Developed by the Tupolev Design Bureau in the 60s of the last century, the Tu-154 took a special place in the further development of Soviet aviation. This three-engine jet aircraft is designed for medium-range flights. It was created to replace the outdated Tu-104 model.
In domestic production, it was Tu-154 that became the most massive. It was assembled until 2013. The airliner has become a true legend not only within the Soviet Union, but also around the world.
History of creation
The development of a new aircraft was undertaken by the chief designer of the Tupolev Bureau, S. Jaeger. The foundation was laid in 1963. Salon Tu-154 was to replace passengers with outdated models of salons An-10, Tu-104 and Il-18. The task for the designer was not an easy one: the aircraft should not be inferior in terms of flight and technical characteristics to its rival Boeing-727.
But it all started with the fact that the leadership of Aeroflot of those years put forward new requirements for medium-range aircraft. In the Tu-154, it was proposed to combine the take-off and landing characteristics of the An-10, the ability to develop speed, like the Tu-104, and the ability to fly at distances like the Il-18. That is, the Tu-154 was supposed to replace all three of the above machines on airways.
The first development was released in 1966, and three years later it was exhibited at the Le Bourget air show. According to the reviews of passengers who experienced flight, both on the Tu-104 and Tu-154, the cabin at the second aircraft was more comfortable. In addition, a new-fangled system of automatic pressure control inside the fuselage was installed on board.
Initially, the project had two types: cargo, which could carry up to 25 tons of cargo at a distance of 2700 kilometers, and passenger. After the exhibition in La Bourget, the aircraft was repeatedly refined and passed many air and ground tests. As a result, Aeroflot received its first Tu-154 with a luxury cabin in 1970.
However, at first it was used to transport correspondence, and it was during this period that shortcomings were found in the reliability of some structural parts. Subsequently, they were fixed. The first passengers entered the cabin of the Tu-154 only in 1972.
Salon
The Tu-154 salon was equipped with a convenient air conditioning system, three toilet rooms were installed, and sufficiently spacious luggage racks for hand luggage were placed above the chairs. According to passenger reviews, this type of aircraft was not inferior in comfort to foreign analogues of the 80s of the last century.
The maximum number of passengers that can accommodate the interior of the Tu-154 is 180 people. Armchairs are located on the left and right side. Due to the fact that the Tu-154 went into mass production, then he had a lot of modifications. They differ in capacity and range.
Considering that the Tu-154 was put out of production in 2013, it was replaced by the Tu-204, which is currently the main machine at Red Wings.
Modifications Tu-154
What modifications do the Tu-154 saloon have? The photos clearly show the difference between the improved version of the Tu-154A and Tu-154B, although the main changes have nevertheless occurred in the technical equipment of the sides. For example, the latter received an additional fuel tank and emergency exits in the tail. And the above capacity of 180 people in the condition of a single-class layout touched the modification of the Tu-154B-2.
The most popular modification was the Tu-154M. This is an improved version of the Tu-154B-2. Jet engines were installed on it and avionics were improved, which increased fuel economy and increased flight range.
Interior layout options
In recent years, both single-class and two-class options have been exploited:
- 166 seats, designed only for economy class.
- 134 seats, of which the first 12 belong to the business class, the next 18 - comfort class and 104 seats are reserved for the economy class.
- The most popular layout was a lounge for 131 seats, where the first four rows were occupied by a business class according to the 2 + 2 scheme, and the rest were occupied by the economic class according to the 3 + 3 scheme.
From the photo of the cabin of the Tu-154 aircraft and the reviews of passengers, it can be understood that this aircraft also has its worst and best seats. Let's analyze them using the example of a two-class layout.
Of course, the best seats are business class chairs. They are softer and have a big stride. The cradles are not installed here, that is, the crying of the baby does not interfere with the flight. Less comfortable in the "business" are places located in the fourth row, since most of the aircraft models have toilets and a partition separating the "business" from the "house-keeper" next to them. But on some sides of the toilet in this part is missing.
In the economy class, the fastening system for the cradles is immediately behind the “business” on the fifth row, therefore, in this area, in addition to the toilet, a comfortable flight can be disturbed by children, noise from the queue to the toilet and unpleasant odors. However, the fifth row itself has several advantages: there are no seats in front of it, which means that no one will be able to tilt the seat back onto the passenger's lap.
The most comfortable places, according to reviews, were marked chairs in the 11th and 19th rows. They are located near emergency hatches and there is much more legroom here. The most uncomfortable places are located in the 28th row, since there are toilet rooms next to them, plus the seatbacks here do not recline, since the toilet wall is located behind. In addition, since the engines of the liner are located in the rear, there is much more noise from them.
Specifications
According to technical specifications, the Tu-154 has a length of 47.9 m and a height of 11.4 m. The wingspan is 37.55 m and the vessel is considered a monoplane. The width of the fuselage is 3.8 m.
The maximum flight range has been improved to 3600 kilometers, and the height ceiling, on which the Tu-154 can climb during the flight, is 2200 meters. The maximum speed that the liner can develop is 900 km / h. The number of flight crew members varies depending on the aircraft model, for example, 3 people on the Tu-154M, 5 people on the Tu-154B.
Interesting facts and reviews of passengers
For each model of the aircraft, you can find statistics on how fate ordered it. At the Tu-154, 73 aircraft were completely destroyed after the disaster, about 90 aircraft were cut into scrap metal, and 190 iron birds are still awaiting this fate, a restaurant was opened in one copy, and 24 aircraft turned into museum exhibits. However, about 270 aircraft are still plowing open airspace and more than a hundred of them are in excellent condition.
In just 20 years of production 1025 boards of various modifications were created. And an interesting fact is that the Tu-154 was developed from scratch, and not based on existing military models, as happened with its predecessors.
The Tu-154 also has its own record of range. It was installed on the Moscow-Yakutsk flight and equaled 4800 kilometers.
According to passenger reviews, the aircraft was more than comfortable in the Soviet years, but today almost all salons of operated airplanes look depressing. The disadvantage of the flight is the strong vibration throughout the cabin, coming from the tail engines.
At aviation forums, some passengers speak out for the complete decommissioning of the Tu-154, since they believe that its technical data is very outdated. Many even write that they are afraid to fly on such a "junk". However, it should be borne in mind that the life of any aircraft depends on its timely maintenance, and the better it happens, the longer the machine can serve for the benefit of people.