Wings №4576 05.10.2004 (2004)

The Tupolev family, civil aircraft of the Grand Design Bureau.

Civil aviation today is a business where not just more or less successful aircraft designs compete.

For hundreds of billions of dollars in the world market, there is a real economic war between states.

In this war, those who find optimal state decisions win.

The practice of airlines shows the benefits of using aircraft, which, with certain differences, also have much in common, and on this general one can save.

Thus emerged the ideology of "families" of commercial aircraft.

With the completion of the Tu-334 tests, for the first time in the history of Russian aviation a "family" of civilian trunk airplanes - Tu-204 and its modifications, Tu-214 and Tu-334 - appeared.

Now Russia, following "Airbus" and "Boeing" has entered the modern positions.

The example of Aviastar demonstrates the entire process of the birth of modern aircraft from individual parts and assemblies to the finished product.

Also included in the program are the first flight of the first production car Tu-334 and the event that is rare for civil aviation of any country: the flight of three airliners in the flight crew.

Interview: chairman of the interstate aviation committee Tatyana Anodina, commander of the Tu-204C Alexander Kostyuk, test pilot Sergei Pronin, deputy Nikolay Sarayev, chief of the Aviastar-SP factory final assembly plant, Aviastar-SP CEO Avgustar Mikhailov, president of Tupolev Igor Shevchuk, general director of Zurich's international airport Josef Felder.