26th May: Output of plane Tu-144 for supersonic speed of cruise
(Mach=2.02). 15th July: Achievement of the maximal speed of flight with 2,443 km/h
(Mach=2.30).
1971
23-25th May: First foreign flight of plane Tu-144 to Prague. 25th May - 8th June: First demonstration of plane Tu-144 on XXIX Paris
Air Show at Le Bourget Airport. 1st June: First flight of the pre-production aircraft (improved model) of
the plane Tu-144S number 01-1, registered CCCP-77101. 5th June: Demonstration flight of Tu-144 on Paris Air Show at Le Bourget. 13-17th June: Flight of Tu-144 to Berlin (GDR), demonstration of the plane
at “Schönefeld” airport. 17th June: At flight Berlin-Moscow the plane Tu-144 made an emergency landing in
Warsaw (infringement of tightness of fuel system). 19th June: Flight of the plane Tu-144 on the route Warsaw-Moscow. 25th June: Ministry of Aviation Industry (MAP). Decision “About the permission of
the plane for the first flight and carrying out flight tests”. 28th July: The decision of VPK
number 187 authorizes the commission for the achievement of joint state tests on the plane Tu-144 under A.I.
Semenkov's presidency, the first deputy minister of civil aircraft. July: Beginning of factory and joint tests on plane Tu-144 (to these tests there
has been also subject the pre-production model of the plane). 6-14th September: Flight of Tu-144 on the route Moscow-Sofia-Moscow. For the first
time a foreign flight was carried out on supersonic speed (time of flight 1 hour 19 minutes and 1 hour 11 minutes,
respectively).
20th March: First flight of the serial plane Tu-144S number 01-2,
registered CCCP-77102, manufactured at VASO.
Connection of the plane to the program of tests flights. 19th April - 1st May: Flight of Tu-144 to Hannover, demonstration of the plane on the
Airshow. 20th September: Flight of the plane Tu-144S number 01-1 on the
route Moscow-Tashkent-Moscow. First demonstration of the improved model outside of Zhukovsky airfield. 30th September - 5th October: Flight of Tu-144 to Budapest, demonstration of the plane
for airline “Malév”. 23th December: The General Designer Andrei
Nikolayevich Tupolev dies at the age of eigthy-four.
23rd April: Demonstration flight of plane Tu-144S, registered CCCP-77102,
with representatives of mass-media onboard (press, radio and TV) on the closed route Moscow-Volgograd-Moscow at supersonic
speed. Onboard the plane were and answered questions of journalists the General designer A.A. Tupolev, the leading engineer
of tests flight V.N. Benderov, the deputy main designer J.N. Popov and others. 27th April: Final flight of the skilled plane Tu-144 number 00-1, registered
CCCP-68001, end of the program of tests flights of the skilled plane. 23rd May: Flight of plane Tu-144S, registered CCCP-77102, to Paris
for participation in XXX Air Show at Le Bourget Airport. 2nd June: First demonstration flight of Tu-144S at Le Bourget. 3rd June: The second demonstration flight of Tu-144S at Le Bourget ends in
accident. Temporary stop of the flight tests of the planes Tu-144S. 26th November: Decision of Board MAP “About renewal of tests on planes Tu-144S (after accident
03/06/73) and carrying out of necessary actions”. 13th December: First flight of the plane Tu-144S number 02-1, registered
CCCP-77103. Connection of the plane to the program of tests flights. 1973-1974: Development and transfer to the serial factory of the changed engineering
specifications on the design and systems of the plane in connection with the accident of 03/06/73. All the changes
were completely introduced from the plane number 05-1.
14th June: First flight of the plane Tu-144S number 02-2,
registered CCCP-77104. 26th June: The Governmental Order number 533-186 of the Ministry of Aviation Industry (MAP)
undertakes to provide necessary works for the beginning of passenger transportation with Tu-144S in 1975. 26th June: Governmental Order number 533-186 “About construction of the improved variant
of plane Tu-144S with engines “RD-36-51A” and delivery of such planes to the MGA”. 4-5th September: Flight of the Tu-144S on the route Moscow-Kiev-Moscow. 5th September: Demonstration flight of the Tu-144S at Kiev-Borispol Airport. 7th October: Flight of the Tu-144S on the route Moscow-Baku. 8th October: Flight of the Tu-144S on the route Baku-Tashkent-Baku. 9th October: Flight of the Tu-144S on the route Baku-Moscow. 28th November: The decision of Board MGA number 31 entrusted to MVK, NLGS of the USSR and
to the State Aviaregister of the USSR to develop and present by May 1st, 1975 on the statement “Norms of the validity of
flight SGS”, for maintenance of the certification of plane Tu-144S. 30th November: First flight of the plane Tu-144S number 03-1,
registered CCCP-77105. This aircraft was modified to Tu-144D model when was reequipped in 1976
with engines “RD-36-51A”.
