In the early 60s, it became clear that the USSR needed a supersonic passenger aircraft, because the main jet liner of that time, the Tu-104, flew from Moscow to Khabarovsk with two intermediate landings for refueling. Turboprop Tu-114 performed non-stop flights on this route, but the flight was as much as 14 hours. And a supersonic Tu-144 would cover the distance of 8500 kilometers in 3.5 hours! The Soviet Union needed a new modern supersonic passenger aircraft (SPS) to ensure the growing passenger traffic in the conditions of long transcontinental routes.
However, a detailed analysis and 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. The first supersonic combat heavy aircraft, in terms of their design solutions, basically met the requirements of a relatively short-term supersonic flight. For the ATP, it was required to provide a long cruising flight at speeds of at least two speeds of sound - a Mach number equal to 2 (M \u003d 2). The specifics of the task of transporting passengers additionally required a significant increase in the reliability of the operation of all structural elements of the aircraft, subject to more intensive operation, taking into account the increase in the duration of flights at supersonic modes. Analyzing all possible options for technical solutions, aviation specialists both in the USSR and in the West have come to the firm opinion that an economically effective ATP should be designed as a fundamentally new type of aircraft.
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 flight performance of the ATP, this is a flight at a speed of M \u003d 2 for a range of up to 6500 km with 100-120 passengers, in combination with acceptable take-off and landing data, it was required to significantly improve the aerodynamic quality of the aircraft at cruising flight speeds. It was necessary to solve the issues of stability and controllability of a heavy aircraft during flights in the 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 \u003d 2 was associated with research and ensuring the strength of the structure and airframe assemblies 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.
The aerodynamic appearance of the Tu-144 was determined mainly by obtaining a long flight range in a cruising supersonic mode, subject to obtaining the required stability and controllability characteristics, as well as given take-off and landing characteristics. The aerodynamic quality of the Tu-144 at double the speed of sound was 8.1, on the Concorde it was 7.7, and for most of the supersonic MiGs of the mid-60s of the last century, the AK did not exceed the coefficient equal to 3.4. In the design of the airframe of the first SPS, traditional aluminum alloys were mainly used, 20% of it was made of titanium, which tolerates heating well up to 200 degrees C. The only aircraft in the world in which titanium was also used is SR-71, the famous Blackbird ", An American supersonic reconnaissance aircraft.
TU-144D No. 77115 at MAKS 2015 / Photo (c) Andrey Velichko
Based on the conditions for obtaining the required aerodynamic quality and optimal operating modes of the airframe, systems and airplane assemblies at subsonic and supersonic speeds, we opted for a tailless low-wing design 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 ° and 55 ° for the rear base part. Four TRDDFs were located under the wing. The vertical tail was located along the longitudinal axis of the aircraft. Traditional aluminum alloys were mainly used in the airframe design. The wing was formed from symmetrical profiles and had a complex twist in two directions: longitudinal and transverse. This achieved the best flow around the wing surface in the supersonic mode, in addition, such a twist helped to improve the longitudinal balancing in this mode.
The construction of the first prototype Tu-144 ("044") began in 1965, while the second prototype was being built for static tests. The experienced "044" was originally designed for 98 passengers, later this figure was increased to 120. Accordingly, the estimated take-off weight increased from 130 to 150 tons. The prototype was built in Moscow in the shops of the MMZ "Opyt", 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 experienced "044" was transported to the Zhukovskaya flight test and development base, where, throughout 1968, finishing work and completing the machine with missing systems and units were carried out.
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 AI \u200b\u200bMikoyan Design Bureau and had a wing geometrically and aerodynamically similar to the wing of the experimental "044". In total, two 21-11 aircraft were built, and many test pilots flew them, including those who were to test the Tu-144. The analog aircraft successfully reached a speed of 2500 km / h, the materials of these flights served as the basis for the final refinement of the Tu-144 wing, and also allowed test pilots to prepare for the peculiarities of the behavior of an aircraft with such a wing.
December 31, 1968 - the first flight of the Tu-144 At the end of 1968, the experienced "044" (board number 68001) was ready for the first flight. A crew was assigned to the vehicle, consisting of: the ship's commander - Honored Test Pilot E.V. Yelyan (who then received a Hero of the Soviet Union for the Tu-144); co-pilot - Honored Test Pilot Hero of the Soviet Union M.V. Kozlov; leading test engineer V. N. Benderov and flight engineer Yu. T. Seliverstov. Given the novelty of the aircraft, the Design Bureau took an extraordinary decision: for the first time, it was decided to install ejection crew seats on an experimental passenger aircraft.
During the month, engine races, runs, ground system checks were held. From the beginning of the third decade of December 1968, "044" was in prelaunch readiness, the car and the crew were completely ready for the first flight, during all these ten days there was no weather over the LII airfield, and the experienced Tu-144 remained on the ground. Finally, on the last day of the outgoing 1968, 25 seconds after the start, "044" for the first time took off from the LII airfield runway and quickly gained altitude. The first flight lasted 37 minutes, during the flight the car was accompanied by an analogue plane "21-11". Tu-144 managed to take off two months earlier than its Anglo-French "colleague" - the Concorde liner, which made its first flight on March 2, 1969.
