W_a_s_p_i_e From United Kingdom, joined Feb 2002, 170 posts, RR: 0 Posted (10 years 10 months 2 weeks 3 hours ago) and read 2211 times:
In my opinion the 3 engined aircraft are the best (too look at and fly in, it doesnt matter to me if its small or big leg room, youre still flying a 3 engined aircraft!!). L1011 Tristar (my favourite) was brilliant, DC10 and MD11 are great, B727 was good, TU-154 is good and Trident was good. But now with all these nice 2 engined aircraft that seem to be coping very well (777/A330...) do you think the 3 engined jets will come back? There is still a need for 4 engined aircraft, the A380 is being made!! But what is your opinion on the future of 3 engined jets?
Sunbird From Canada, joined Mar 2002, 285 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (10 years 10 months 1 week 6 days 18 hours ago) and read 2183 times:
with the cost of fuel and the power being introduced per engine, I think it's sad news for the 3 engine powered aricraft...................sorry dude....and A.net has seemed to have missed out the dissapointed emotion icon!
DeltaBoy777 From United States of America, joined Jun 2001, 411 posts, RR: 1 Reply 3, posted (10 years 10 months 1 week 6 days 17 hours ago) and read 2186 times:
I like those 3 engine planes alot!! Especially the L-1011, 727-200, and MD-11.
I posted a topic in the civil aviation forum, about 6 or 7 mos. ago asking if there were any plans for new 3 engined planes, and I think someone said Lockheed was thinking of looking at the Tri-star plans once again. This is truly rumor I'm sure, but it would be nice!!!
Jwenting From Netherlands, joined Apr 2001, 10213 posts, RR: 21 Reply 4, posted (10 years 10 months 1 week 6 days 16 hours ago) and read 2167 times:
I'm sure that sometime in the future there will be new aircraft with 3 engines.
It's really a periodic feature. In the 1920s aircraft became too large for 2 engines so a 3rd was fitted. Then they grew larger again and a 4th was fitted.
That ended with the Do-X with 10+ engines.
During the 1940s, 4 engines became the standard for longrange aircraft, until the engines became large enough in the mid-late 1960s that 3 were enough. That led to the age of the trijets.
Now 2 engines can do the job and trijets are no longer economical compared to twins.
If at some point aircraft get larger again or engines more powerfull it might well be that they will make a return.
An A380 sized aircraft would possibly be more economical with 3 engines than it is with 4, if only the engines would exist that 2 (single engine failure during takeoff...) can power an aircraft that large.
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