guys,

if you go to the following link and read the text beneeth this picture: http://www.airliners.net/open.file/489475/M/

you can probably answer my two questions:

1. if this is a Tu-144, why are there no canards visible? is it possible that they are folded (http://www.airliners.net/open.file/489475/M/)

2. this photo is taken at the Paris Airshow, but didn't the Tu-144 crashed there? the text says the plane is now stored somewhere in Russia...?

The canards are definately folded. I seem to remember they were very straight so would not have been practicable in supersonic flight, and folded backwards behind the cockpit. The crash at le Bourget was in '72 or '73 I think so this was obviously a later visit, although I didn't realise that the 144 had come back west after the crash.

Charlie

Definetly a Tu-144, look at the wheels.

The canards fold back on top of the fuselage. you can't see them from the underside at that angle.

if you seach on Reg number, there is a ladning photo where you can see the canards deployed.

the whole production list:
SSSR-68001 First flying prototype. First flight 31 December 1968. This one is radically different from the other versions and was equipped with ejetion seats. photo different tail, different cabin windows, no candards and nose seems to be fixed position

-77102 Crashed at the Paris Air Show, 3 June 1973.

-77103 Unknown.

-77104 Never wore this registration and was instead re-registered SSSR-77144 and used for exhibition flights. Fate unknown.

-77105 On the Zhukovsky Air Base scrap heap (anyone seen 'the dump'? very interesting indeed). Modified for new engines (RD-36-51A and hence became Tu-144D).

-77106 In the Monino Museum, 29 February 1980.

-77107 Museum in Kazan (I didn't see it when I was there?!?!), 29 March 1985.

-77108 Museum in Samara, 27 August 1987. One of two aircraft to operate the Moscow-DME to Almaty passenger service.

-77109 Stored at VASO (Voronezh Aircraft Construciton Organisation). One of two aircraft to operate the Moscow-DME to Almaty passenger service.

-77110 Unknown.

-77111 (D) In-flight fire and written off after emergency landing at Yegorievsk while still 'brand new'.

-77112 (D) Previously stored at Zhukovsky. Now at the Sinsheim Museum, Germany.

-77113 (D) Stored at Zhukovsky.

-77114 (D / LL) Used by Nasa/Boeing/Tupolev/Etc as the SST testbed and re-designated Tu-144LL (Letalushaya Laboritoriya "Flying Laboratory" ) Stored at Zhukovsky

-77115 (D) Stored at Zhukovsky

The D model has more powerful engines. the LL has engines from a tu-160 because the original ones are no longer made

i think i've seen that link here before during a hard discussion about the Concorde and Concordski...long ago on this board.

anyway, i think the Tu-144 is much cooler than our Concorde!