According to the crew, the car proved to be obedient and "flying". The first sortie was attended by A. N. Tupolev, A. A. Tupolev, many heads of the OKB divisions. The first flight of the Tu-144 has become an event of global importance and an important moment in the history of domestic and world aviation. For the first time, a supersonic passenger aircraft took off.
On June 3, 1973, the first production car crashed during a demonstration flight at Le Bourget. The commander, test pilot MV Kozlov, co-pilot VM Molchanov, deputy chief designer VN Benderov, flight engineer AI Dralin, navigator GN Bazhenov, engineer BA Pervukhin were killed. A commission was created to investigate the disaster, in which experts from the USSR and France took part. According to the results of the investigation, the French noted that there was no refusal in the technical part of the aircraft, the cause of the disaster was the presence of unbelted crew members in the cockpit, the sudden appearance of the Mirage aircraft in the field of view of the Tu-144 crew, the presence of a movie camera in the hands of one of the crew members, which in case of a fall, it could jam the control wheel. E.V. Elyan spoke most succinctly and accurately about the Tu-144 disaster at Le Bourget in the 90s: “This disaster is a bitter example of how a confluence of seemingly insignificant negligence, in this case by the French flight control services led to tragic consequences. "
Nevertheless, the Tu-144 began to make regular flights. The first working flight was performed on December 26, 1975 on the Moscow-Alma-Ata route, where the plane transported mail and parcels, and in November 1977, passenger traffic began in the same direction.
The flights were performed by only two aircraft - No. 77108 and No. 77109. Aeroflot pilots flew only as co-pilots, while the crew commanders were always test pilots of the Tupolev Design Bureau. A ticket cost a lot of money at that time - 82 rubles, and for a regular flight Il-18 or Tu-114 on the same route - 48 rubles.
From an economic point of view, after a while it became clear that the operation of the Tu-144 was unprofitable - the supersonic aircraft flew half-empty, and after 7 months the Tu-144 was removed from regular flights. Concorde experienced similar problems: only 14 planes flew from Europe to America, and even expensive tickets could not compensate for the airlines' huge fuel costs. Unlike the Tu-144, the flights of the Concordes were subsidized by the governments of France and Great Britain almost until the beginning of the 90s. The cost of a ticket on the London-New York route in 1986 was 2,745 USD. Only very wealthy people could afford such expensive flights, for whom the "time is money" formula is the main credo of existence. In the West, there were such people and for them flights on the Concordes was a natural saving of time and money, as evidenced by their total flight time on intercontinental routes in 1989 in 325,000 flight hours. Therefore, it can be assumed that the Concorde program for the British and French was sufficiently commercial, and that subsidies were allocated to maintain prestige towards the Americans.
On May 23, 1978, the second Tu-144 crash occurred. An improved prototype of the Tu-144D aircraft (No. 77111), after fuel ignition in the nacelle area of \u200b\u200bthe 3rd power plant due to the destruction of the fuel line, smoke in the cockpit and the crew shutting off two engines, made an emergency landing on a field near the village of Ilyinsky Pogost, not far from the city Yegoryevsk. The crew commander V.D.Popov, co-pilot E.V. Elyan and navigator V.V. Vyazigin were able to leave the plane through the cockpit window. Engineers V.M.Kulesh, V.A.Isaev, V.N.Stolpovsky who were in the cabin left the plane through the front entrance door. Flight engineers O. A. Nikolaev and V. L. Venediktov were trapped in the workplace by structures deformed during landing and died. The deflected nose cone touched the ground first, it worked like a bulldozer knife, entering the ground, turned under the bottom and entered the fuselage. On June 1, 1978 Aeroflot ceased supersonic passenger flights forever.
Subsequently, the Tu-144D was used only for freight traffic between Moscow and Khabarovsk. In total, the Tu-144 made 102 flights under the Aeroflot flag, of which 55 were passenger in which 3,194 passengers were transported.
Photo: Tu-144 board of the USSR-77115 / (c) Baskakov V.D. Later, the Tu-144 made only test flights and several flights in order to establish world records. From 1995 to 1999, one significantly modified Tu-144D (# 77114) called the Tu-144LL was used by the US space agency NASA for high-speed commercial flight research to develop a plan for a new, modern supersonic passenger aircraft. Due to the lack of serviceable engines NK-144 or RD-36-51, NK-32, similar to those used on the Tu-160, were installed on the Tu-144LL, a variety of sensors and control and recording equipment.
In total, 16 Tu-144 aircraft were built, which made a total of 2,556 flights and flew 4,110 hours (among them, most of all, 432 hours, flew 77,144). The construction of four more aircraft was never completed.
