On June 18, 1960 more than 60 years ago the Council of Ministers of the USSR approved the development of a new four-engine long-range aircraft to replace the propeller-driven TU-114. Three years later, on January 3, 1963, the first prototype took off on its maiden flight. The TU-114 was to remain the standard long-haul aircraft of the Soviet Union and later Russia for decades. The IL-62 has been exported to more than 30 countries. The last operating company in passenger service is the North Korean Air Koryo, which currently uses two units for regular service and two more for government flights. Due to the arrangement of the four engines at the tail of the aircraft, the aircraft threatened to tip slightly backwards when empty. To avoid this, Ilyushin installed a retractable support wheel, which is also reproduced in the 1:200 scale as an exchangeable attachment on the metal model.