Page 17 - World Airnews Magazine August 2020

NEWS

AN OUTSTANDING

AIRCRAFT DESIGNER

ecently the prominent aircraft de-

Rsigner, chief designer of the Tu-154,
Alexander Shengardt, turned 95 years old.
After graduating from the Moscow

Aviation Technological Institute in 1948,

Alexander Sergeevich has been working at
the renowned OKB A.N. Tupolev for more

than 70 years. He took an active part in the

creation of aircraft: Tu-16, Tu-95, Tu-134,
Tu-155, unmanned aerial vehicles.
Alexander Sergeevich happened to work
with the brilliant aircraft designer Andrei

Nikolaevich Tupolev and his famous stu-
dents, such as: D.S. Markov, S.M. Eger, A.A.
Tupolev, L.L. Selyakov and others.
The talent of the designer and organisa-

tional abilities of A.S. Shengardt were fully re-

vealed when he was appointed Chief Designer all-weather, etc.) made it extremely popu- In 1990, during the difficult period for

of the Tu-154 aircraft in 1975, having worked lar and defined it as the main “air horse”. Russian civil aviation when moving to

in this position for 36 years. The legendary An important creative feature of Alexander work in market conditions, under the

aircraft became the most massive medi- Sergeyevich is the constant search and im- direction of A.S. Shengardt developed

um-range jet aircraft of the USSR civil aviation. provement of the operation methods of his and put into operation the technology of

Regular flights on the Tu-154 opened on aircraft. This applies not only to the Tu-154, maintenance-free technical maintenance

February 9, 1972 with the flight Moscow but also to the Tu-134, whose chief designer of Tu-154 aircraft in specialised centres for

(Vnukovo) - Mineralnye Vody. This was the Alexander Sergeyevich was also a long time. maintenance and repair, which significantly

beginning of an era in the development of Under the guidance of A.S. Shengardt in increased the economic efficiency of the

air transportation in the country. the early 1980s. Tu-154M aircraft with more operation of these aircraft.

The Tu-154 aircraft was produced at the efficient P.A. engines are being created A.S. Shengardt, as the Chief Designer,

aircraft factory in Kuibyshev (Samara) for Soloviev, improved aerodynamics, modern did a lot of work to create the world's first

more than 40 years in 1970-2013, in total avionics, reinforced design, increased flight aircraft on alternative (cryogenic) fuel - the

1,026 aircraft of about 10 modifications range. At that time, it became the most Tu-155 (based on the Tu-154).

were manufactured. economical among domestic jet passenger As the patriarch of the domestic aircraft

aircraft. More than 380 Tu-154M aircraft

Constantly in operation in the 1980s. industry, Alexander Sergeyevich in Russian

There were 400-450 Tu-154 aircraft, which were built, which, without exaggeration, civil aviation enjoys unshakable authority

have become beloved by civilian aviators.

performed almost half the volume of pas- as a talented creator of wonderful aircraft,
senger air transportation in the USSR. The Of great importance for the economy and an owner of in-depth knowledge of

aircraft was based at almost 40 airports, of the industry was the work under the aviation. He is respected not only for the

almost throughout the USSR. guidance of A.S. Shengardt on a substantial highest professionalism, but also sincerely

loved for his sociability, attention to the

Outstanding at that time, the charac- justified increase in the assigned and over-

teristics of the aircraft (speed up to 950 haul resources, calendar terms of operation requests of the operators, wisdom and

km/h, passenger capacity - 150-180 people, of the Tu-154, Tu-134 aircraft. prudence, responsibility and decency. Q
The Tupolev Tu-154 is a three-engine medium-range narrow-body
airliner designed in the mid-1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. A
workhorse of Soviet and (subsequently) Russian airlines for several

decades, it carried half of all passengers flown by Aeroflot and
its subsidiaries, remaining the standard domestic-route airliner

of Russia and former Soviet states until the mid-2000s. It was
exported to 17 non-Russian airlines and used as a head-of-state
transport by the air forces of several countries.
With a cruising speed of 850 kilometres per hour (530 mph)[2]

the Tu-154 is one of the fastest civilian aircraft in use and has a

range of 5,280 kilometres (3,280 mi). Capable of operating from

unpaved and gravel airfields with only basic facilities, it was widely

used in the extreme Arctic conditions of Russia's northern/eastern
regions where other airliners were unable to operate. Originally service until 2016, although noise regulations have restricted

designed for a 45,000-hour service life (18,000 cycles) but capable flights to western Europe and other regions. Information thanks to

of 80,000 hours with upgrades, it was expected to continue in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-154

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