Tu-144 board of the USSR-77114 parked at the LII im. Gromova, airfield in Zhukovsky / Photo (c) Andrey Velichko, MAKS 2003 The aircraft that remain in flight do not currently exist. Only the Tu-144LL No. 77114 and Tu-144D No. 77115 boards are almost completely completed with parts and can be restored to flight condition. The board No. 77114, which was used for NASA tests, is stored at the Zhukovsky airfield. TU-144D No. 77115 is also kept at the airfield in Zhukovsky. Once every two years, these machines are shown in a static parking lot during the MAKS international aerospace shows.
| Tu-144 of various modifications | Concorde | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tu-144 ("044") | Tu-144S | Tu-144D | Tu-144LL | ||
| Specifications | |||||
| Crew, people | 4 | 3 | |||
| Length, m | 59,40 | 65,70 | 61,66 | ||
| Height, m | 12,25 | 12,50 | 12,2 | ||
| Wingspan, m | 27,65 | 28,00 | 28,80 | 25,60 | |
| Wing area, m² | 438 | 503 | 507 | 358,6 | |
| Maximum takeoff weight, kg | 180 000 | 195 000 | 207 000 | 203 000 | 185 000 |
| Payload mass, kg | 12 000 | 15 000 | 13 380 | ||
| Fuel weight, kg | 70 000 | 98 000 | 95 000 | 95 680 | |
| Engines | |||||
| amount | 4 | ||||
| NK-144 | NK-144A | RD-36-51A | NK-32-1 | Olympus 593 | |
| Thrust, maximum, kN | 171,6 | 178,0 | 196,1 | 245,0 | 170,0 |
| Supersonic thrust, kN | 127,5 | 147,0 | 137,5 | ||
| Flight characteristics | |||||
| Maximum speed, km / h | 2 443 | 2 500 | 2 285 | 2 500 | 2 330 |
| Cruising speed (supersonic), km / h | 2 300 | 2 200 | 2 120 | 2 300 | 2 150 |
| Landing speed, km / h | 270 | 295 | |||
| Practical range (full load), km | 2 920 | 3 080 | 5 330 | 4 000 | 6 470 |
| Practical ceiling, m | 20 000 | 18 300 | |||
| Takeoff run, m | 2 930 | ||||
| Run length, m | 2 570 | ||||
It is interesting to compare the fate of the Tu-144 and the Anglo-French "Concorde" - vehicles similar in purpose, design and time of creation. First of all, it should be noted that the Concorde was designed mainly for supersonic flights over the uninhabited expanses of the Atlantic Ocean. According to the conditions of sonic boom, this is the choice of lower altitudes for cruising supersonic flight and, as a result, a smaller wing area, a lower take-off weight, a lower required cruising thrust of the power plant and specific fuel consumption.
The Tu-144 was mainly to fly over land, so high flight altitudes and the corresponding parameters of the aircraft, the required thrust of the power plant were required. To this should be added less sophisticated engines. In terms of their specific parameters, the Tu-144 engines approached the "Olympus" only in the latest versions, plus the worst specific parameters of domestic equipment and aircraft units in comparison with Western ones. All these negative initial moments were largely compensated for by the high perfection of the Tu-144 aerodynamics - in terms of the aerodynamic quality obtained during flights in the supersonic cruising mode, the Tu-144 was superior to the Concorde. This was given by the complication of the aircraft design and a decrease in the level of manufacturability in production.
In the USSR, there were no rich business people, so there was no natural market for services that had to satisfy the Tu-144. The aircraft obviously had to become largely subsidized and unprofitable in operation, which is why the program for creating the Tu-144 should be attributed to the concept of the country's prestige. There were no real economic prerequisites for the use of the ATP in the aviation services market of the USSR in the 60-70s of the 20th century. As a result, on the one hand, the heroic efforts of the Design Bureau of A.N. Tupolev and other enterprises and organizations of the Ministry of Aviation Industry for the development of Tu-144, and on the other hand, the initial emotional uplift and support from the country's leadership, which gradually turned into indifference and, to a large extent, slowdown on the part of the management of Aeroflot, which, by and large, simply did not need a marginal headache with the development of the complex Tu-144 complex. Therefore, in the early 80s, when the features of the coming economic and political crisis began to clearly emerge in the USSR, the Tu-144 program was one of the first to suffer.
They say that time heals. Alas, time only erases and destroys from memory. To preserve, and sometimes to return the lost, constant hard work is needed. Today's story is about the volunteers working at the Air Force Museum in Monino, and about their dream of restoring the original appearance of the Tu-144 aircraft with the number USSR-77106.
2015
Volunteering 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's management allowed the volunteers to wash the plane. Almost 50 people 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 has died down, and everything would have returned to square one, if not for the understanding of the value of one of the world's largest aviation museums and a strong desire to prevent a repetition of Khodynka's fate.
These noble motives united dozens of people: the newly-formed organization of volunteers at the Air Force Museum replenished its ranks with specialists with valuable knowledge and disinterested aviation enthusiasts 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 they managed to clean out tons of dirt from the salons of the restored exhibits, to carry out the hauling of chairs, packaging of silica gel and 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, more and more responsible procedures began to be entrusted to volunteers and, in the end, they were allowed to visit the exhibits themselves. 
2015
History of Tu-144 USSR-77106 (No. 04-1)
Tu-144 №04-1 (the first aircraft of the fourth series) was built in Voronezh in 1975. He took off on March 4, the commander of the aircraft - Honored Test Pilot of the USSR, Hero of the Soviet Union AI Voblikov. A director landing approach, an automatic control system, an autothrottle and other units were practiced.
1980
In the winter of that year, without waiting for the end of state tests, operational flights began from Moscow to Alma-Ata. Mixed crews of the MGA, MAP and ZhLiDB of the Tupolev company, employees of airports and ATC services learned to operate a new generation of liners, service it and put it into operation.
