencies in the operation of engines and air intake systems. It was supposed, as on the Concorde, to introduce a landing braking system due to the engine reverse, it was planned to install the reverse on the two extreme engines (the reverse system was not completed, as a result, the experimental and production vehicles were operated with a braking parachute). The main landing gear retracted into the wing, the front landing gear retracted into the front of the fuselage in the space between the two air intake blocks. The small construction height of the wing required a reduction in the size of the wheels; as a result, a twelve-wheeled bogie with relatively small diameter wheels was used in the main landing gear. The main fuel supply was located in the wing caisson tanks. The front caisson tanks of the wing and an additional keel tank served to balance the aircraft. The main work on choosing the optimal aerodynamic design Tu-144 in the Design Bureau was headed by G.A. Cheremukhin, the unit headed by V.M. travel channels. In some modes, this measure made it possible to fly with static instability. The choice of the ideology of the Tu-144 control system is largely the merit of G.F. Naboyshchikov. In creating and bringing this fundamentally new system management, a great contribution was made by L.M. Rodnyansky. The cockpit was designed taking into account the requirements of modern ergonomics, it was carried out for four: the first and second pilots occupied the two front seats, the flight engineer was placed behind them, the fourth place on the first experimental machine was intended for the experimental engineer. In the future, it was supposed to limit the crew to three pilots. The decoration and layout of the Tu-144 passenger compartment corresponded to the world requirements for modern design and to comfort, the latest finishing materials were used in their decoration. The flight and navigation equipment of the Tu-144 was equipped with the most advanced systems that domestic avionics could give at that time: a perfect autopilot and on-board electronic computer automatically maintained the course; the pilots could see on the screen located on the dashboard where the aircraft was currently located and how many kilometers were left to the destination; landing approach was carried out automatically at any time of the day with difficult weather conditions etc. - all this was a serious leap forward for our aviation.

The construction of the first prototype Tu-144 ("044") began in 1965, while the second copy was being built for static testing. The experimental "044" was originally designed for 98 passengers, later this figure was increased to 120. Accordingly, the estimated take-off weight increased from 130 tons to 150 tons. An experimental machine was built in Moscow in the workshops of the MMZ "Experience", some of the units were manufactured at its branches. In 1967, the assembly of the main elements of the aircraft was completed. At the end of 1967, the experimental "044" was transported to ZHLI and DB, where throughout 1968 finishing work was carried out and the machine was completed with the missing systems and assemblies.

At the same time, flights of the MiG-21I analogue aircraft (A-144, "21-11"), created on the basis of the MiG-21S fighter, began at the LII airfield. An analogue was created in the Design Bureau of AI Mikoyan | and had a wing geometrically and aerodynamically similar to the wing of the experienced "044". In total, two "21-11" machines were built, many test pilots flew them, including those who were to test the Tu-144, in particular E.V. Elyan. An analogue aircraft was successfully flown up to a speed of 2500 km/h and the materials of these flights served as the basis for the final adjustment of the Tu-144 wing, and also allowed the test pilots to prepare for the behavior of an aircraft with such a wing.

At the end of 1968, the experimental "044" (tail number 68001) was ready for the first flight. A crew was appointed to the car, consisting of: the commander of the ship - the honored test pilot E.V. Elyan (who later received the Hero of the Soviet Union for the Tu-144); co-pilot - Honored Test Pilot Hero of the Soviet Union M.V. Kozlov; lead test engineer V.N. Benderov and flight engineer Yu.T. Seliverstov. Taking into account the novelty and unusualness of the new car, the Design Bureau made an extraordinary decision: for the first time, it was decided to install ejection seats for the crew on an experimental passenger car. During the month, there were engine races, runs, final ground checks of systems. From the beginning of the third decade of December 1968, "044" was in pre-launch readiness, the car and crew were completely ready for the first flight, during all these ten days there was no weather over the LII airfield, and the experimental Tu-144 remained on the ground. Finally, on the last day of the outgoing 1968, 25 seconds after the launch moment, "044" for the first time broke away from runway airfield LII and quickly gained altitude. The first flight lasted 37 minutes, in flight the car was accompanied by an analogue aircraft "21-11".

