Word: aircraft
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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Although the Soviet Tu-144 became the first civilian aircraft to break the sonic barrier in 1969, the Anglo-French Concorde soon shot several sound-years ahead of its Russian rival with the inauguration of regular transatlantic passenger service in 1976. Last week the Soviet Union belatedly entered the supersonic sweepstakes by initiating regular Tu-144 flights on a little-traveled run between Moscow and Alma-Ata, an industrial city of 860,000 near the Chinese border. Price of a one-way ticket on the once-a-week flight: $113. TIME Moscow Bureau Chief Marsh Clark was the first Western...
...wings, though its white fuselage was badly in need of a bath or a paint job. Also like the Concorde, the Tu-144 had a small cabin with narrow aisles and elbow-to-elbow seating; it carried a maximum of 140 passengers (the Concorde carries only 100). The inaugural aircraft lacked posh decor. Several of its ceiling panels were ajar, service trays got stuck, and window shades slipped down without being pulled...
...Doubtless, many passengers remembered apprehensively that in its first major public appearance at the Paris air show four years ago, the Concordski went out of control, killing 13 people in a fiery crash that was seen by millions of TV viewers. After the tragedy, modifications were made in the aircraft...
...Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al Mak-tum, Defense Minister of the United Arab Emirates, to permit a rescue operation on his territory. After considerable argument, Wischnewski agreed reluctantly to the sheik's insistence that his own troops be allowed to participate. Disguised as mechanics, the commandos scouted the aircraft and helped put aboard food, water, medicine, and even a birthday cake for one of the stewardesses, Annemarie Staringer, 28. Hijackers and hostages shared the cake in what passengers later said was the only moment of cordiality during the five-day ordeal...
...machine guns and other automatic weapons. At G.S.G. 9 headquarters in St. Augustin, near Bonn, they study the tactics of terrorist organizations and learn a variety of skills-picking locks, for example, or impersonating airline cabin attendants and mechanics. They specifically train in a wide range of Lufthansa aircraft, including the Boeing 737. Also stressed is an attribute of unusual importance: the ability to maintain a high degree of competence without testing it under battle conditions. Last week's mission involved only eleven minutes of action-after five full years of preparation...