The leader of the program was the USSR-77106, which performed the first flight to Alma-Ata on December 26, 1975. Later, another similar board came to his aid. They carried mail, cargo, technical personnel, representatives of the press and employees of numerous related enterprises. Then regular flights began for ordinary passengers, and at 77106 they continued testing to fine-tune the air conditioning systems, the fuel system, etc. In total, the plane flew 582 hours. He finished his career on February 29, 1980, when the crew of G. Voronchenko transferred him to the Air Force Museum in Monino, where he remained forever:
1980
Devastation
Having carried out the first work on the plane 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 cab and the passenger compartment.
Why was the decision difficult? The volunteers saw a spectacle of monstrous devastation. Hunters for non-ferrous metals, and just vandals, raked and plundered everything they could. The cockpit 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 casing was barbarously torn apart in search of the "needed" one, and at first a bunch of wires and plastic hung from the ceiling, making it difficult even to walk through the cabin.
In addition to the man-made disaster, traces of the harmful effects of natural and climatic factors were found everywhere. Over the course of several decades, the glazing has become dull, the foam rubber in the seats has rotted and crumbled. Even worse is the fact that under the layers of artisanally applied paint, foci of corrosion have appeared.
But the eyes are afraid, but the hands are doing. And thanks to the efforts of volunteers, with the support of industry experts, a number of large companies, and without the help of the museum administration, the work began to boil. For a whole year, garbage was removed from the passenger compartment and cabin, washed, cleaned of snow and put at least some order. After that, it was the turn of the restoration work.
Documentation
For a qualified restoration work, it was necessary to learn everything, or almost everything about the aircraft design.
The most valuable technical documentation was found in the museum library. Some of the documents were provided by Aeroflot. 
Letters, connections, contacts
It took almost ten years to eliminate what several vandals had done in a matter of days. Of course, with at least some financial means, many of the work could be carried out on the basis of outsourcing, and not by the efforts of a small volunteer team. But we can only dream of sufficient funding.
Due to the fact that it was impossible to move independently on such a serious and large-scale project as the restoration of a huge jet airliner without professional support and knowledge, a lot of letters were written to organizations that were directly related to the creation of the Tu-144.
The main partner in the Tu-144 77106 was Alexei Nikolaevich Amelyushkin, widely known in narrow circles as the savior and guardian of the last two Tu-144D 77114 and 77115 that survived in Zhukovsky.
Aeroflot rendered great assistance. The airline transferred to the museum a lot of valuable equipment from old decommissioned "carcasses", including much-needed spare parts, interior items for Soviet aircraft, onboard fire extinguishers, tools, etc.
Ladders and ladders
To carry out even the simplest work on an airplane, a set of ladders is required. And in order to organize a visit to the salon during the Open Day, real ladders are needed.
The management of "Yakovlev" presented the museum with two stepladders, one of which was with a platform rise 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 this that it is possible to provide washing of the "roof" and normal access to the mechanism of the front wings.
Airports "Vnukovo" and "Domodedovo" provided assistance to the museum by allocating two decommissioned, but fully repaired and suitable for further use, self-propelled gangways. 
A concrete pocket for the ladder was built on our own for several seasons. 
Now it is possible to provide “civilized” access to the aircraft cabin. 
Chassis
Over the years of exposure, the pressure in the tires of the wheels has practically disappeared and the plane “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 removed 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. 
A large channel was laid under the front support, from under which the concrete slab after the rains began to "float" to the side and threatened to distort the plane, 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 slab. It is possible that in the future you will have to repeat the procedure if necessary. 
Not immediately, but enthusiasts managed to return to the previously postponed issue of wheel restoration. The wheels were changed in due time, but they are far from new. Magnesium discs are gradually eaten by corrosion.
Therefore, the hearths had to be literally cut down with grinders, the flaws were putty, the disks were ground, and then everything was primed with mordant and epoxy primers and prepared for painting.
Now the chassis looks like this: 
2015
2015
They painted the rack themselves. 
2015
Landing lights for the front landing gear were provided by Tupolev. 
Portholes
The glazing of the saloons and the nose for 30 years of parking under the scorching sun has completely lost transparency, dimmed and turned yellow. Each porthole made of the E-2 plexiglass, the latest at that time, intended for operation under conditions of high temperature and high-speed loading, was sanded with subsequent polishing. We 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 became clear what was 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 ripped out everything valuable "with meat". The pilot's seats were also in a miserable condition.
The devices received from partners made it possible to complete the looted dashboards in the cockpit by about 60%. Some of the old stock was found in Zhukovsky from the Tupolevites, and something had to be bought from the hucksters for fabulous money. Despite donations from visitors, 90% of the funds still came from the volunteers' personal money.
The rest of the indicators, indicators and consoles were equipped with green plugs. The sight was not particularly optimistic. It turned out something like this. 
The curved and dented center console body was completely removed, while dismantling half of the aircraft. The volunteers had to master the profession of a tinsmith and a painter. 
However, the result was worth it.
The deformed and unrecoverable handle for opening the window in the cockpit was made using a 3D printer. 
Once, going into the cockpit to check the condition, they discovered the aftermath of another filming on board, which was kindly organized by the museum. An unnamed TV vandal played a pilot. The button on the steering wheel, in the most conspicuous place, was destroyed. Naturally, there is no replacement.