According to the crew, the car proved to be obedient and "flying". A.N. was present at the first flight. Tupolev, A.A. Tupolev, many heads of OKB departments. The first flight of the Tu-144 was an event of world significance and an important moment in the history of domestic and world aviation. For the first time, a supersonic passenger aircraft took to the air, and it was an aircraft built in the USSR; the first Concorde would fly only on March 2, 1969. It has been proven in practice that heavy tailless aircraft have citizenship rights in the USSR (before this flight, everything was limited to big amount projects of heavy "tailless"). On June 5, 1969, the prototype aircraft for the first time at an altitude of 11,000 m exceeded sound speed, by May 1970 the aircraft was flying at speeds of M-1.25-1.6 at altitudes up to 15,000 m. half an hour at a speed exceeding 2000 km / h, at an altitude of 16960 m, a maximum speed of 2430 km / h was reached. , where she first "met" with the Anglo-French "Concorde". The "044" was powered by experimental NK-144 engines with a specific fuel consumption in supersonic cruising mode of 2.23 kg / kgf hour, with such specific costs in tests, the Tu-144 managed to reach a supersonic flight range of 2920 km, which was significantly less than the required range . In addition, during the tests, they encountered some design flaws: during flights, increased vibration and heating of the rear fuselage from a quad engine package were observed, even titanium structures did not help out. Having completed the test flight program "044" (about 150 flights in total), it remained in one prototype. Nothing more was required of her; she fulfilled her task of proving the technical feasibility of creating a supersonic passenger aircraft in the USSR. It was necessary to move further, improving the design of the aircraft and engines.

Work on the development of the basic design of the "044" aircraft went in two directions: the creation of a new economical non-afterburning turbojet engine of the RD-36-51 type and a significant improvement in the aerodynamics and design of the Tu-144. The result of this was to meet the requirements for the range of supersonic flight. The decision of the commission of the Council of Ministers of the USSR on the Tu-144 version with RD-36-51 was adopted in 1969. At the same time, at the suggestion of the MAP-MGA, a decision is made, until the creation of the RD-36-51 and their installation on the Tu-144, to build six Tu-144s with the NK-144A with reduced specific fuel consumption. The design of serial Tu-144s with NK-144A was supposed to be significantly modernized, to make significant changes in the aerodynamics of the aircraft, having received Kmax more than 8 in supersonic cruising mode. This modernization was supposed to ensure that the requirements of the first stage in terms of range (4000-4500 km), were later transition in the series to RD-36-51.

The construction of the pre-production modernized aircraft Tu-144 ("004") began at the MMZ "Experience" in 1968. According to the calculated data with NK-144 engines (Cp = 2.01), the expected supersonic range should have been 3275 km, and with NK-144A (Cp = 1.91) it should have exceeded 3500 km. In order to improve the aerodynamic characteristics of the aircraft in cruising mode M = 2.2, the wing shape was changed in plan (the swept part along the leading edge was reduced to 76 degrees, and the base was increased to 57 degrees), the wing shape became closer to the "Gothic". Compared to "044", the wing area has increased, a more intense conical twist of the wing tips has been introduced. However, the most important innovation in aerodynamics of the wing was the change in the middle part of the wing, which provided self-balancing in cruise mode with minimal losses quality, taking into account optimization for flight deformations of the wing in this mode. The length of the fuselage was increased, taking into account the accommodation of 150 passengers, the shape of the nose was improved, which also had a positive effect on the aerodynamics of the aircraft. In contrast to the "044", each pair of engines in twin engine nacelles with air intakes was moved apart, freeing the lower part of the fuselage from them, unloading it from increased temperature and vibration loads, while changing the lower surface of the wing in the place of the calculated flow compression area, increasing the gap between. the lower surface of the wing and the upper surface of the air intake - all this made it possible to more intensively use the effect of preloading the flow at the inlet to the air intakes at Kmax than it was possible to get on "044". The new layout of the engine nacelles required changes in the chassis: the main landing gear was placed under the engine nacelles, with their cleaning inside between the air channels of the engines, they switched to an eight-wheeled bogie, and the scheme for cleaning the nose landing gear also changed. An important difference between "004" and "044" was the introduction of a front multi-section destabilizer wing retractable in flight, which was extended from the fuselage in takeoff and landing modes, and made it possible to provide the required balancing of the aircraft with deflected elevons-flaps. Improvements in the design, an increase in the payload and fuel supply led to an increase in the take-off weight of the aircraft, which exceeded 190 tons (for "044" - 150 tons).

