Lockheed’s legendary L-1011 TriStar first flew on 16 November 1970 and you’d be forgiven if you thought none were still flying today. In fact, there is just one, operated by Northrop Grumman, which is called Stargazer.
This aircraft was originally delivered to Air Canada in 1974 and was modified in 1994 to launch Pegasus rockets for Orbital Sciences. Today it is still used in that role.
The Last TriStar Still Flying
Stargazer is named as a homage to Star Trek: The Next Generation. Captain Jean-Luc Picard was the commander of the Stargazer, prior to going on the Enterprise. In a related link, First Officer William Riker from the TV show once served on a ship called Pegasus. An interesting piece of information for your next trivia night.
Capable of carrying 23,000 kilograms to an altitude of 12,800 metres, it is used to air-launch Pegasus rockets. These can put up to 443 kilograms into low earth orbit. To date, there have been 44 launches, of which 39 have been completely successful.
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- A Lockheed TriStar flying in October 2019!
The last launch was on 10 October 2019, when a Pegasus rocket launched ICON, which is a payload about the size of a fridge. It is designed to study changes in the ionosphere.
Northrop Grumman apparently has two more Pegasus rockets remaining in the inventory. Presumably this should mean at least two more flights for the venerable L-1011 before it is retired and another aircraft type enters the history books.
Overall Thoughts
I am happy to see a Lockheed TriStar still flying. It is one of those aircraft that everyone seems to have fond memories of, from pilots to crew to frequent flyers. I’ve yet to come across anyone with any hate for the Burbank manufactured jet.
It would be a lot of fun to be able to take a flight on board this one sometime. That would be an interesting experience, plus I’d get to add the L-1011 to the list of aircraft I have flown on board. One can dream!
Did you know the last TriStar was launching rockets? What do you think of that? Did you ever fly on an L-1011 and what was it like? Thanks for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Featured image via DefPost.
10 October 2019 image via NASA.
last flew an Eastern L1011 repeatedly DTW-ATL-MIA at late as 1990, big pleasant jet with what i would call a wide body cathedral ceiling since overhead bins only lined above the windows, none over the center seating.
Yes! The lack of overhead bins in the center created an unmatched sense of space. I recall frequent trips on TWA and Delta examples in the 80s and 90s.
I wonder why no airline ever retrofitted the cabin with centre bins. I guess it didn’t last long enough to really be affected by the mountains people carry on board today. Nice that you flew both TWA and Delta L-1011s. Sounds like that would have been fun!
You really did fly them with Eastern almost up to the end! Definitely a frequent TriStar passenger then. I love how you use the word “pleasant” – that’s a good word that really sums up how I’ve found most to feel about the aircraft. Thanks for the comment!
I have fond memories of flying in the TriStar and playing with the TriStar. My dad worked for Northeast and because of merger Delta too! I’ve had many flights on the L-10. Used to go to work with dad and had lots of fun sitting in the left and right seats and going up and down the lifts. The lifts were scary at 3 in the morning especially after the 401 crash and ghost reports. My dad loved the TriStar; grew to pilot, great to fix, and great to be a passenger on. Due to angle of attack when in… Read more »
I’ve seen those lifts to and from the galley in the belly on other aircraft such as the DC-10 and Boeing 747. They are small enough, with one for the crew member and one for the trolley. I have read about the ghost reports after flight 401, and I can imagine being there in a hangar at 3am would be fairly spooky, ghosts or no ghosts. Ahh, so the TriStar also cruised at a slightly nose up angle. I knew it had to be more than just the 747 that did that for that story about the carts to be… Read more »
Except for insufficient overhead luggage spave, it was a joy to ride. One could also trick newbie fliers by the smoke generated when the engine started by telling them “look at the engine, terrible! “
That’s right, no overhead bins in the centre. I remember seeing the photos of the cabin, which looked very spacious as a result. I’d heard about those smokey starts from the Rolls-Royce RB211 engines. I can imagine it would worry some people. Thanks for the comment!