A similar button was found in a radio parts store, and the engraving was done on a CNC milling machine.
They demanded restoration of the pilot's seat. The paint on them peeled off, the leather upholstery was wiped off, the soft parts of the pillow rotted, and the mechanisms seized. 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 components were reassembled, and the public was presented with an impressive structure with leather cushions, folding armrests and embossed covers in the manner of sports cars. 
2010
Especially for vandals and looters, 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 cabins. Since it was impossible to restore the entire huge liner by 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 fix 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 has rotted, scattering on the floor with sticky crumbs, the upholstery has become dirty and saggy, the folding tables have disappeared. 
2005
The blocks of chairs were taken apart and repaired in the hangar in turn, spending almost a fortune from personal funds on this. 
A set of tables for the "luxury" was found at the Tupolev firm, but they promised to make new ones from scratch. 
2015
The original anti-makasars (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 cabins was cleaned with a carpet, and the excess carpets 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 has been preserved except for details: the foam rubber of the seats has completely rotted, and most of the numbering consoles were broken. 
Whole panels went to complete the first and second salons, and the rest were broken down.
One of the small private companies agreed to grind the mold and stamp a batch of parts to replace those broken at cost, the bill was paid by the museum.
The epic of fitting and installing new panels dragged on for three years. It was necessary to cut some holes that could not be cast, divide the parts into left and right sides, putty the sinks, adjust in place, prime, paint and assemble.
Some of the original flight attendant call buttons were lost; they, together with the console covers, had to be replaced with remakes. First, everything was thoroughly degreased, then a thin layer of primer over the plastic and three layers of two-component paint with intermediate drying of each layer. 
In total, about fifty panels were made.
It turned out like living. 
2015
Filling 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 equipped! 
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 reclining chair was left in its original form, so that you can compare how everything looked before restoration. 
2015
Nose part
From the very beginning of the restoration, there was a desire to bring the aircraft into a more spectacular landing configuration with a lowered nose and extended wings. After lengthy work on flushing, 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 released and retracted, locked, limit switches are triggered in a timely manner and the motors are turned off. 
2015
The work does not stop
From month to month the plane is changing, and the changes are visible everywhere. Only for the last year the operability of the sensors of the air temperature indicators in the cabins has been restored. Work has begun on the installation of a new power distribution board through which the aircraft will be supplied with electricity. 
2015
As in the original, light control will be carried out from the flight attendant dashboards. The modes of 50% and 100% power, as well as an emergency light will be implemented. The latter worked from a 28 Volt network and will eventually be restored to the original, while about half of the bulbs are revived. 
2015
Constant care
During heavy snowfalls, the wing of the Tu-144 with an area of \u200b\u200b500 square meters is covered with a very heavy snow cap. And during the thaw, being saturated with water, a huge mass of snow can disturb the alignment and put the plane on its hind legs. Therefore, it is especially important in winter to regularly clean the aircraft from snow. A team of three volunteers armed with shovels spend nearly the entire 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, foci of corrosion inevitably arise, threatening to destroy the liner.
To get rid of the dampness that appears inside the Tu-144 during thaw periods, several hundred kilograms of silica gel were purchased, which the volunteers themselves packed into cotton bags, carefully sewn by the girls from old sheets and pillowcases. The bags are evenly distributed in the cabin on the luggage racks, seat pockets, cupboards and bosoms.
But initial measures to drain the plane did not solve the problem. The weekly heating of the passenger compartment with the MP-85 engine heater, known as "Gorynych", was unable to expel moisture.
Then, at the end of 2013, a project was launched on boomstarter.ru to purchase a special industrial air dryer. and collected the required amount.
For an incomplete 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 by face
After a flight to Monino in early 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 Day on May 9, 2009. Both for numerous visitors and for the volunteers themselves, this day was doubly festive - victory over oblivion and destruction was won.
The fully equipped cockpit greeted visitors with the hum of a fan over the dashboard, the ticking of an aircraft clock and the light of bulbs. The guests were able to see the "luxury" salon and the second salon, where the upholstery on the armchairs was pulled just before the holidays.
There is a desire to make a full-fledged exposition, which would allow one to plunge into the era of large, fast-moving cars and conquer "space and space". First, they made a poster that attracted the attention of visitors. Almost no one passed by, watched, read, took an interest.
There are plans to make information boards with the history of the aircraft and the history of the restoration process.
In addition, there is a collection (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 uniforms from the late 1960s - early 1980s, as well as uniform hats, shoulder straps and insignia, buttons, air tickets, luggage tags, labels, on-board utensils, you can donate them to volunteers to replenish the exposition. Also useful will be "lifetime" photos of the Tu-144, especially the side of the USSR-77106.
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. On the other hand, the condition of the paintwork over the years of being parked 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 by hand. 
However, this cannot continue indefinitely - the aircraft needs a full-scale restoration of the paintwork.
It will require scaffolding, full sanding of the old paint, applying a mordant primer, then fresh primer and painting.\u003e
Taking into account the previously carried out work on the cockpit, saloons, chassis and windows, there is every chance to bring the exhibit to a good world level - no worse than in the German Sinsheim. However, if the previous work could be financed mainly on their own, now the issue price is at least 3 million rubles, and then, in pre-crisis prices.
Help Wanted!