The construction of the pre-production Tu-144 No. 01-1 (tail number 77101) was completed at the beginning of 1971, on June 1, 1971 the aircraft made its first flight. According to the program of factory tests, the machine performed 231 flights, lasting 338 hours, of which 55 hours the aircraft flew at supersonic speed. On this machine, complex issues of interaction between the power plant and the aircraft were worked out in various flight modes. On September 20, 1972, the car made a flight along the Moscow-Tashkent highway, while the route was completed in 1 hour 50 minutes, cruising speed during the flight reached 2500 km / h. The pre-production machine became the basis for the deployment of mass production at the Voronezh Aviation Plant (VAZ), which, by decision of the government, was entrusted with the development of the Tu-144 series.

The first flight of serial Tu-144 No. 01-2 (tail number 77102) with NK-144A engines took place on March 20, 1972. In the series, according to the results of tests of the pre-production machine, the aerodynamics of the wing was corrected and its area was slightly increased again. The take-off weight in the series reached 195 tons. The specific fuel consumption of NK-144A by the time of operational testing of serial machines was intended to be increased by optimizing the engine nozzle to 1.65-1.67 kg / kgf hour, and later up to 1.57 kg / kgf hour, while the flight range should have been increase to 3855-4250 km and 4550 km respectively. By 1977, during testing and refinement of the Tu-144 and NK-144A series, we were actually able to achieve Cp = 1.81 kg / kgf hour in the cruising supersonic thrust mode of 5000 kgf, Cp = 1.65 kg / kgf hour in the takeoff afterburner thrust mode 20,000 kgf, Ср=0.92 kg/kgf hour in cruising subsonic thrust mode of 3000 kgf and in maximum afterburner mode in transonic mode received 11800 kgf.

On June 3, 1973, the first production car crashed during a demonstration flight at Le Bourget. The crew led by test pilot M.V. Kozlov died (in addition to M.V. Kozlov in this flight) the co-pilot V.M. .N. Bazhenov, engineer B.A. Pervukhin). To investigate the disaster, a commission was created, in which specialists from the USSR and France took part. According to the results of the investigation, the French noted that there was no failure in the technical part of the aircraft, the cause of the disaster was: the presence of unfastened crew members in the cockpit, the sudden appearance of the Mirage aircraft in the field of view of the Tu-144 aircraft crew, the presence of a movie camera in the hands of one of the crew members , which, when falling, could jam the steering wheel. Apparently, at that moment, such a conclusion suited everyone. Perhaps E.V. Elyan spoke most succinctly and accurately about the Tu-144 crash in Le Bourget in the 90s: “This disaster is a bitter example of how a combination of small, at first glance, insignificant negligence, side of the French flight control services, led to tragic consequences."

Production of Tu-144 with NK-144A continued in Voronezh until early 1977. On these machines, a large amount of flight tests were carried out and flights with passengers were started. On Tu-144 No. 02-1 (tail number 77103), the first flight was made on December 13, 1973, the NPK-144 flight and navigation complex, the power supply system were worked out, tests were carried out in rejected takeoff modes, technical flights were made around the cities of the USSR.

