L-1011 A tribute By Wings

Well after receiving such positive feedback in regards to my first Tribute to the Tu-144. http://www.airliners.net/discussions...general_aviation/read.main/3033740

I have decided to continue with my tributes, to the planes that have marked commercial aviation. Whether they contributed little or a lot, the fact is that all had an influence in molding aviation as we know.

For this tribute I have chosen the Lockheed L1011 Tristar. I must admit that this beauty is one of my all time favourites. It's also a shame that it, like many other airplanes had such a premature end. So lets all take a look back into the history of the Tristar, and the last commercial airplane to be produced by Lockheed.




The Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, commonly referred to as just L-1011 was the third widebody passenger jet airliner to enter operation, following the Boeing 747 and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10.
Development of the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar began in 1966 when American Airlines announced a need for a short to medium-range, large-capacity transport. In March of 1968, production began when Lockheed received orders for their design from TWA and Eastern Airlines. American Airlines opted instead for the Douglas DC-10, although it had shown considerable interest in the L-1011.



The prototype first flew on November 16, 1970. The crew for that flight was H. B. Dees (pilot), R. C. Cokeley (copilot), and G. E. Fisher (development engineer). The first Tristar was finally delivered to Eastern Air Lines on April 26, 1972. the twin-aisle Tristar was considered a technological marvel of its day, featuring low noise emissions, improved reliability, and efficient operation. Although the Tristar design schedule closely followed that of its fierce competitor, the DC-10, Douglas beat Lockheed to market by a year due to delays in power-plant development. Rolls-Royce, the maker of the Tristar's RB211 turbofan engines, had filed for bankruptcy, halting L-1011 final assembly. The Tristar only offered the Rolls-Royce RB.211 engine while the DC-10 offered both Pratt & Whitney

Designed for a maximum seating of 400 passengers, the Tristar utilized a new engine layout: in addition to Rolls-Royce turbofan jet engines on each wing, a third engine was located dorsally below the vertical stabilizer. Manufactured in Lockheed facilities in Burbank and Palmdale, California, the Tristar faced brisk competition with the Boeing 747 and, even more directly, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10, which it closely resembled. and General Electric engines.

The L-1011 was the first widebody to receive FAA certification for Cat-IIIc auto-landing, which approved the Tristar for completely blind landings in zero-visibility weather. In theory it could even taxi to the gate in zero visibility if the airport was properly equipped.


Technologically the L-1011 was considered to be largely ahead of its time. In addition to the Cat-IIIc auto-landing capability, it had a unique Direct Lift Control (DLC) system which allowed for smooth approaches when landing; four redundant hydraulic systems (the DC10 and MD11 had only three); it also utilized a unique "autoclave" system for bonding fuselage panels together. This made the L-1011 extremely resistant to corrosion.

Delta Air Lines was the type's largest customer. Cathay Pacific eventually became the largest non-US operator of the type by acquiring many of the Eastern Air Lines examples when Eastern Air Lines went bankrupt, operating as many as 21 aircraft. However, most major airlines have retired the type from their fleets. Cathay Pacific retired its L-1011 fleet in October 1996, replacing the fleet with Airbus A330-300. TWA withdrew its last Tristar from service in 1997. Delta retired its Tristar fleet in 2001, replacing them with the Boeing 767-400ER.

The Tristar has also been used as a military tanker and cargo aircraft. The Royal Air Force has nine aircraft of four variants. The aircraft are ex-British Airways and Pan Am L-1011-500s. Two of the aircraft are designated Tristar K.MK 1s and are pure tankers. Another four are KC1s and can be either tankers or cargo aircraft. The two Tristar C.Mk 2 models and the solitary Tristar C. Mk 2A are pure cargo aircraft. The C2A differs from the C2 by having military avionics and radios. The RAF's TriStars were bought in the immediate aftermath of the Falklands War to bolster the long range capability of the RAF in the transport and tanker roles. All of the aircraft serve with No. 216 Squadron, based at RAF Brize Norton.

Variants
L-1011-1
The L-1011-1 was the first production model of the L-1011, designed for short and medium-range flights. This type was purchased by Air Canada, ANA, Cathay Pacific, Eastern and other operators with regional trunk routes requiring a widebody aircraft.


L-1011-100
The L-1011-100 first flew in 1975 and featured a new center fuel tank that increased the aircraft's range by nearly 1,500 km. It was purchased by several airlines with longer-range routes, such as TWA and British Caledonian.

L-1011-200
The L-1011-200 was introduced in 1976. Although otherwise similar to the -100 model, the -200 uses Rolls-Royce RB.211-524B engines to improve its performance in hot and high-altitude conditions. Gulf Air used -200 models to replace its aging Vickers VC-10 fleet.



L-1011-5008
The L-1011-500 was a longer-range variant first flight tested in 1978. Its fuselage length was shortened by 14 feet (4.3 m) to accommodate higher fuel loads; it also utilizes the more powerful engines of the -200 series. The -500 series was popular among international operators and formed most of the L-1011 fleet of Delta and British Airways.



ACCIDENTS:
http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/v...w_manu_details.cgi?aircraft=L-1011


12.29.1972 Eastern Air Lines Lockheed L-1011-1 Tristar
Fatalities: 100/176

Accident Description:The aircraft was forced to break off its approach to Miami International Airport after the nose-gear light failed to illuminate, indicating that the gear was properly lowered. While in a holding pattern at 2,000 feet over the Everglades National Park, the Captain bumped his control column, leading to the disconnection of the autopilot. With the attention of all three crew members focused on the landing gear and the extinguished light, the aircraft descended unnoticed into the ground.

08.19.1980 Saudi Arabian Airlines Lockheed L-1011-1 Tristar
Fatalities: 301/301

The crew reported a fire shortly after takeoff from Riyadh. After returning to the airport and making a successful emergency landing, the cabin crew was unable to open the doors due to an electrical failure. 15 minutes later, when rescuers finally opened the first door, all aboard had died of smoke inhalation.

12.23.1980 Saudi Arabian Airlines Lockheed L-1011-200
Fatalities 2/288

During cruise, a tire exploded in the wheel well, putting a hole in the floor and causing a rapid decompression in which two passengers were ejected from the aircraft.

08.02.1985 Delta Air Lines Lockheed L-1011-385-1
Fatalities: 134/163 + 1

The aircraft crashed short of the runway while attempting to land on runway 17L at DFW. Descending through 600 feet, the aircraft encountered severe microburst induced windshear and was pushed toward the ground. Despite the application of maximum power by the crew, the aircraft touched down in a field, careened across a busy highway snapping off light posts, and struck a car with its no.1 engine, killing the occupant. The aircraft then entered the airport property with a ground speed of 212 knots and impacted two 4 million gallon water towers. The NTSB cited known flight into severe weather conditions for causing the accident.

05.03.1986 Air Lanka Lockheed L-1011-100
Fatalities: 16/128

16 passengers were killed when a bomb exploded while the aircraft was sitting at the gate. The device had been timed to explode during flight, but the aircraft had been delayed off the gate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_L-1011
http://www.aviationexplorer.com/l-1011_facts.htm

Hopefully all have enjoyed getting a better understanding into the history of the L-1011. Stay tuned for my next tribute which should be made early next week.

Regards,
Wings