The only driver 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 the territory of which the museum is located - to allocate funds for the work. However, so far, appeals to officials have not yielded results.
Instead of an afterword
Ten years ago, a group of enthusiasts took up a huge undertaking - the preservation for history of the unique Tu-144 aircraft stored in Monino, Moscow Region, on the territory of the Central Museum of the Air Force. Those were difficult years, but a team of like-minded people was able to go through all the tests 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 liners of the 20th century.
Everyone can provide all possible assistance to the cause, both with personal participation and with a monetary donation. Even a small translation will help to restore the 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
Many Western experts have seen Tu 144 English-French copy only Concorde, but the Soviet liner is heavier, much more powerful and faster. The aircraft, manufactured in the Soviet Union, surpassed similar developments in a number of technical aspects, which were still at the design stage in the West.
The history of the creation of the Tu 144
Not commercial considerations or the experience of international airlines, but the vast expanses of the Soviet Union became the rationale for the emergence Tu 144... It has been estimated that each flight creates an average of 24.9 hours of time savings, which is important for passengers such as doctors, scientists and officers. Only supersonic airliners could increase this savings to 36 hours. This gave rise to the production of 75 aircraft.
The order was entrusted to the OKB department, which was headed by A.A. Tupolev in July 1963. In the OKB N.D. Kuznetsov developed a new NK-144 engine, made of high-strength materials that withstand high temperatures and equipped with an afterburner chamber with an adjustable nozzle.
In the Mikoyan Design Bureau on the basis MiG-21 built A-144 - flying analog Tu-144, the wing of which is a smaller copy of the wing of a supersonic liner. Test flights on the analogue confirmed that the new machine can do without horizontal tail.
On the last day of the outgoing 1968, accompanied by an analogue plane A-144 first prototype took off for the first time Tu-144 - much earlier than Concorde... The crew - test pilots E. Elyan and right-wing pilot M. Kozlov, engineer Yu. Seliverstov and head of flight tests V. Benderov.
On June 5, 1969 the speed M \u003d 1 was exceeded. At the end of May 1970, they reached a speed of M \u003d 2 at an altitude of 16300 m.
Finally, the car reached a speed of M \u003d 2.4 at an estimated cruising speed of M \u003d 2.35 (2500 km / h). Of course, this prototype is far from the passenger car, since the interior of the cabin was filled with test equipment, and the crew members sat in ejection seats under the ejection hatches.
After the demonstration Tu-144 at Sheremetyevo on May 21, 1970, nothing was heard about this project until the appearance of the first production aircraft in 1973. To the surprise of many, the plane was almost completely redesigned.
Description of the design of the aircraft Tu 144
Aerodynamic design Tu-144 - this is a low-wing plane without horizontal tail, the keel with the rudder was located along the axis of the aircraft, the engines were installed below the wing, the landing gear was two main struts with four wheels each and one two-wheeled front one.
The new wing had leading edges formed by two straight lines with trapezoidal tips, in addition, it received a pronounced twist and curvature with curved leading and trailing edges, especially at the tips. Wing area expanded to 438 m2 ... Elevons with a redesigned control system were extended to the tips and modified.
In the wing structure, titanium alloys were used in a large volume, the area of \u200b\u200bthe honeycomb skin and stiffeners was increased, and there were more welds instead of riveted ones. The fuselage was lengthened by 6.3 m.
The power plant was completely reconstructed, the left and right engine nacelles (two engines in each) were spread apart. Redesigned air intakes, changing their profile. The engines were shifted to the tail of the car, so that the nozzles protruded beyond the wing edge.
The front landing gear was lengthened and moved 9.6 m to the bow, with retraction forward into a leaky niche. The main landing gear was converted into eight-wheeled bogies, attached to the trusses in the engine nacelles and retractable forward with a turn of 900 between the ducts of the air intakes.
A completely new and most noticeable element was the addition of a retractable VGO (front horizontal tail) of high lift. This foldable wing was attached to the top of the fuselage behind the cockpit.
The wing caissons contain the bulk of the fuel, and in the tail part of the hull there is a balancing tank used to pump fuel into it from the remaining tanks to eliminate a strong centering shift during the transition from subsonic to supersonic speed and vice versa.
Have Tu-144 a characteristic difference is the glazed lowered nose of the hull, which provides visibility to pilots at high angles of attack of the takeoff and landing mode, which is inherent in a wing with a low aspect ratio. This descending part does not in any way violate the tightness of the crew compartment, but the interface with the fuselage skin is made in such a way that the smoothness of the joint is preserved.
The cockpit housed three crew members, two pilots in front, a flight engineer slightly behind them. The onboard computer and the autopilot maintained the specified flight parameters, the display showed the position of the aircraft and the remaining distance to the point of arrival. Automatics started the plane for the landing glide path in adverse weather conditions day and night.
Three cabins of the liner freely accommodated 150 passengers. The luggage compartment was located in the tail of the aircraft, the passage between the seats is free, 1.93 meters high.
Flight characteristics of aircraft Tu 144
- Wingspan - 28.8 m.
- The length of the aircraft is 64.45 m.
- The height of the aircraft is 12.5 m.
- Wing area - 506.35 m2 .
- The weight of an empty aircraft (variant 150 passengers) is 99.2 tons.