On the Tu-144 No. 02-2 (tail number 77144), first flight on June 14, 1974, studies were carried out on aerodynamics, strength, behavior at high angles of attack, the operation of aircraft systems and equipment was checked in abnormal flight situations, in 1975 the car flew at Le Bourget.

Tu-144 No. 03-1 (tail number 77105) was built in 1973 and immediately converted into Tu-144D with RD-36-51A engines.

Tu-144 No. 04-1 (tail number 77106), the first flight on March 4, 1975, was used to evaluate the efficiency of the ACS, it solved some problems with the fuel system. On December 26, 1975, the first operational flight on the route Moscow - Alma-Ata was performed on this aircraft. By this time, in addition to the MAP pilots, the MGA pilots had already begun to fly the Tu-144. The aircraft carried cargo, mail along the route, flights took place at altitudes of 18,000 m and at speeds of 2,200 km/h. Currently, Tu-144 No. 04-1 can be seen in the exposition of the Museum in Monino.

Tu-144 No. 04-2 (side number 77108), first flight on December 12, 1975, finishing work was carried out on navigation equipment systems, on ABSU-144, on the director approach system, Tu-144 subautomatic thruster No. 05-1 ( tail number 77107), the first flight on August 20, 1975, after factory tests and tests under various programs, was presented in 1977 as a complex object for joint state tests. According to the results of these tests, it was noted that the flight performance of the aircraft, with the exception of the practical flight range with a given number of passengers, take-off weight, meets the requirements specified for the Tu-144 (during tests, we obtained a practical supersonic flight range with a take-off weight of 195 tons at a commercial load 15 tons 3080 km, with 7 tons - 3600 km It was emphasized that the flight range of 4000-4500 km, with a payload of 14-15 tons on Tu-144 with NK-144A cannot be realized, and it was noted that obtaining the required range is possible with RD-36-51A engines.

After the completion of joint tests, the MAP-MGA decision is made to start passenger transportation on Tu-144 aircraft with NK-144A. Tu-144 No. 05-2 (tail number 77109), first flight on April 29, 1976, and Tu-144 No.

06-1 (tail number 77110), first flight on February 14, 1977, were used for regular passenger traffic on the Moscow - Alma-Ata route. At first passenger flight Tu-144 departed on November 1, 1977. Flights over a distance of 3260 km at an altitude of 16000-17000 m at a speed of 2000 km / h were carried out once a week, the number of passengers on board did not exceed 80 people. Until the termination of regular operation with passengers in May 1978, Aeroflot crews on the Tu-144 performed 55 flights, carrying 3284 passengers. Tu-144 with NK-144A became the first passenger aircraft in the USSR, which received a national airworthiness certificate for the safety of passenger transportation.

As noted above, work on an alternative engine of the RD-36-51 type for the Tu-144 began as early as 1964. The flight range with a takeoff weight of 150 tons with 150 passengers was negotiated at 4500 km, and with 120 passengers and with a takeoff weight of 180 tons - 6500 km. The Tu-144 variant with new engines is designated Tu-144 D ("004D"). By the mid-70s, the RD-36-51 was becoming a reality, the Kolesovsky Design Bureau was able to prepare the first RD-36-51A engines for testing on the Tu-144 with a take-off thrust of 20000 kgf, a cruising thrust of 5100 kgf and a specific fuel consumption in supersonic cruising mode 1.26 kg / kgf hour, at the second stage it was supposed to bring the takeoff thrust to 21000 kgf and the cruising specific fuel consumption to 1.23 kg / kgf * h .)

The first Tu-144 to fly with RD-36-51A was aircraft No. 03-1, first flight on November 30, 1974. Until the middle of 1976, this machine was used for testing and fine-tuning a new power plant. On June 5, 1976, the aircraft performs a long-range flight of 6200 km with a load of 5 tons, this flight confirmed the prospects and reality of continuing work on the Tu-144D.

