The infamous story of the Transaero airline still rumbles among aviation workers. For twenty-five years, the planes of Russia's only private airline have operated a large number of regular and charter flights. But the fall in Transaero's income did not allow it to continue its activities, and the airline was declared bankrupt.
The former competitor of the national carrier of Russia - Aeroflot, along with foreign Boeings, used modern technology. In the 2000s, the Transaero airline purchased three domestically produced aircraft - the Tu-214, which is an analogue of the American Boeing 757, which by that time had been withdrawn from the company's fleet.
History of Tu-214
The Tu-214 is a modification of the Tu-204. It is capable of operating medium-range flights. The main task for the developed machine was to replace the Tu-154, which was developing its resources. Development began in 1990, and the first flight of the Tu-214 was completed in 1996.
First time inthe manufacture of the "carcass" was used digital computing for the development of hull and wing parts. In the final version, there were about twenty different modifications: cargo model, passenger, VIP modification, and so on.
The Tupolev Design Bureau made a breakthrough in the design of the Tu-214, as there were no analogues of such engine mounting under the wing plane. To reduce the overall weight of the aircraft, the designers used fiberglass and carbon fiber in the manufacture of fuselage parts. The ship's hull was made of large and wide sheets to reduce the number of joints. Since the Tu-154 made a lot of noise when starting the engines, on the Tu-214 model, the moment of sound insulation in the passenger cabin, together with thermal insulation, was worked out more carefully. The main emergency exits in the passenger cabin were designed in the amount of eight pieces.
Characteristics of Tu-214
The Tu-214 liner has an increased takeoff weight - up to 25200 kg, while the flight range is up to 6500 km. The height ceiling reaches 12 thousand meters, while the cruising speed develops up to 850 kilometers / h. The cockpit can accommodate two pilots and one flight engineer.
This is a narrow-body monoplane with two engines. The wings are swept-back and set rather low. The well-thought-out wing design allows this type of aircraft to make a safe landing in the event of a failure of both engines (for example, as in the 2002 incident, due to lack of fuel, the enginesstopped working). The air conditioning system is made so that the air is taken from the engine compressors.
Special caisson tanks are used for refueling, there are seven tanks in total in the liner. Also, the aircraft is equipped with an anti-icing system, and the wings of the Tu-214 are not subject to icing at all, according to the researchers.
Tu-214 operated by Transaero
Transaero operated three Tu-214s, and at the time of purchase, the average age of aircraft was up to 8 years. All sides came with one layout for 184 seats. Salon two-class - business and economy. According to the scheme of the Tu-214 cabin, Transaero allocated 8 seats for lovers of comfort and left 176 for passengers who prefer cheaper flights.
Tu-214 interior has increased legroom and luggage rack capacity. However, the disadvantages of Russian aircraft are the lack of entertainment monitors, in comparison, for example, with a Boeing of a similar model.
Economy class cabin map
In the economy class, according to the scheme of the Transaero Tu-214 cabin, the numbering began with the 21st row and ended with the 51st. The economy cabin itself is divided into three cabins. The first row of the first salon is by far the most ideal due to the lack of a seat in front, toilets and a kitchen counter. The second salon starts from the second emergency doors, the hallmark of this territory is the 25th row, which was intended exclusively for technical personnelcompany.
Toilets for the economy class according to the scheme of the cabin Tu-214 "Transaero" were located at the end of the second salon for 39 next to each other in the amount of two pieces. Therefore, the backs of this row did not recline, and the noise from the queues interfered with the passenger's rest. Also, according to the layout of the Transaero Tu-214 cabin, row 51 had a number of negative features: behind it there was another toilet and a kitchen counter. Rows 40 and 41 (porthole seats) were considered comfortable, since there were no passengers in front of them. And row 40 is generally intended for passengers with small children - fasteners for a baby cradle are installed on the front wall.
Business-class layout
According to the layout of the Transaero Tu-214 cabin, the best seats were in the business class cabin, these are the first and second rows. Eight seats, two on each side of the fuselage. Armchairs with a large step and wide enough.
The toilet was not located next to the partition of the first row, so you could only hear the work of the crew behind the curtain. The economic salon was also separated by a curtain.
