Tupolev Tu-104
The Tupolev Tu -104 (Russian Туполев Ту -104, NATO reporting name Camel ) was after the de Havilland DH 106 Comet, the second jet airliner in the world, with the Tu -104 was larger, aerodynamically advanced and faster. The output plane for the Tu -104 was the bomber Tu - 16th The first flight took place in June 1955 from 1956, the machine was used in line service. By the end of production in 1960 by the Soviet Tupolev OKB Manufacturer little more than 200 aircraft of this type were produced.
For the Soviet Air Force transport aircraft, the Tu -107 was derived from the Tu- 104, but was not included in the inventory of the Air Force.
Development and Construction
For use in passenger traffic of military requirements designed to hull had to be developed. Thus, the body diameter of 2.90 m was increased to 3.40 m, but without the constrictions in the area of engine assembly as the Tu- 16th This resulted in a pressure- ventilated cabin of 16,11 m length, 3.2 m width and 1.95 m height. The cabin is divided by a raised center portion in the region of the wing centerpiece into a front and a rear cabin area. There by the first production aircraft, the galley was installed. The cockpit is for a five-person crew consisting of a pilot, copilot, navigator ( in the glassed Bugkanzel ), radio operator and flight engineer, is designed.
Because of the hull changes the arrangement of the engines had to be changed. The engine nacelles to accommodate the huge for that time Mikulin AM- 3M engines were now integrated into the wings. The engines were housed in the rear of the nacelles. The wing received a wider center piece, but had been otherwise acquired by the Tu -16. The tailplane was now mounted on the rear fuselage, the nose landing gear placed further forward. As a special feature for a passenger aircraft possessed some versions of a braking parachute.
With the registration CCCP - L5400 lifted the prototype on 17 June 1955 controlled by J. I. Alaschejew, from its maiden flight. Already on July 3, 1955, he was presented at the Tuschinoer flyby of the public.
Through the further development of the engines could be the Tu -104 Tupolev OKB -A develop in the winter 1956/57. She had an increased take-off mass and extended to 70 passengers seat capacity. The A version was followed by the Tu- 104B with an extended 1.21 m Hull. This additional increase in payload made it possible once again to increase the passenger capacity to 100 persons (30 front cabin, 15 medium range, 65 rear cabin). End of the 1970s almost all Tu -104 was converted to 104 or 115 seats.
Use
Flight testing of the Tu -104 was relatively easy. In the summer of 1955, Aeroflot began with the crew training on two demilitarized Tu- 16 (also known as Tu- 104G called ). For the first time in the West landed the Tu -104 on 22 March 1956 in London Heathrow in preparation of a Soviet state visit. The visit aroused great interest among Western experts, so as there only the De Havilland Comet was as a passenger aircraft with jet propulsion in use.
On 15 September 1956, the Aeroflot started regular service on the Moscow - Irkutsk with Tu- 104. As of October 12, 1956, the Moscow- Prague was flown with this guy. Until the early 1960s, the Tu -104 was the most important medium-haul aircraft of Aeroflot. The only export customer for the Tu -104 was the Czechoslovak CSA, which acquired in 1957 six copies.
On March 15, 1959 Aeroflot Tu -104 took on the high-traffic route Moscow - Leningrad.
From 1981, the Tu -104 was removed from service by Aeroflot. Some of the machines are to be transferred to the military and were partly rebuilt in the framework of the cosmonaut training to flying trainers for weightlessness. At least one machine to have been used for meteorological research.
The Tu -104 was found to be robust and secure passenger aircraft. Like almost all aircraft at the beginning of the jet age had the Tu- 104 has a high sound pressure level. An extensive building program on the use of airports let the slopes for much longer to be the Tu -104 requirements.
Records
In September 1957, the Tu- 104A set a height record of 20,000 kg payload to 11,221 meters in three days. Furthermore, this aircraft set a speed record of 847.498 km / h to 20,000 kg payload in the traffic pattern. Even with a Tu- 104A a speed record of 970.821 km / h was achieved on a 1,000 - km circuit of 10,000 kg payload.
The Tu104B reached over its predecessor even greater achievements. Thus, a speed record of 1015.86 km / h was set up with this type on a 2,000 - km circuit of 15,000 kg payload. Furthermore, the Tu- 104B managed an altitude record of 12,799 m 25,000 kg payload.
From a Tu- 104B designed for the record flights Tu- 104E was developed. With this version, a speed record of 959.94 km / h have been prepared on a circuit of 15,000 kg payload.
Variants
- Tu- 104: base model, 50 seats
- Tu- 104A: Version with relapsing powerful engines, 70 seats
- , Later upgraded version with 1.21 m lengthened fuselage, 100 seats to 115 seats: Tu- 104B
- Tu- 104D: upgraded Tu- 104A with 85 seats, was later scaled back to A- Standard
- Tu- 104E: Improved version from 1963 with M16 -15 engines. It made two copies, one of which is modified air intakes, a shortened bow, double-slit flaps and slats had. The version came too late for the series production
- Tu- 104G: two upgraded to civilian crew trainers Tu -16 ( no actual Tu- 104)
- Tu- 104W: upgraded Tu- 104A to 116 seats, later scaled back to A- Standard