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  • This video was made possible by Skillshare, home to over twenty thousand classes that'll

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  • In the fall of 1959, an enormous Soviet aircraft races across the Atlantic.

  • This plane is unlike anything in the west.

  • It's the largest airliner the world has ever seen.

  • And it's driven by four of the most powerful turboprop engines ever built.They can push

  • the plane to nearly 900 km/h, which is faster than some jets.

  • This Soviet airliner is about to make a big impression, because it's headed straight

  • for United States.

  • In the mid-1950's, the Soviet Union got a new leader, Nikita Khrushchev, and he's

  • unlike his predecessors.

  • For one, he's more open to engaging with the West.

  • [Khrushchev] You're a lawyer of Capitalism, I'm a lawyer for Communism. Let's kiss.

  • [Nixon] All that I can say, from the way you talk, and the way you dominate the conversation

  • you would have made a good lawyer yourself.

  • Nearly everyone agrees, Khrushchev is a showman, ready to jump at any opportunity to prove

  • Soviet superiority.

  • And in 1955, the new leader gets a chance to make an impression.

  • Meeting in Geneva, Switzerland for a Cold War summit are the most powerful western nations,

  • and the Soviet Union.

  • As world leaders descend onto Geneva Airport, crowds are watching and cameras are rolling.

  • U.S. President Eisenhower lands in a four engined Super Constellation.

  • A large, state-of-the-art American airliner.

  • And Khrushchev lands in this.

  • A plane half the size of Eisenhower's.

  • And he's mortified by the optics because the Soviet Union and America are supposed

  • to stand toe-to-toe.

  • But small short-range airliners like the IL-14 are really the only type the Soviet Union

  • produces in the early 1950's.

  • And that means that flying across the country's vast territory can take over 24 hours, with

  • multiple stops for refueling, making for a grueling journey.

  • But, there is a Soviet plane available that can already fly these distances direct and

  • in half the time.

  • It's just not an airliner.

  • It's a plane meant to be loaded with bombs, not luggage.

  • But converting this intercontinental bomber into a civil transport will be fastest way

  • get the Soviet Union a new long range airliner.

  • Because the country desperately needs one, and Khrushchev's plans for world visits are

  • expanding by the day

  • Just weeks after the Geneva Summit, the Tupolev Design Bureau is given a directive to convert

  • the TU-95 bomber into a VIP transport.

  • Engineers will remove bombing and protective equipment and shoehorn two small passenger

  • compartments into its narrow fuselage.

  • Khrushchev would access his VIP compartment via a ramp at rear.

  • Lucky, this frankliner wasn't the only plane in the works.

  • Because a second parallel project aimed to turn the bomber into a proper airliner.

  • And to do it, engineers would keep the plane's powerful engines and swept wings,

  • but they'd mount them lower to accommodate a wider fully pressurized fuselage.

  • The airliner would also receive new stabilizers, larger flaps and an entirely new nose gear.

  • And the first prototype was ready in just a little over 2 years.

  • Turns out, starting with a TU-95 strategic bomber, made for a pretty remarkable airliner.

  • The TU-114 holds the distinction of being the fastest propeller driven airliner ever.

  • It could reach an incredible 870 km/h.These jet-like speeds puzzled western observers.

  • The 114's turboprop engines are the most powerful ever to enter service, and they drove

  • the plane's enormous contra-rotating propellers so fast, their tips could reach supersonic.

  • Also jet-like was the airliner's 35 degree wing sweep and a service ceiling

  • of nearly 40,000 feet.

  • And in 1958, this was also the largest airliner, with seating for up to 224 passengers.

  • Not until the Boeing 747 would larger plane take to the skies.

  • But while the 114 was still undergoing testing, Khrushchev got an invitation to visit to the

  • United States.

  • And it would be the first ever by a Soviet Head of State.

  • The Tu-116 converted bomber was ready to make the trip.

  • But touching down in the United States In what was quite obviously still

  • a bomber was one thing.

  • Khrushchev would also have to crawl out the rear-end on a ramp.

  • So he demanded taking the 114.

  • But the airliner wasn't ready.

  • Not only was the 144 still undergoing testing, there were serious flaws like hairline cracks

  • which had formed around the engines.

  • Still, Khrushchev was dead-set on making a grand entrance.

  • On September 15, 1959, Khrushchev's 114 took off from Moscow to begin it's nearly

  • 8,000 km journey to the United States.

  • Most of the trip would take the airliner over the frigid North Atlantic.

  • So precarious was the situation, engineers even tested a mockup of the airliner in a

  • swimming pool just to see how it might float in the Atlantic.

  • Along the way, nearly every available Soviet Navy vessel was put on high alert for any

  • sign of distress.

  • And onboard, a team of engineers holed up inside the 114's lower deck used special

  • monitoring equipment to spot any sign of trouble

  • But despite having to battle 160 km/h head winds over the Atlantic, the 114 performed

  • admirably.

  • [Reporter] An interesting and historic arrival and Andrews Airfield near Washington.

  • The huge TU-114 airliner bringing Mr. Khrushchev on his first visit to the United States.

  • President Eisenhower was there to meet the Soviet Premier.

  • The last time they met was in Geneva, four years ago.

  • Khrushchev got his grand entrance, and the enormous airliner grabbed headlines around

  • the world.

  • By 1961 the 114's development was complete and the plane entered service with Aeroflot.

  • Early versions were equipped with some pretty opulent and rather un-Soviet features.

  • Divided into three-classes ranging from economy, to deluxe, there were large tables, private

  • sleeping cabins and a dining lounge.

  • Early 144's even had a full size kitchen in the lower deck with a dedicated chief.

  • The 114's impressive range opened up Moscow to far flung destinations like Havana, Montreal

  • and Tokyo.

  • But while the plane's maximum speed was comparable to modern jet airliners, the 144's

  • cruising speed was usually more modest to save fuel and increase range.

  • And then there was the noise.

  • This was one of loudest planes ever produced.

  • Its four enormous turboprops would have made jet engines sound like a symphony.

  • And the vibration could cause dinnerware to migrate right off the end of tables.

  • But the 114 stood out for it's reliability and relative efficiency.

  • And it would go on to carry over six million passengers without a single design-related

  • accident, making it quite possibly the safest Soviet airliner ever built.

  • But by the mid-1960's, airports in the west were filled with long range jets, not props.

  • And the Soviet Union's only long range airliner looked dated in comparison.

  • In 1967, a new long range jet-powered soviet airliner entered service.

  • And that meant that the 114 was quickly removed from most international routes and was kept

  • flying mainly within Soviet borders.

  • In total, 32 of these speedy turboprops were built, and they'd serve with Aeroflot for

  • 16 years, until they were finally retired from civilian service in 1977.

  • 3D modelling is a powerful tool.

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  • And you've probably noticed I use it in all my videos.

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  • Because they've got amazing classes that'll get you up to speed in no time.

  • Like Olivar Villar's excellent introductory course on Blender.

  • I'm working through his class to see if Blender can help me take my modelling to the

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