- Maximum takeoff weight - 207 tons.
- Supersonic cruising speed - 2120 km / h.
- Range with payload: 7 tons (70 pass) - 6200 km.
11 - 13 t. (110 - 130 passengers) - 5500 - 5700 km.
15 t. (150 passengers) - 5330 km
Interesting facts about the Tu-144
Interesting solution for Tu-144 - this is the use of the front horizontal tail during takeoff and landing. The release of the PGO and the part of the hull deflected in front was allowed to reduce the landing speed to normal.
Engines Tu144 there was no reverse - this was compensated by powerful cooling fans for the chassis and a brake parachute.
Two sad facts, in France on June 3, 1973 at an air show there was a dangerous rapprochement of the liner with the Mirage fighter. Performing a collision avoidance maneuver too abruptly Tu-144 fell into residential areas. The crew members were killed and 8 people with them in the city, 25 residents were injured.
During regular tests on May 23, 1978, a fire broke out in the fuel supply system. The pilots had to land on the first field that turned up, two crew members were squeezed by fragments of the aircraft structure and they could not be saved, the remaining six people survived, the aircraft completely burned down.
Tu-144 became the first passenger liner to reach supersonic speed.
Fatal flaw Tu-144 there was an incessant noise in the passenger compartment during supersonic cooling of the air conditioning system.
High top speed Tu-144 Unlike "Concorde", was an undeniable factor for its use as NASA's flying laboratory.
Video: takeoff of Tu 144
On December 31, 1968, an experimental supersonic aircraft Tu-144 (tail number USSR-68001) made its first flight. Tu-144 managed to take off two months earlier than its Anglo-French competitor, the Concorde liner, which made its maiden flight on March 2, 1969.
Tu-144 is a supersonic passenger aircraft developed in the 1960s by the design bureau of Andrey Tupolev (now OJSC Tupolev, part of the United Aircraft Corporation).
Research into the creation of a supersonic passenger aircraft (SPS) began in the late 1950s in the United States, England and France. In the early 1960s, the first draft designs of the ATP appeared. This was the reason for the development of a similar aircraft in the USSR. On July 16, 1963, the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR issued a decree "On the creation of the design bureau of A.N. Tupolev ATP Tu-144 with four jet engines and on the construction of a batch of such aircraft." Alexey Tupolev (since 1973 Boris Gantsevsky, since 1979 - Valentin Bliznyuk) was appointed the leading designer of the aircraft. The general management was carried out by Andrey Tupolev. The development of the engine was entrusted to the design bureau of Nikolai Kuznetsov.
While working on the project, the developers had to face a number of complex technical problems: aerodynamics, kinetic heating, elastic and thermal deformations of the structure, new lubricants and sealing materials, new life support systems for passengers and crew. The development of the design and aerodynamics of the wing required a lot of effort (200 variants were investigated in a wind tunnel). The use of titanium alloys in the design required the creation of new machine tools and welding machines. These problems, together with the Andrei Tupolev Design Bureau, were solved by specialists from the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI), the Central Institute of Aviation Motors (TsIAM), the Siberian Research Institute of Aviation (SibNIA) and other organizations. Since 1965, regular consultations were held with the designers of the French company Aerospatial, which developed the Concorde ATP. During the preparation of working drawings from the OKB of Oleg Antonov and Sergey Ilyushin, more than 1000 specialists were seconded. When designing the aircraft, two MiG-21I analog aircraft were used as a working model (now one of them is kept in the Air Force Museum in Monino).
In July 1965, the preliminary design of the Tu-144 was ready. In the same year, a model of an aircraft with a wingspan of about two meters was exhibited at the Le Bourget Air Show (France). On June 22, 1966, a full-size model of the aircraft was approved. In parallel with the design in the experimental production of the OKB in Zhukovsky, two prototypes were being manufactured (for flight and for static tests). Voronezh and Kuibyshev aircraft factories also took part in their manufacture.
On December 31, 1968, the crew led by test pilot Eduard Yelyan took it into the air for the first time. On June 5, 1969, the speed of sound was reached on the prototype, and on June 26, 1970, it exceeded it twice. For testing the Tu-144, Eduard Elyan was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Simultaneously with flight tests, studies were carried out at 80 ground test benches, on which all the most important structural and layout solutions were worked out. With the help of these stands, for the first time in the USSR, a comprehensive system for assessing failures, taking into account their consequences, was developed. State tests continued until May 15, 1977. On October 29, 1977, the aircraft received a certificate of airworthiness (for the first time in the USSR).
The Tu-144 was first shown at an aviation festival at Sheremetyevo airport on May 21, 1970. In the summer of 1971, pilot operation of the prototype began at Aeroflot. Flights were made from Moscow to Prague (Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic), Berlin (GDR, now the Federal Republic of Germany), Warsaw (Poland), Sofia (Bulgaria). In 1972, the Tu-144 was demonstrated at air shows in Hanover (Germany) and Budapest (Hungary).
The first serial Tu-144 was assembled in the spring of 1971 in Zhukovsky. In 1972, production began at the Voronezh aircraft plant. A total of 16 aircraft were built. Another one remained unfinished. The production aircraft differed from the prototype by an increased fuselage length of 5.7 meters, a slightly modified wing shape and the presence of retractable front wings. The number of seats for passengers increased from 120 to 140. The first flight of the serial aircraft took place on September 20, 1972 on the route Moscow - Tashkent - Moscow. In March 1975, a high-speed airline Moscow - Alma-Ata was opened (mail and cargo were transported). On October 20, 1977, the first flight with passengers was performed.
