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Lockheed L-1011 TriStar

Airliners and Commercial Jet Aircraft

The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar is a wide-body jet airliner built by the American manufacturer Lockheed, introduced into service in 1972 as a three-engine design competing directly with the similarly configured McDonnell Douglas DC-10 for the same medium-to-long-range wide-body market. Built with advanced automated landing systems for its time and known among pilots for smooth handling, the TriStar nonetheless sold in far smaller numbers than its DC-10 rival, and Lockheed's financial losses on the program contributed to the company's permanent exit from the commercial airliner business after TriStar production ended in 1984. Its three-engine layout, with one engine mounted in the tail through an S-shaped duct, remains a distinctive feature remembered by aviation enthusiasts.

Facts
Year
1972 1
Significance
The third wide-body airliner to enter commercial service, after the Boeing 747 and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10, and an early adopter of autoland capability. 1
Manufacturer or Builder
Lockheed 1
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Lockheed L-1011 TriStar
Wikipedia
  • lead paragraph, first sentence
    The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar is an American medium-to-long-range, wide-body trijet airliner built by the Lockheed Corporation.
  • Development section, TriStar variants paragraph
    The original L-1011-1 first flew in November 1970 and entered service with Eastern Air Lines in 1972.
  • lead paragraph, second sentence
    It was the third wide-body airliner to enter commercial operations, after the Boeing 747 and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10.
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