Paris Air Show'65

The XXVII edition of the Paris Air Show in 1965 was the scene selected by the Soviets for the first public appearance of a model of the Tu-144 SST. The model had 122 cm. large and transparent the left side of the fuselage, this was allowing to see the internal configuration in two classes. The symbolic registration of CCCP-65000 was due to the year 1965 of Paris Air Show.

In the next table are the technical specifications assigned by the manufacturer to the aircraft.

Although the technical specifications of the plane were indicating 121 seats, the model was presented accidentally with 126 seats, 9 rows of 4 seats for first class (2+2) and 18 rows of 5 seats for tourist class (2+3). We have to think that the construction process of the prototype had to be very advanced at that time, because the model was very similar to the final shape and features of the aircraft that performed the first flight in the late day of 1968.

Those features were the four engines mounted side by side in a central group under the fuselage with only two separated air intakes, one for every two engines, the shape of the wing and the huge vertical stabilizer. Is highlighted that one of the most significant systems of the first generation of SST, the droop nose, was not installed in this model.

The Soviet delegation at Paris Air Show was the target of the specialized press media present in the fair, trying to discover more info about the plane like number of orders or scheduled date for passenger service.