In the second half of the 1970s, VAZ switched to serial production of the Tu-144D. The first serial Tu-144D was aircraft No. 06-2 (tail number 77111), first flight on April 27, 1978. The aircraft began to undergo joint tests, but on May 23, 1978, the aircraft crashed near Yegoryevsk, the cause of which was the destruction of the fuel line in the engine compartment. The plane was piloted by MGA test pilot V. Popov, co-pilot was E.V. Yelyan, the crew managed to make an emergency landing with the landing gear retracted. When landing E.V. Yelyan was injured, and two test engineers died. This catastrophe was the immediate cause of the suspension, and then complete cessation operation of the Tu-144 with passengers. Four more Tu-144Ds Nos. 07-1, 08-1, 08-2 and 09-1 (side numbers 77112, 77113, 77114 and 77115) are being produced and brought to flight condition. The first two cars underwent joint state tests, which ended in the early 80s. According to the results of these tests, the Tu-144D was recommended for operation with passengers, as well as the Tu-144 with the NK-144A. The aircraft received an airworthiness certificate, but there was no operation with passengers, the program was gradually phased out. The last built car Tu-144D No. 09-2 remained unclaimed and for a long time stood at the airfield of the plant in Voronezh. In addition to the listed built and flown Tu-144s, several airframes of the aircraft were built for strength testing. The takeoff weight of the Tu-144D exceeded 200 tons, in the course of joint state tests it was possible to obtain a supersonic flight range with a payload of 15 tons - 5330 km, with 11-13 tons - 5500-5700 km and with 7 tons - 6200 km, with an air navigation fuel supply at the end of the flight 10 tons. In the 80s, some of the built Tu-144 aircraft continued to be used as flying laboratories for various test programs for the creation of new supersonic heavy aircraft, including programs for the further development of the SPS. In July 1983, on one of the Tu-144Ds, the crew led by test pilot S. Agapov (co-pilot B. Veremey) set 13 world records for speed and flight altitude with various loads (for FAI, the car was declared as the aircraft "101") . In the 70s, there were projects for the further modernization of the Ty-144 aircraft. Experience in the development, testing and initial operation of the Tu-144 with HK-144A showed that only the minimum task is ensured - servicing airlines with a length of up to 4000 km. The start of work on the Tu-144D with RD-36-51A showed that the Tu-144 is capable of reaching the required ranges and has further reserves for modernization. First of all, we decided to abandon the unification of the design of the power plant. By revising the design of the airframe, aircraft systems and equipment, the Tu-144 was supposed to increase the fuel efficiency of the aircraft. The new project received the designation Tu-144DA. The first studies on it showed that it is possible, with a takeoff weight of 235 tons, to increase the fuel supply to 125 tons (instead of 90-95 tons for the Tu-144D), while the wing area increased to 544 sq.m. (instead of 507 sq.m. for the Tu-144D), the power plant was transferred to engines of the "61" type with thrust reverser (development of RD-36-51 A) with a specific fuel consumption in cruising mode of 1.23 kg / kgf hour and a maximum takeoff thrust 21000 kgf. The number of passengers was brought up to 130-160 people, the estimated practical flight range with a normal commercial load increased to 7000-7500 km. Work on the Tu-144DA did not receive further practical development due to the gradual curtailment of the entire Tu-144 program, however, the developments on the project were used in the research that had begun on the SPS-2 (Tu-244) topic.

