Tupolev Tu-124

what is it?

The Tupolev Tu-124 (NATO reporting name: Cookpot) is a 56-passenger short-range twin-jet airliner built in the Soviet Union. It was the Soviet Union's first operational airliner powered by turbofan engines.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 jet engines · low wing · retractable tricycle gear · 25.6 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 970 km/htop speed
• range 2,100 kmwithout refuelling
• seats 56passengers
• size 37.5 tmax take-off weight
• built 165made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 66 years ago, in 1960.
• 🏎️Top speed is 7.5× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 25.6 m: about 6 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 6 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 2,100 km: 12× Amsterdam to Brussels.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.3× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.

spec sheet

first flight

1960-03-29

introduced

1962

retired

1980

status

retired

number built

165

role

short-range jetliner

origin

🇷🇺 Soviet Union

makers

Tupolev, KhAZ

engines

2× Soloviev D-20P / Soloviev D-20

crew

3

passengers

56

length

30.6 m

wingspan

25.6 m

height

8.1 m

max take-off weight

37.5 t

top speed

970 km/h

cruise speed

800 km/h

range

2,100 km

ceiling

11,700 m

wings

low wing

landing gear

retractable tricycle gear

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.