Category: Lockheed L-1011 Tristar

Peruvian Tristars in the 90s: Faucett/AeroPerú's L-1011s

7/5/2017

As Peru entered the 1990s both its largest airlines, AeroPerú and Faucett Perú, had serious financial problems. These forced the competitors together, albeit briefly, before they went there separate ways again. Both would use the Lockheed Tristar but neither would be able to survive the changing political and competitive landscape of the 90s.

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Fresh Air 500s: Tristars in the Congo

19/7/2016

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The Democratic Republic of Congo is a huge nation of much promise that has been mired in regional conflict, corruption and crimes of the worst kinds pretty much ever since the Belgians set foot in it. It is no surprise therefore that airline operations within such an environment have themselves been challenging. Hewa Bora Airways briefly seemed like a way forward, but as with so many African national carriers its history is a mess. Nice Tristar though!

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Sunjet Tristars: BWIA in the 1980/90s

10/5/2016

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British West Indies Airways, the national airline of Trinidad & Tobago, had entered the 1970s in poor shape, been turned around by a consultancy form only to fall back into bad habits as the decade closed. Nonetheless the new long haul choice, the Tristar 500, was well suited to the long thin European routes that BWIA was flying. Unfortunately the Tristar alone couldn't turn around BWIA's fortunes.

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Smiling Widebodies: PSA's Tristar Gamble

13/3/2016

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Pacific Southwest had proven without a doubt during the 1950s and 60s that small well run airlines could compete against the large Trunk airlines and out compete the smaller CAB backed local service airlines. Of course it was only able to do this by keeping its operations intra-state and outside the CAB's regulated structure. By 1970 the airline had grown for 10 consecutive years and shown profits for the past 15. It was time for an audacious gamble and that meant widebodies.

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Air Lanka: A Taste of Paradise?

30/9/2015

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Air Lanka tookover from its predecessor Air Ceylon as Sri Lanka itself entered a period of turmoil, which would last for over twenty years. Throughout that entire period the white Peacock of Air Lanka would continue to connect the nation to the world, focusing on service if not always punctuality (the airline's designator UL was cheekily expanded to 'Usually Late' by detractors). The workhorse of the fleet was Lockheed's trusty Tristar and I well remember seeing them at Gatwick as a child providing a splash of colour and "a taste of paradise".

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Maple Tristars: Air Canada L-1011s

29/7/2015

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Though Air Canada had operated Lockheed Constellations it had been a firm Douglas customer throughout the jet-age. It is therefore a testament to the design of the Lockheed Tristar that despite this Air Canada chose the graceful trijet - placing an order for 10 aircraft with 9 options in December 1968. The Tristar weathered its stormy development and served the Canadian national carrier for 26 years.

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Court Line: Halcyon Days

14/6/2015

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Court Line started as just another of the small independent airlines fighting for crumbs from BEA's table during the early 1960s but following takeover changed into something altogether brighter. The new swinging garish Court Line was an airline that burnt brightly but also burnt out quickly - a pioneer in IT charters that helped shape the British charter industry, which became such a huge player in the UK aviation scene until low cost airlines arrived. Even in failure it helped shape the industry's practices.

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Go Easy, Go ATA Pt1: Trans Air Tristars

14/3/2015

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American Trans Air (ATA, later ATA Airlines) was one of the biggest operators of second-hand Lockheed Tristars. It operated twenty three of the type in full service, at one time or another, including five L1011-500 short-body aircraft. For many years the Tristars were regular visitors to my hometown airport, London Gatwick, as well as other European destinations. ATA itself undertook a series of transformations through its 35 year history which enabled it to survive in the wild world of the deregulated US market until it finally succumbed in 2008.

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Corruption, Crime and All Nippon's Tristars

3/3/2015

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The battle for All Nippon's widebody order was won by Lockheed, to the tune of 21 L-1011 Tristars. However the manner in which the sale was made would lead to Japan's greatest postwar scandal and a major diplomatic incident which struck at the heart of Lockheed and US business practices...

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British Roses: Speedbird Tristars

18/2/2015

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Lockheed's Tristar had a long, complicated and varied career with BA and its charter arm British Airtours / Caledonian. The British Airways Board was formed in April 1972 and almost immediately ordered 6 L-1011 Tristars for BEA’s trunk European routes despite political pressure for the Airbus A300’s selection. A company demonstrator aircraft visited the Farnborough Air Show in BEA-colours in 1972, but the type was never delivered in this livery. The first Tristars arrived in late 1974, but their service entry was delayed until January 1975 by industrial problems.

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Gulf Air: Rise of the Golden Falcon

6/2/2015

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Gulf Air has been flying since 1950 and the Golden Falcon always brightened up my boyhood trips to Heathrow on their lovely Tristars. The airline grew quickly from the mid 1970s through to the mid 1990s expanding its network to cover the Old World continents, including Australia, with a large fleet of modern Boeing and Airbus jets.

For the last twenty years the story hasn't been so happy but that hasn't stopped the carrier delivering to a high standard and introducing a beautiful livery in 2003. Here's Gulf Air's story...

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Tulip Tristars: Pan Am Sells Out to United in the Pacific

27/12/2014

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Pan Am had been on a long downward slide since the early 70s and by 1985 it was in a right mess. It had managed to lose $762 million between 1980 and 1985, including a whopping $206.8 million in 1984 alone. Huge debt from overspending on 747s, inefficient operations, an aging fleet , the disastrous National takeover and industrial action had all contributed.

United Airlines on the other hand was on the up having recorded sizeable profits in both 1983 and 1984. It had long desired an expanded international network and was in a good position to take advantage of Pan Am's weakness.

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Pan Am's Trijet Folly

22/12/2014

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Pan Am's dalliance with widebody three-holers isn't an entirely happy one (in keeping with the airline's general malaise of its last 15 years or so). First up in 1978 PA caused some consternation by ordering 12 of Lockheed's rather desperate shortened Tristar the series 500.

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Peruvian Tristars in the 90s: Faucett/AeroPerú's L-1011s

Fresh Air 500s: Tristars in the Congo

Sunjet Tristars: BWIA in the 1980/90s

Smiling Widebodies: PSA's Tristar Gamble

Air Lanka: A Taste of Paradise?

Maple Tristars: Air Canada L-1011s

Court Line: Halcyon Days

Go Easy, Go ATA Pt1: Trans Air Tristars

Corruption, Crime and All Nippon's Tristars

British Roses: Speedbird Tristars

Gulf Air: Rise of the Golden Falcon

Tulip Tristars: Pan Am Sells Out to United in the Pacific

Pan Am's Trijet Folly

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