Tupolev Tu-134
Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise
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Tupolev Tu-134
Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise
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Tupolev Tu-134
Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise
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Tupolev 134
The Tupolev Tu-134 (NATO reporting name Crusty) was a Russian twin-engined
airliner, similar to the American Douglas DC-9.
One of the most used aircraft in the former Warsaw Pact, the number
in active service is lowering because of noise restrictions.
The Tu-134 was meant as a replacement of the Tu-124 which didn't fulfill
the role it was intended for. Seating 70-80 passengers with a range of about
2400 km it was the short-range mainstay of Aeroflot. The first passenger flight
of the type took place from Moscow to Stockholm on September 12, 1967.
It would be the last Tupolev passenger aircraft with a glass nose, and the
later B variant had the radar (which was chin-mounted on the A models) in the
nose. Compared to western short-ranged jet airliners, the Tu-134 had a much
sharper sweepback angle (35 degrees, while most western short-haulers had
sweepbacks between 25 and 28 degrees). Like many other Tupolev aircraft, the
aircraft was fitted with a hefty low-pressure landing gear, retracting into
nacelles extending from the trailing edges of the wings. This allows the
aircraft to operate from unpaved airstrips.
Production variants
All A variants have been built with the distinct glass nose, but some are
modified to the B standard (closed nose):
-Tu-134, glass nosed version, first series seating 70
-Tu-134A, second series, seating 80
-Tu-134A-3, second series, with uprated engines
-Tu-134B, second series, 80 seats and closed nose
-Tu-134B-3, second series, closed nose and uprated engines.
Some of the B models have long-range tanks fitted under the fuselage and
are visible as a prolific bulge.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Tupolev Tu-134".
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