IATA L10ICAO L101

Lockheed L-1011 Tristar

Lockheed

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Lockheed's wide-body trijet, an engineering marvel of the 1970s.

First flight

1970

Category

Wide-body jet

Seating

250–400 passengers

Range

4,300–9,900 km

Engines

Three Rolls-Royce RB211 turbofans (two underwing, one center-fuselage)

Status

Retired

The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar is a wide-body, medium-to-long-range trijet airliner developed by Lockheed in the late 1960s to compete with the McDonnell Douglas DC-10. It entered service in 1972 with Eastern Air Lines and Delta Air Lines, featuring advanced aerodynamics and one of the most sophisticated autopilot systems of its era. A defining characteristic of the L-1011 was its center engine, which was buried in the rear fuselage with an S-duct inlet rather than mounted on the tail fin, giving it a cleaner aerodynamic profile. The aircraft was exclusively powered by Rolls-Royce RB211 turbofan engines, a choice that became financially catastrophic when Rolls-Royce went bankrupt in 1971, delaying deliveries and adding costs. Lockheed produced 250 L-1011s before ending production in 1984, never achieving profitability on the program. The type was gradually retired from major commercial service by the early 2000s, with some surviving in cargo or charter roles into the 2010s.

Notable operators

Major operators included Eastern Air Lines, Delta Air Lines, TWA, British Airways, and Gulf Air.

Notable facts

›The L-1011 was one of the first airliners to feature an automatic landing system (Category IIIc autoland).
›Lockheed's financial losses on the program contributed to the company exiting the commercial airliner business entirely after 1984.
›The center engine S-duct design gave the TriStar a distinctive clean tail profile compared to the DC-10.
›Rolls-Royce's 1971 bankruptcy forced a UK government bailout and severely delayed L-1011 deliveries.
›Only 250 aircraft were built, well below the break-even estimate of around 300 units.

Read more on Wikipedia

This profile is provided for general information only. Specifications may be inaccurate or vary by variant/operator — verify with the manufacturer before relying on them.

Encyclopaedia

The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar is an American medium-to-long-range, wide-body trijet airliner built by the Lockheed Corporation. It was the third wide-body airliner to enter commercial operations, after the Boeing 747 and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10. The airliner has a seating capacity of up to 400 passengers and a range of over 4,000 nautical miles. Its trijet configuration has three Rolls-Royce RB211 engines with one engine under each wing, and a third engine center-mounted in the rear fuselage with an S-duct air inlet on the top of the fuselage. The aircraft has an autoland capability, an automated descent control system, and available lower deck galley and lounge facilities.

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