Tu-144 is an all-metal low-wing aircraft made according to the tailless design. The wing of the aircraft is triangular, low aspect ratio, has a variable sweep angle (76 ° at the root and 57 ° at the ends of the wing). The wing skin is made of solid aluminum alloy plates. Along the entire trailing edge are elevons made of titanium alloys. Elevons and rudders are deflected using irreversible boosters (an auxiliary device to increase the force and speed of the main mechanism).
The aircraft has four turbojet bypass engines with an afterburner NK-144A designed by Nikolai Kuznetsov's design bureau (on Tu-144D - non-afterburning RD-36-51A designed by Petr Kolesov’s OKB-36), which are located close to each other under the wing. Each engine has its own separate air intake. The air intakes are grouped in pairs.
The bulk of the fuel is located in 18 wing tanks. A balancing tank is installed at the rear of the fuselage. In flight, fuel was pumped into it to shift the center of mass during the transition from subsonic to supersonic speed.
The aircraft has a tricycle landing gear with a nose strut. The main supports have a two-axle eight-wheeled bogie. All wheels are equipped with brakes. The supports are retracted forward along the flight into the niches between the air intake channels.
The cockpit is inscribed in the contours of the fuselage and does not have the usual protruding canopy. Therefore, the forward unpressurized part of the fuselage with radar and antenna systems during takeoff and landing is deflected downward, opening the windshield of the cockpit for visual review. To improve the take-off and landing characteristics, the forward horizontal tail, retractable in flight, was used.
To improve the reliability of the aircraft, a fourfold redundancy of all major systems was applied. An onboard electronic computer was used to control the aircraft. The landing approach could be carried out automatically at any time of the day and in any weather. For the first time in the USSR, on the Tu-144, an automatic system for monitoring the technical condition of onboard systems was used, which made it possible to reduce the labor intensity of maintenance. Luggage on the plane was placed in containers in the luggage compartments.
Basic technical data of the serial SPS Tu-144D:
The length of the aircraft without LDPE is 64.45 m;
Wingspan - 28.8 m;
Aircraft height - 12.5 m;
Wing area with an influx - 506.35 sq. m;
Maximum takeoff weight - 207,000 kg;
The empty weight of the equipped aircraft for the variant for 150 passengers is 99200 kg;
Cruising supersonic flight speed - 2120 km / h;
Practical flight range, with payload:
7 tons (70 passengers) - 6200 km;
11-13 tons (110-130 passengers) - 5500-5700 km;
15 tons (150 passengers) - 5330 km.
Crew - 4 people.
The main disadvantages of the Tu-144 were the high cost of production and operation, increased noise, and it was also not economical and consumed a large amount of fuel.
The creation and development of the Tu-144 became the largest and most complex program in the history of Soviet aircraft construction. As a result of long-term work, it was possible to create an aircraft of the highest world class, which in its main flight and technical characteristics is not inferior to the corresponding aircraft created in the West.
However, fate turned out to be unfair to the unique car. The first major failure was the crash on June 3, 1973, during a demonstration flight at the Le Bourget air show, in which 14 people were killed - six crew members and eight Frenchmen on the ground, 25 were injured.
May 23, 1978 - an improved prototype of the aircraft, the Tu-144D, equipped with improved engines, made an emergency landing near Egoryevsk near Moscow due to a fire caused by the destruction of one of the fuel lines. Two of the seven crew members on board were killed.
On June 1, 1978, Aeroflot's management decided to cancel the Tu-144 passenger flights. In addition to disasters, the fate of the Tu-144 was influenced by its commercial unprofitability.
One of the improved Tu-144Ds was used for some time on the Moscow-Khabarovsk line for the delivery of urgent cargo. In total, the Tu-144 made 102 flights under the Aeroflot flag, of which 55 were passenger.
Until the mid-1990s, Tu-144 aircraft were used for various tests, as well as for studying the ozone layer of the Earth's atmosphere, solar eclipses, and focused sonic boom. The Tu-144 trained cosmonauts undergoing training under the Buran program. In July 1983, 13 world aviation records were set on the Tu-144D.
From 1995 to 1999, one significantly modified Tu-144D (# 77114) called the Tu-144LL was used by the US space agency NASA for high-speed commercial flight research in order to develop a plan for a new, modern supersonic passenger aircraft.
The experience gained during the creation of the Tu-144 was used in the development of the heavy supersonic aircraft Tu-22M and Tu-160.
At the request of the Ministry of Science and the decision of the MAP, several aircraft were installed as exhibits on the territory of the Air Force Museum in Monino, the Civil Aviation Museum in Ulyanovsk, aircraft factories in Voronezh, Kazan and Samara. One aircraft was sold to a private technology museum in Sienheim, Germany.
Several aircraft were melted down in the 1990s.
Two aircraft TU-144LL No. 77114, which was used for NASA tests, and TU-144D No. 77115 are kept at the airfield in Zhukovsky. One of them was exhibited at the MAKS airshows, the last time in 2013.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources
