Tupolev Tu-104: A Soviet Pioneer of Jet-Powered Commercial Aviation

Video from the channel Knowledge Nuggets about Tupolev Tu-104, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 4:02. Language: English. Video type: Documentary.

A short informational piece about the Tupolev Tu-104, one of the first jet airliners in regular commercial service, developed by the Tupolev design bureau at the start of the Cold War.

It was derived from the Tu-16 bomber, with a fuselage redesigned for passengers, a pressurized cabin, and swept wings. It carried between 50 and 100 passengers on medium-haul routes. The prototype flew in 1955 and the aircraft entered service with Aeroflot in 1956, as the world's second commercial jet airliner after the de Havilland Comet.

It greatly cut flight times on domestic and international routes. It had stability and control problems during takeoff and landing, remained in service for more than two decades, and influenced the Tu-124 and Tu-134.