L-1011 Tri-Star

[PeteCO]

Screw that 1011! The Langoliers will get you!!!!!!!!!

On a more serious note, are the MD-11 and the L-1011 both wide body aircraft? If so, I presum they are the same class of aircraft from a seating capacity and range perspective?

 

[HAZ-MAT]

She was why I got into aviation.......now she's gone. :-(

Same here, bud. Delta used to run a 1011 from BDL to BOS then continue on to BDA. I was about 9 years old when we took a trip on DL62. When we got to BOS my dad and I walked up to the front and the captain showed me the warning buttons to push. Then opened up the emergency hatch for me to climb up there. Looking down, its a long way down, looking back... man that #2 engine is huge. Thats my short story of how it all started.

 

[MD11Drvr]

PeteCO

They are both Wide body but the MD-11 has a much greater range and payload. The DC-10-30 has greater range and payload than the L1011. The L1011 was way ahead of its time and I had always hoped to get to fly one. The closet I came was an interview sim check. The airline I was talking to used a Delta L1011 sim. I was coming out of the DC-8 and wow was the sim so I am guessing the airpalne would have hit "way cool" stages. The DC-8 does not have slats, insted it has slots (3 of them) so the ILS GS is flown about 3 degrees nose down and the flare takes you to about 7 degrees nose up. Its a big pic change for a flare. The L1011 had a system that maintained 5 degrees nose up on GS by use of the flight spoilers. The attitude remained the same as the spoilers came up and down to increase sink or decrease sink rate. It was the coolest thing, But it took me a few minutes to adjust my scan of the ADI. I kept wanting to put the horizon 3 degress nose down. I figured it out before the FAF and I got the job. That is as close as I came to the L1011.

The airline I work for has MD-11's that will seat 278 to 400 folks and one very special one that is a very comfortable 138 seats. The MD-11 will hang in the air 16 +/- hours and the cargo version will tote 205,000lbs give or take and will burn less fuel per lb of cargo than a 747. The MD-11 will carry more weight than the DC-10 and burn less fuel doing it. The MD-11 has 62k thust (60k normal ops) and the DC10-30 is 54k and will burn more fuel per hour to boot. The DC-10 and the MD-11 are both great airplanes but the L1011 is still prettier......

Screw that 1011! The Langoliers will get you!!!!!!!!!

On a more serious note, are the MD-11 and the L-1011 both wide body aircraft? If so, I presum they are the same class of aircraft from a seating capacity and range perspective?

 

[PeteCO]

PeteCO

They are both Wide body but the MD-11 has a much greater range and payload. The DC-10-30 has greater range and payload than the L1011. The L1011 was way ahead of its time and I had always hoped to get to fly one. The closet I came was an interview sim check. The airline I was talking to used a Delta L1011 sim. I was coming out of the DC-8 and wow was the sim so I am guessing the airpalne would have hit "way cool" stages. The DC-8 does not have slats, insted it has slots (3 of them) so the ILS GS is flown about 3 degrees nose down and the flare takes you to about 7 degrees nose up. Its a big pic change for a flare. The L1011 had a system that maintained 5 degrees nose up on GS by use of the flight spoilers. The attitude remained the same as the spoilers came up and down to increase sink or decrease sink rate. It was the coolest thing, But it took me a few minutes to adjust my scan of the ADI. I kept wanting to put the horizon 3 degress nose down. I figured it out before the FAF and I got the job. That is as close as I came to the L1011.

The airline I work for has MD-11's that will seat 278 to 400 folks and one very special one that is a very comfortable 138 seats. The MD-11 will hang in the air 16 +/- hours and the cargo version will tote 205,000lbs give or take and will burn less fuel per lb of cargo than a 747. The MD-11 will carry more weight than the DC-10 and burn less fuel doing it. The MD-11 has 62k thust (60k normal ops) and the DC10-30 is 54k and will burn more fuel per hour to boot. The DC-10 and the MD-11 are both great airplanes but the L1011 is still prettier......

Thanks! I guess that explains why FedEx has so many MD-11's.

 

[El Cóndor]

L1011

Same here, bud. Delta used to run a 1011 from BDL to BOS then continue on to BDA. I was about 9 years old when we took a trip on DL62. When we got to BOS my dad and I walked up to the front and the captain showed me the warning buttons to push. Then opened up the emergency hatch for me to climb up there. Looking down, its a long way down, looking back... man that #2 engine is huge. Thats my short story of how it all started.

I also remember touring the cockpit of an Eastern 1011 on a trip from South America to the US when I was a little kid. Up until that point I had seen a few 707 and Electra cockpits, and to this day I still remember being amazed at the roominess of that 1011 cockpit . . . plenty of space to walk in and sit, and the flight crew put on a great effort to emphasize it . . . wish I could have seen the pit and the lower gallery too though . . . oh well, I guess they'll still be around for a little while longer and I'll be able to take a peek at one again.

 

[Reebo]

That humm was about the coolest thing I'd ever heard. I still snap my head around when I hear that sound--whether it's from a RR 757 or a Cathay 747. It still takes me back.TC

The best sound ever. Dont care if its from a CF6 on a DC-10, a JT9D on a 747, or a RB211 on a L1011. The 76s and widebody airbuses of today dont compare.