6th February: Flight of the Tu-144S on the route Moscow-Tashkent-Moscow. 4th March: First flight of the plane Tu-144S number 04-1,
registered CCCP-77106. 28th March: MAP, MGA and GAR authorize “The complex program of the state tests for the plane
Tu-144S (number 1339)”. 31st March - 7th April: Ministers AP (P.V. Dementyev) and CA (B.P. Bugayev) authorize the
decision «About the order of introduction in operation on lines MGA of the plane Tu-144S with engines NK-144». The decision
included: the order and the organization of joint state tests, the technical description of the plane and regulations about
the temporary procedure of the validity of flight. 6th May: Is authorized the certificate for the state tests bench of the engine NK-144A. 28th May - 9th June: Flight of plane Tu-144S, registered CCCP-77144,
to Paris for participation in XXXI Air Show at Le Bourget Airport. 9th July: Ministers AP and CA authorize “Plan-schedule of carrying out the state tests of
the plane Tu-144S”. 20th August: First flight of plane Tu-144S number 05-1, registered
CCCP-77107. 11th September: There have come into force “Temporary procedure of the validity of flight
for supersonic civil planes of the USSR (VNLGSS)”. 8th December: Decision of VPK (instead of
the decision from 28/07/71 number 187) is approved the new structure of the commission for carrying out joint state tests
of the plane Tu-144S under I.S. Razumovsky's presidency - the deputy minister of civil aircraft. 10th December: Ministers AP and CA approve the decision “About the beginning and the order of
carrying out operational flights by the plane Tu-144S”. 12th December: First flight of plane Tu-144S number 04-2, registered
CCCP-77108, the serial sample of passenger transportations. 26th December: Beginning of operational flights of the plane Tu-144S number 04-1
with the transport of mail and cargoes on MGA line Moscow - Alma-Ata.
29th April: First flight of plane Tu-144S number 05-2, registered
CCCP-77109, intended for passenger transportations. 5th June: Aircraft number 03-1, registered CCCP-77105
and converted to Tu-144D model when was re-equipped with engines “RD-36-51A”, performs the longest flight of a Tu-144 with a distance of 6,200 km
and a payload of 5 tons. 19th August - 7th September: MAP, MGA and GAR authorize “Program of operational tests of planes Tu-144S
on lines MGA”. 28th November: The decision of VPK number 312 sets
the construction at the serial factory VASO of a set of 6 planes Tu-144D with
engines “RD-36-51A”. 1976-1977: Development and transfer to the serial factory VASO
of the technical documentation that sets the changes in the design and systems of plane Tu-144D in comparison with plane Tu-144S.
February: The mock-up of the cabin of crew and the systems of plane Tu-144D, distinct from the plane
Tu-144S with engines NK-144, is taken to the commission. 14th February: First flight of plane Tu-144S number 06-1, registered
CCCP-77110, intended for passenger transportations. Last serial plane Tu-144S with engines NK-144A. 17-24th March: Is approved by Ministers AP and CA (P.V. Dementyev, B.P. Bugayev) “Plan-schedule of
carrying out the state tests of the plane Tu-144D”. 15th May: End of the state tests of planes Tu-144S with engines NK-144A. 19th August: MAP, MGA, GAR have ratified the decision “About the order of performance of the program
of operational tests of the plane Tu-144S in lines MGA”. 13th September: Ministers AP and CA approve “Certificate according to the results of the common state
tests of the plane Tu-144S with the engines NK-144”. 13th September: Order of ministers AP and CA number 149-223 “About carrying out of operational tests of
the plane Tu-144S with engines NK-144. By this order was confirmed the commission MAP-MGA for the accomplishment of the tests of exploitation
of the plane Tu-144S under the presidency of B.D. Grubija, the vice-minister CA. 24th September - 22nd October: Carrying out of operational tests of the plane Tu-144S. 30th September: The State Aviaregister of the USSR has given out the temporary certificate of the validity of
flight (number 02A-004) for the plane Tu-144S with engines NK-144. 25th October: Ministers AP and CA approve “Certificate according to the results of operational tests of the
plane Tu-144S with engines NK-144”. 29th October: The State Aviaregister of the USSR has given out “The certificate of the validity of flight
for the type of plane Tu-144S with engines NK-144A”. 31st October: Order of ministers AP and CA number 173-269 “About the beginning of passenger transportations
by planes Tu-144S with engines NK-144A on the line Moscow - Alma-Ata”. 1st November: First flight (SU499) of the plane Tu-144S with passengers onboard on the line Moscow - Alma-Ata.
Beginning of regular operations of the plane Tu-144.
18th April - 3rd May: MAP, MGA, GAR have ratified “The decision of the order of carrying out joint state tests
of the plane Tu-144D”. 27th April: First flight of first serial plane Tu-144D number 06-2, registered
CCCP-77111, with engines “RD-36-51A”. 23rd May: Accident of plane Tu-144D number 06-2,
registered CCCP-77111. 30th May: Cancellation of the next flight of the plane Tu-144S (under the instruction of General Designer A.A. Tupolev).
A temporary stop of the operations that turned out to be definitive. 24th August: Order of minister AP number 329 “About the coordination with MGA and the Air Forces the decision about the
order of renewal MGA operations of planes Tu-144S on the line Moscow - Alma-Ata”. 2-14th September: Statement by MAP, MGA, GAR and the Air Forces “Actions to realize on planes Tu-144S numbers
05-2 and 06-1 before the renewal of passenger transportations and recommendations
of the commission about incident of plane Tu-144D number 06-2”. 7th October - 17th March 1979: Decision of MAP, MGA and the Air Forces (number 004-20-78) “About carrying out of
completions of planes Tu-144S numbers 05-2 and 06-1 in maintenance of their further
operation”. 1978-1979: Carrying out in the stage of factory of the tests of flight and certification of the plane Tu-144D with
engines “RD-36-51A”.
19th February: First flight of the plane Tu-144D number 07-1, registered
CCCP-77112. 2nd October: First flight of the plane Tu-144D number 08-1, registered
CCCP-77113.
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