Tu-144: The first supersonic passenger flight of the Soviet Union (USSR) - 1977

In this report, broadcast in the newspaper Vremia (Tempo) on November 1, 1977, one can follow the first flight of the Tu-144, considered the first supersonic commercial aircraft and, at the same time, the fastest commercial aircraft. In a short interview with the newspaper, general builder Aleksey Andreevich Tupolev reinforces the special character of the event, in honor of the 60th anniversary of the Communist Revolution of October 1977.

However, the aircraft also had its downsides. Although its first flight preceded the rival's first flight, the Tu-144 only inaugurated its use by passengers in November 1977, while the Concorde was introduced to commercial flights on January 21 of that year. The limitations did not stop there, as the engines of the Tu-144 needed to be in "afterburner" for the aircraft to reach its supersonic speed, which reduced the autonomy in relation to the competitor, as well as creating a lot of noise inside the aircraft. They also accuse the project of having benefited from Soviet espionage, although the aircraft has many characteristics of its own, also appropriated by the French, such as the canard wings. The operation of the Soviet aircraft was restricted to the Moscow-Alma Ata route.

As for flight noise, the report euphemistically compares it to flight noise in "sonic equipment". It is not specified whether supersonic or subsonic. The expression "над звуковой техники" (on sonic devices) can still be misleading, as the adjective "надзвуковий" exists in Ukrainian, meaning supersonic, while the correct term in Russian would be "сверхзвуковой" (supersonic).

We have also translated other videos about Soviet aircraft:

Design and construction of the IL-96 and interview with Henry Novozhilov (translated)
https://youtu.be/4vQnnIk9Tho

Completion of the IL-96 Assembly and test flight
https://youtu.be/SzUOjwtmF9A

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Видео Tu-144: The first supersonic passenger flight of the Soviet Union (USSR) - 1977 канала Автоэкспорт СССР