It is interesting to compare the fate of the Tu-144 and the Anglo-French "Concorde" - machines close in purpose, design and time of creation. First of all, it should be noted that the Concorde was designed mainly for supersonic flights over deserted ocean expanses (the main purpose is flights between Europe and America across the ocean), hence, according to the sonic boom conditions, the choice of lower heights of cruising supersonic flight and, as a result, lower wing area, lower takeoff weight, lower required cruising thrust of the power plant to unit costs fuel. The Tu-144 had to fly mainly over land, hence the large flight altitudes and a corresponding increase in the parameters of both the aircraft and (required thrust of the power plant). Less advanced engines should be added here (in terms of their specific parameters, the Tu-144 engines approached the Olympus only in the latest versions), plus the worse specific parameters of domestic equipment and aircraft units compared to Western ones (chronic illness of Soviet avionics). All these negative starting points to a large extent (during the development of the project it was possible to compensate for the high perfection of the aerodynamics of the Tu-144 (in terms of the value of the aerodynamic quality obtained during flights in the cruising supersonic mode, the Tu-144 surpassed the Concorde), which was given by a natural complication of the aircraft design and a decrease in The number of serial Tu-144s and Concordes built was approximately equal, but unlike the Tu-144, the Anglo-French SPS were in operation, albeit subsidized by the government, almost until the beginning of the 90s. The cost of a ticket on the London - New York route was 2745 USD in 1986. Only very wealthy and busy people could and can afford such expensive flights, for whom the formula "time is money" is the main creed of existence. In the West, there are such people and for them, flying on Concordes is a natural saving of time and money, which is confirmed by the general raid " Concordov" on the tracks in 1989 at 325,000 flight hours. As a result, we can assume that the Concord program for the Anglo-French was quite commercial and, to a certain extent, prestigious in relation to the Americans. In the USSR, there were no rich business people for whom time would turn into money, so that the natural service market that was supposed to satisfy the Tu-144 simply did not exist in the USSR. The aircraft obviously had to become largely subsidized and unprofitable in operation at Aeroflot. Therefore, the Tu-144 development program can to a large extent be attributed to a prestigious program that is poorly supported by the real economic needs of the domestic aviation services market. As a result, on the one hand, the heroic efforts of the A.N. Tupolev Design Bureau, other enterprises, organizations of the MAP, to develop the Tu-144, on the other hand, the initial unprofessional emotional upsurge and support from those in power, which gradually turned into indifference as the program dragged on, and to a large extent, deceleration on the part of the management of Aeroflot, which, by and large, simply did not need a low-income headache with the development of the most complex Tu-144 complex. Therefore, in the early 80s, when the features of the coming economic and political crisis began to clearly appear in the USSR, and the Soviet leadership began to try to bring some savings (these good intentions did not concern military programs), the Tu-144 program was one of the first to suffer. The creation and refinement of the Tu-144 has become the largest and most complex program in the history of the Soviet aircraft industry. As a result of long-term work, it was possible to create an aircraft of the highest world class, which, in terms of its main flight performance, is not inferior to the corresponding aircraft created in the West.

Although active work on the Tu-144 was practically curtailed in the early 1980s, the direction for the creation of a domestic supersonic passenger aircraft was received in further work by the Design Bureau for the creation of the SPS-2 - the Tu-244 aircraft. In addition to developments in aerodynamics, power plant, control system, etc., for work on the SPS-2 topic, in the framework of joint work with Western aviation companies, one of the flight copies of the Tu-114D. was converted into a flying laboratory Tu-144LL "Moskva" (4 x NK-321), on which several dozen experimental flights were performed under a joint program aimed at creating in the future an economically and environmentally perfect supersonic passenger aircraft of the 21st century.

Basic data of the serial ATP Tu-144D (according to test results)

• aircraft length without PVD - 64.45 m;

• wingspan - 28.8 m;

• aircraft height - 12.5 m;

• wing area with an influx - 506.35 m 2;

• maximum takeoff weight - 207000 kg;

• the mass of an empty equipped aircraft for the variant for 150 passengers - 99200 kg;

• cruising supersonic speed flight - 2120 km / h;

• practical flight range, with payload:

7 tons (70 pass.) - 6200 km;

11-13 tons (110-130 passengers) - 5500-5700 km;

15 tons (150 pass.) - 5330 km.