8 Interesting Facts About Tupolev Tu-144

Tupolev Tu-144 was world's first supersonic airplane, which took off first in 1996, even before Concorde.  Find here interesting facts about Tupolev Tu-144 that you would have never heard before

1. Tupolev Tu-144 could fly with maximum speed of 1510 mph (2430 kmh). This is slightly more speed than Concorde.

2. Like Concorde, the Tupolev Tu-144 was also prohibited from flying over certain areas, due to the noise it created.

3. Due to political and economic crisis that were developed in USSR in 1980's the government started saving money and the program to create further Tupolev Tu-144 was also effected.

4. After flying 55 times, in 9 years, the plane got retired from the service.

5. It doesn’t have air-brakes and reverse thruster and relies only on wheels to stop.

6. The plane flew at 52,000 feet, 8000 less than where Concorde flew.

7. Tupolev Tu-144 could carry 58 passengers only per flight, 42 less passengers than Concorde did.

8. There was a lot of cabin noise coming from engines and air conditioners. Passengers could talk to each other with difficulty. Furthermore, noise at back of the plane was unbearable.

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