 

[A1FlyBoy]

For anyone interested, AIRLINERS ( the magazine ) a year or so ago had a special edition dedicated to the L-1011. In addition to amazing photos, the article really got into the race between Lockheed and McDonnel Douglas in who could bring their new state of the art aircraft to the market place first.

 

[Spooky 1]

I guess I am lucky as I have flown Capt. on all three aircraft, MD11, L1011-1,25,500, and the DC10-10/-30. By far the L1011 was my favorite flying airplane, but the trips in the MD11 were the best of my career. L1011 was Faster and just had that Lockheed feeling about it. Sweat! Just fading memories now though. I sure wonder how some of these 3rd tier operators keep the 1011 going though as it needs a steady diet of good maint. to keep it going and dependable. More so I think than either McDonnell product.

 

[AA717driver]

Spooky--You are lucky to have those aircraft in your logbook.

The L10 did require a lot of care but I don't recall ever getting stranded anywhere--except MCI when we diverted in there to fix a broken windshield and they took four days chasing down hydraulic leaks... TC

 

[FlyChicaga]

The L10 did require a lot of care but I don't recall ever getting stranded anywhere...

My friend who worked on the L1011 as an F/A told me a story how enroute to the USA from Germany with military folks, they encountered some sort of rudder issue and diverted to Shannon, Ireland. They got "stuck" for four days, which were filled with craziness when the crew met up with military dudes and proceeded to invade every pub on the island...

I don't think there are many jobs like that anymore!

 

[TriStar_drvr]

I've been fortunate enough to fly the L1011, and I'm going back for round two starting next week.

The airplane rides like a Cadilac, a soft cushy ride. The autoland is downright amazing, and it is fast (although the 747 and 777 are faster). It is fun to hand fly, and actually easy to land, providing the engineer makes good callouts of the radar altimeter heights.

I remember once landing at Bangor at dawn after an Atlantic crossing. CAVU weather, and cleared for the visual 40 miles out. With a 12000 foot runway to play with, I decided to head for the numbers. Rolled out at 200 feet right in the slot and greased it on. After landing the FAs all raved about the smooth touchdown, claiming they didn't even know they were on the ground. The airplane can make you look that good (trust me though, I've made some clunkers too).

My first flight on the airplane after a year and a half absence is a 10+ hour Atlantic crossing. I just hope this second tour is half as much fun as the first.

 

[taiar]

Its awsome to see others have the same enthusiasm and love for the TriStar. ITs an awsome machine, and aperantly it has touched the lives of many. As its weared to see machine do that because normaly people are the ones to touch others lives not machines....

As far as TriStar stories, as a kid my First trip was on a TriStar was in 1982. I was 8 years, and I remember it like yesterday, i even remember the inflight movie, it was Star wars.

Since that date I ended up probably sitting in the Jump seat in the cockpit over 300 hours if not more. As I grew up and travelled the wrold from Singapore in the east to LAX in the west. As my Father was a Captain on the TriStar for an over seas Carrier, they use to allow special people like your airplane loving kids to sit up front. (Ahh the good old days).

Anyways, many memories and valuble lessons I learned from sitting and observing in the cockpit of the TriStar.


AS far as stories go, The best are a take off from JFK going over seas for a 11 hour flight. IT was a late August muggy and humid New york night, and thunderstorms where all over the place. We lined up on the runway and I was sitting on the High jump seat right behind the Captain. and I can see the Radar sweeping left and right with these MAgenta colors right infront of the nose of the plane and the sky was lite up by lighting bolts like fly zappers.. anyways, we line up and the thrust is advanced to the Take off position and the F.E then fines tunes the Levers to the correct EPRs and down the runways we accelarated. I guess we where so heavy that we needed all the power the RB-211-524 can give, so the packs where off line, and it was awsome, because in the absensce of the noise normaly heard from the airconditioning , all we heard was the noise of the engines roaring as we accelerated down the runway and ate up every foot of pavement. Then as we broke ground, and sucked the gear up we went into a left bank to avoid then Storms as the Magenta was getting closer. IT was the most awsome Take off I have ever seen in my Life, That was over 16 years ago, and I can still remember it as it was last night.


Other cool memories, is watching a CAT III landings into AMS and VIE, and how the Auto throttle would mover the thrust levers bythem sellf and then watched that baby set her self so gracefully back on the pavement and the spoiler lever would move back by itslef.

Then as we Taxi, we would pass the center line by like 20 feet and then swing the nose there... it was awsome.

So many sweet memories. The sound of the RB-211 -524 when it lityes off. and the rumble you feel and hear....

Just today I was taxxing to the gate DFW and saw an ATA L-1011 take off 17R, must been a ferry flight because they where off the ground in like less than 3000 feeet..... It was sweet....

Too bad Iwill never get to fly my dream machine.

Happy memories.

T.

 

[M. St. Lawrence]

Without a doubt...the L1011 was the most sophisticated and easiest wide body A/C to fly. The best autopilot ever...better than anything on any A/C today...shared secrets of SR-71!!!!!!

 

[bobs98tlr]

ATA does military charters out of DFW. I was there on January 28th of this year and saw 3 land in a matter of 30 minutes......OH how i miss watching those things move. It is such a shame to only see a handful amount still in use.

 

[Wesb737fo]

I have heard alot of guys talk about the L-1011. It's too bad they are being phased out. A while back I had a chance to look inside on a DFW ground delay.
Oh well, kudos to the guys who flew, as well as those who currently fly, the Tri-Star.