Ilyushin Il-62

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The Ilyushin Il-62 is a long range Soviet civil airliner, which first flew in 1963 and entered service with Aeroflot in 1967. The first passenger service was an Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Montreal on 15 September 1967. It has the NATO reporting name "Classic".

It was developed at the same time as the British Vickers VC-10, to which it bears a very close resemblance — industrial espionage was widely suspected at the time, but has never been proven.

It is powered by four rear-mounted Kuznetsov NK-8-4 engines in pairs in a T-tail arrangement. The VC-10 and Il-62 are the only airliners to have used this configuration. This configuration is also used by the Lockheed Jetstar private jet.

The Il-62 is one of the largest aircraft without powered flight controls: all moving surfaces are controlled by direct cable links.

There is an extra wheel below the tail to prevent the plane tilting backwards during loading.

The aircraft was designed to withstand gear-up landings, having a strengthened belly with a ski running down the middle.

The Il-62M variant (first flight in 1971, introduced in 1973) has more powerful and efficient D-30KU engines, and an extra fuel tank in the tail. Nearly all of the planes still in service today are Il-62M models. In 1978 the next variant was produced: the Il-62MK with 195 seats, which is capabable of lifting 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) more than the Il-62M.

Il-62 can still be found in commercial service, mostly with countries of the former Soviet Union but also with Cuba, Libya, and North Korea. It also sees service with military and governmental operators and as private business jet.

English avionics engineers referred to this aircraft as the "VC-tensky" because of its similar apperance to the Vickers VC-10

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Operators

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Civil

Aeroflot, Air Koryo, Air Ukraine, Alim Airlines, Alpha Airlines, Aviaenergo, CAAC, Centrafricain, CSA, Cubana, Dalavia, Domodedovo, East Line, Egyptair, Interavia, Interflug, Jetline, KAPO, Kokshetau Airlines, Krasair, Libyan Arab Airlines, Lot Polish Airlines, Malev, Mavial Magadan, Mekong Air International, Moscow Airways, New Millennium Air, Quadrotour-Aero, Rossija, Russian Sky, SAT Sakhalin, TAAG Angolan, Tretyakovo, Vim, Uzbekistan Airlines, Yana Airlines

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