Until 1991 and privatization, every 4th passenger aircraft on the planet was Soviet. Until 1968 and the appearance of the legendary Boeing-747 passenger airliner, the most spacious passenger aircraft was the Soviet Tu-114 turboprop. At one time, this aircraft also almost became the cause of a diplomatic scandal between the United States and the Soviet Union. The bone of contention was the situation around Cuba in December 1962
So, first of all, you should understand what exactly the famous Soviet aircraft was like. The first flight model of the Tu-114 appeared in 1957. In parallel with its development, the development of the first turbojet passenger aircraft was carried out. However, the fuel consumption of such vehicles was initially significantly higher, and safety was seriously affected. For this reason, even after the appearance of the first production models in the USSR, preference was given to good old turboprop machines, the main drawback of which at that time was perhaps excessive noise.
Serial copies of the Tu-114 were distinguished by a high level of comfort and were able to make 12-hour flights. Moreover, the 114th became the first serial, regularly used scheduled car with a two-story cabin. The aircraft could carry up to 170 passengers. After the appearance of a model with a close-seat interior (as in the economy class), the passenger capacity increased to 220 people. Since 1959, by order of Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, it was the Tu-114 that began to be used for flights of all Soviet official delegations. Regular civilian flights began in 1961.
Overseas partners did not like either the appearance of a new Soviet passenger aircraft, or the growth of Soviet influence in various countries of the world. Therefore, the United States used pressure through diplomatic channels to ban Tu-114 flights to states of interest to them. Officially, the bans were hidden under the guise of a refusal to accept the Tu-114 for technical reasons. A number of airports suddenly refused to accept cars weighing more than 150 tons. The Soviet plane weighed 179 tons. At the same time, in 1962, another round of confrontation between the USSR and the USA on the Cuban issue began. The Americans hoped that the veiled sanctions would interfere with the work of Soviet diplomatic missions.
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However, the Soviets decided to take a chance and sent the Tu-114 on an unprecedented flight for a turbojet aircraft. And all because the United States made it impossible for a legal flight from the USSR to Cuba along the old route through Africa. Then a delegation was sent from the USSR from the Olenegorsk airfield near Murmansk. The passenger plane flew over the Barents Sea, then over the Norwegian Sea, then over the Atlantic Ocean, after which it flew along the east coast of the United States all the way to Cuba. From Olenegorsk to Cuba, the plane flew for 16 hours without landing. The only refueling was near Murmansk, after departure from Moscow.
While moving along the coast of the United States, American controllers tried to prevent the successful completion of the flight, forcing the Tu-114 to drop to 1.5 thousand meters. It was required to do this allegedly due to the fact that other liners were flying in the same corridor with the Soviet aircraft. However, the captain of the Soviet aircraft Nikolai Tskhovrebov refused to do this, referring to the fact that he did not see within 10-12 kilometers of other aircraft, and at an altitude of 1.5 thousand meters, his car will seriously increase consumption fuel. Also, a war veteran and an experienced pilot demanded that American controllers be removed from his route all other aircraft, if any, referring to the movement of the state board USSR. As a result, the plane with the delegation safely reached Cuba.
If you want to know even more interesting things, then you should read about Atomic "Manatee": what is known about the project of a new Russian aircraft carrier.
Source: https://novate.ru/blogs/160422/62736/