Basil Smith: Tupolev Tu-144

Artist: Basil Smith
1925 -
Nationality: British
Artwork Year: 1984
Image Size: 7 by 6 inches
Overall Size: 10 by 9 inches
Medium: Mixed Media on Hot Press Illustration Board

Since the dawn of powered flight with the Wright Brothers' first manned airplane, there have been tremendous innovations in the field of aircraft design. But perhaps the most impressive of all recent developments is that of the supersonic airplane which is able to travel faster than the speed of sound. The world's first supersonic airliner was the Russian Tupolev Tu-144 which made its historic first flight on December 31, 1968. The Tu-144 is very similar in design to the British Concorde supersonic airliner, but the Russian plane uses turbofan engines rather than the turbojet engines of the Concorde. With a wingspan of over ninety-four feet and an overall length of over 215 feet, the Tu-144 is truly an impressive aircraft. Designed to be used primarily as a passenger airliner, the Tu-144 is capable of providing one of the fastest forms of transportation known to man. The plane, which carries 140 passengers, has a normal cruising speed of Mach 2.2, or just over fourteen hundred miles-per-hour! This remarkable aircraft is also capable of flying at an incredible altitude of 59,000 feet. Since 1975, the Tupolev Tu-144 has been regularly serving remote locations in the Soviet Union.

This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood® Trains & Boats & Planes & More Collection Description Card for the Tupolev TU-144.

Artwork Copyright © 1984 Unicover Corporation. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Images of the Artwork may be watermarked and/or digitally watermarked. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the copyright.

Our Stock Number (SKU): XB09205

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