Tu-114 Cleat - Development
In the mid 1950s in the Soviet Union there was a need for large passenger aircraft with a range of approximately 10,000 km, which is also to serve as persuasive symbol of Soviet state power in the international arena. Such a plane has been charged with DB-156 AN Tupolev. The level of development of the aviation industry at that time already allows to create passenger and transport aircraft, using turboprop propulsion systems. As is the case with the Tu-104, a new passenger aircraft, it was agreed to on the basis of already disbursed in the production of bombers - Tu-95.
The project began in May 1955. The successful progress of the TU-104, the transfer of serial production of intercontinental bombers Tu-95 enabled Tupolev to start designing based on the last intercontinental passsazhirskogo aircraft, which had been granted to KB aircraft designation "114" and the official Tu-114. At the suggestion of AN Tupolev, now all passenger aircraft developed at the Bureau should have been in the last digit of the code "Quartet".
The workshop design lasted two years. In doing so, designers take into account not only the experience of Tu-16 and Tu-95, and Tu-104. Wing, the main rack chassis, plumage and power plant have been derived from the Tu-95. The design center was changed. Fuselage enlarged diameter was designed anew. A large amount of research on the durability of airframe design. By mid-1957, the factory number 156 was completed production of the first prototype. For the first time he climbed into the sky 15 November, 1957 (crew pilot test AP Yakimova). October 18, at Vnukovo he was shown the participants held in Moscow an international meeting of representatives of communist and workers parties (among them were Ho Chi Minh, P. Togliatti, V. Ulbriht, J. Duclos).
On 12 August 1956 Ordinance 1561-868 from the USSR Council of Ministers, formally requests the DB-156 formulation liner Tu-95P (114). NI Bazenkov was appointed leading designer of the aircraft.
Tu-116 [Tu-114D]
In the 1950s by the efforts of the Tupolev Design Bureau and serial production plant two [or maybe three] TU-95 strategic bombers were converted into aircraft capable to carry small-size governmental delegations of the highest level. All passenger jet airliners developed in the Design Bureau (TU-104, TU-124, TU-134 and TU-154) had a saloon-versions which were produced in small batches and have been operated for many years for special-purpose passenger transportation both in our country and abroad. Main motto of the Tupolev Design Bureau – “Customer’s wish is law to developers and manufactures”. Therefore having worked under quite severe circumstances Tupolev managed to draft and issue large package of required engineering and technological documentation, to prepare production and to modify interiors of a large number of passenger aircraft to meet quite various requirements.
Long-range intercontinental transport aircraft Tupolev Tu-116 took off at the end of 1956. It was actually a former military aircraft Tu-20 without weapons compartment, the rear turret and the tail, fitted with a 24/30-seat passenger cabin. It was used to test the power plant in the civilian application and evaluation of airfields in the intended route. It was followed by one or two similar aircraft. All three were taken under the symbol Aeroflot Tu-114D and used for checking routes and marketing purposes.
The TU-116 (TU-114D) is a long-range passenger aircraft designed for special transportation. It represented a modification of serial TU-95s. The first flight was in the spring 1957. It received a Grand-Prix at the World Exhibition in Brussels in 1958. Both machines were designed for VIP transportation and both were operated until the beginning of the 1990s for transportation in Air Force. Only 2 of this civil version of the Tu-95 were built, CCCP-76462 (cn 6800402) is the only survivor.
Tu-114 Flight Testing
By mid-1957, the first experimental Tu-114 "Russia" turboprop was built and moved into ZHLI and the Design Bureau for testing. Test flights started on November 10, 1957 at Zhukovski airport. The first official flight took place on November 15, 1957, when the crew led by pilot-test AP Yakimovym committed the first flight. This first prototype Tu-114 (CCCP-L5611) went on to establish no less than 32 records for speed, payload, altitude and range.
In 1958, the plant number 18 in Kuybysheve produced a further 2 aircraft. A year later, in 1958, from the Factory Number 18 the first TU-114 and its crew of pilot tests was conducted by test pilot IM Suhomlina, who had extensive experience in the first Tu-95. In the tests was also attended by pilots Test V. Dobrovolsky, IK Vedernikov, navigator Test-KI Malkhasyan, etc.
It received international recognition received even during factory tests: in 1958 it was awarded the "Grand Prix" at the World Exhibitions in Brussels. In the same year the establishment A.N.Tupolev was awarded the Gold Medal of FAI fot the Tu-104 and Tu-114.
In June 1959, the first prototype on display at the air at Le Bourget. After repeated in the U.S., where for 10 days was demonstrated at the airfield Aydl-Uaydl (during which time it was visited by 40,000 people). 15-27 September on the same plane USA visited the Soviet government delegation led by NS Khrushchev. Then was fulfilled a number of long-distance flights abroad.
Factory test lasted until 31 October 1959. From 15 January to 22 July 1960 in Research Institute of the Air Force passed the state test. Series production at the plant organized number 18. In October 1960, in GosNII GVF began running tests on several machines, lasted until March 1961. The results of these tests subjected to numerous patches. As a result, at the beginning of the passenger traffic designers managed to solve all major problems.
It took three years for various kinds of fine-tuning and a large amount of testing. Finally, in July 1960, state tests of serial Tu-114 had been completed. From October 1960 to March 1961 TU-114 passed performance tests. On 24 April 1961 occurred the first passenger flight en route from Moscow to Khabarovsk, Tu-114 went out on the track Aeroflot, becoming for many years, his flagship. The transcontinental carrier of nuclear weapons Tu-95 and its modifications were mass produced at the Aviacor Samara Aviation Plant. In 1958 production of passenger long-distance-flight aircraft Tu-114 (the first domestically-produced transatlantic air carrier) was initiated at the Aviacor factory. At the factory serial number 18 in Kuybysheve starting in 1959, turned full-scale production of the aircraft. A total of 31 series aircraft were built by 1965. The plane was manufactured in two versions - at 170 and 200 passenger seats.
