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Description
The Soviet counterpart to the Lockheed Constellation, the turboprop-powered, swept-wing Tupolev Tu-114 Rossiya (Russia) was the world's largest and fastest airliner when it began flying in 1957. It could carry over 220 passengers at 880 kilometers per hour (550 miles per hour) for 11,000 kilometers (6800 miles), which compares favorably with many modern jetliners. The Tu-114 was also very safe and comfortable, apart from the extremely loud engines and counter-rotating propellers. In the 1960s, the Tu-114 was operated on an Aeroflot/JAL joint Moscow-Tokyo service with mixed Soviet and Japanese crews, which ended in 1969 when jetliners began to take over. It was also used on long flights to Siberia, Cuba, and Africa. This plane's military equivalent is the Tu-95 Bear, which is still in use today as the main Russian Air Force bomber.

A model of the first Tu-114, Aeroflot CCCP-L5611, was on display at the Shizuoka Hobby Show. This plane was used by Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev for his visit to the United States of America in 1959, during which the tall landing gear (meant to keep the propellers clear of the ground) put the door out of reach of the stairs at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C. The Soviet leaders therefore had to exit the plane using the onboard emergency escape ladder. Similar embarrassing incidents happened when the Soviet leaders visited London and Paris. Strangely, that same year saw the introduction of the adjustable gangway (jet bridge), which has largely eliminated the potential for this to be repeated. CCCP-L5611 is apparently preserved at the Central Air Force Museum (Monino, Moscow Oblast, Russia), but I am not sure how often that museum is open.

Description
The Soviet counterpart to the Lockheed Constellation, the turboprop-powered, swept-wing Tupolev Tu-114 Rossiya (Russia) was the world's largest and fastest airliner when it began flying in 1957. It could carry over 220 passengers at 880 kilometers per hour (550 miles per hour) for 11,000 kilometers (6800 miles), which compares favorably with many modern jetliners. The Tu-114 was also very safe and comfortable, apart from the extremely loud engines and counter-rotating propellers. In the 1960s, the Tu-114 was operated on an Aeroflot/JAL joint Moscow-Tokyo service with mixed Soviet and Japanese crews, which ended in 1969 when jetliners began to take over. It was also used on long flights to Siberia, Cuba, and Africa. This plane's military equivalent is the Tu-95 Bear, which is still in use today as the main Russian Air Force bomber.

A model of the first Tu-114, Aeroflot CCCP-L5611, was on display at the Shizuoka Hobby Show. This plane was used by Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev for his visit to the United States of America in 1959, during which the tall landing gear (meant to keep the propellers clear of the ground) put the door out of reach of the stairs at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C. The Soviet leaders therefore had to exit the plane using the onboard emergency escape ladder. Similar embarrassing incidents happened when the Soviet leaders visited London and Paris. Strangely, that same year saw the introduction of the adjustable gangway (jet bridge), which has largely eliminated the potential for this to be repeated. CCCP-L5611 is apparently preserved at the Central Air Force Museum (Monino, Moscow Oblast, Russia), but I am not sure how often that museum is open.