L-1011 Tri-Star

[Swass]

I know these birds are getting long in the tooth but I still think they are one of the best looking jets out there, especially from the front.

I would like to hear from some of you that have had the pleasure to fly it. Post your l-1011 stories here.

 

[Kream926]

i agree that they are one of the best looking. i had an instructor who used to fly em for eastern

 

[AA717driver]

When I did my walk arounds as a 1011 FE, I was always amazed at how those MCI mechanics managed to get the stucco effect on the belly near the landing gear...

Or, I could never figure out why the floors in the lower galley were so sticky. FA's must have spilled a lot of food down there...

Or, from my check engineer: "If this pack valve doesn't open, just go down behind the elevators, pull up this panel and take your mag-lite and beat on this thingy right here. You should hear it open..."

LA Center: "TWA 840, say speed."
TWA 840: "M.86 but we can pick it up."
LA Center: "TWA 840 can you slow to M.82 for 767 traffic ahead"
TWA 840: "Unable."
LA Center: "American 2, turn right 30 degrees and resume normal speed. TWA 840 resume normal speed."
TWA 840: "Roger... But we can pick it up..."

TC

 

[UM#1]

I flew the L1011 for a year, with my last flight about 2 months ago. It was the best airplane I've flown or will ever fly. Flew the 737-8W right before the L1011 and you can have all the glass/FMS stuff. The L1011 was a flying airplane, the 737 you managed. The airplane was engineered by the same guys that helped develop the space capsules (gemini,apollo,etc). The 3 best things I remember about the L10 was the space (it was big and roomy), the MDLC system, and the trim. The trim was so smooth, the best ever. As far as speed it was fast. Cruise was .83 shortbody and .84 longbody. The "Pit" below the flight deck was always a favorite of the smokers and the lower galley on the longbodys was always a fun place to visit with your "friendly" FA . It took me all over the world. The best part was I got to bring many US military men and women home from iraq/afghanistan. The best and most important passengers ever....

 

[A1FlyBoy]

I have a Nick Geiss framed print of an L-1011 at sunset..

One sexy bird...

 

[rchcfi]

And let's not forget about the beautiful smoke belching RB211s. I loved watching passengers in the terminal on a cold winter morning freaking out. "Somebody tell somebody that their engine is on fire!"

And not to mention you could be 5 miles away and hear when the captain introduced the fuel. OK, you couldn't actually hear it, but you felt it in your bones......I'm gonna miss her.

 

[bobs98tlr]

I grew up near DFW and when i turned 16 i used to go over to the AE hanger and watch the ATA and Delta L1011's take off. I was always waiting around for the AA MD11/DC10 which was always nice but the L1011 is a really sweet airplane. Wish i was about 10 years older so i would have had better memorys of it.

 

[TIGV]

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

 

[enigma]

I grew up near DFW and when i turned 16 i used to go over to the AE hanger and watch the ATA and Delta L1011's take off. I was always waiting around for the AA MD11/DC10 which was always nice but the L1011 is a really sweet airplane. Wish i was about 10 years older so i would have had better memorys of it.

The highlight of my yearly school trip to SixFlags Over Texas was sitting by the pool at the Six Flags Inn and listening to the airliners take off. The sound that I'll always remember was the roaring whine an L1011. The rest of em were just making noise, the Lockheed was talking to me.

enigma

PS for those not familiar with DFW geography, Six Flags is directly south of DFW airport in Arlington. The area is far enough away from the airport that most of the modern airliners are high enough to be almost unheard, but in the 70's a tuned in ear could hear em all.

 

[atrdriver]

Between the 1011 and the 747 you have the two most graceful (in the air) civilian airplanes ever to fly.

 

[Flechas]

Between the 1011 and the 747 you have the two most graceful (in the air) civilian airplanes ever to fly.

Why only in the air?

 

[WMUSIGPI]

Ah yes the one and only time I got to ride one........Spring break 1998, College soph. 400+ rowdy kids in the Detroit international terminal waiting to go to Cancun. Got on the plane and thought there was going to be a riot when told there would not be any alcohol served on the plane. It was probably for the best though. We did drink all the beer on the bus from the airport to the hotel, made the driver stop get more and then finished it all off too. MMMM Corona Especial, YUM!

 

[AA717driver]

enigma's post reminds me of an OLD memory of the 1011. When I was in 6th or 7th grade the L1011's had just been introduced by TWA. At that time, they ran one from IND-SFO. Due to the winds, for about a week, they would take off and make a turn north over my house at about 5 p.m.. 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

 

[GogglesPisano]

Between the 1011 and the 747 you have the two most graceful (in the air) civilian airplanes ever to fly.

I'll second that emotion

 

[FlyChicaga]

I feel very fortunate to have been able to jumpseat on the L1011. It was an experience that really pushed me along in continuing to pursue an airline career. I was competely in awe of the whole flight. I had hoped to get to ATA someday to fly it, but that seems like a wishful dream anymore. But I'll still have that memory from jumpseating MSP-MCO round trip.

I have a friend who is a furloughed ATA F/A, and we sat for around three hours in DC drinking and telling stories. All hers were from international trips on the L1011, and the craziness that would ensue!

I think I was born about 40 years too late.

Two good memories of the trip: First, having the Captain, FO, FE, observation FE, and myself in the cockpit; then having two F/As come up front to hang out for a bit, and still being able to stand up. Second, walking with the FO under the airplane, and having him say, "I'll tell you right now you haven't made it in the airlines until you can walk under your plane standing straight up like this."

 

[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.