Úvod »Letectví, kosmonautika» Lockheed L1011 TriStar
Vazba: | Brožovaná | ||
Počet stran: | 128 | ||
Rozměry v mm: | 210 x 300 | ||
Počet obrázků: | 300 | ||
Rok vydání: | 2000 |
Launched in March 1968, the Lockheed L1011 TriStar brought new standards of technology and safety to wide-bodied fan-jet-pow-ered airliners. Designed in response to an American Airlines specification for a large capacity, short to medium range airliner, it was Lockheed's only commercial passenger jet. It was also the last civil aircraft from a manufacturer whose pedigree included the pre-World War II Vega, Orion, and Electra family—credible alternatives to the market-lead-ing Douglas DC-2 and DC-3—and the graceful Constellation and Super Constellation. The Lockheed Corporation was the fifth biggest U.S. producer of aircraft during World War II and would go on to design and build the ubiquitous C-130 Hercules and the acme of strategic reconnaissance aircraft—the SR-71. With this background and an innovative design team, it could have been expected that Lockheed would compete strongly in the postwar civil airliner market. Unfortunately, the TriStar had a checkered sales history. Launched at a time of rampant inflation in direct competition with another trijet, the Douglas DC-10, the TriStar sales efforts were badly damaged by the near collapse of its engine manufacturer—the British company Rolls-Royce. Government money bailed out Rolls-Royce and saved the TriStar. The RB211 engines proved to be excel-lent; they are still giving good service today. Indeed, for all its initial sales problems, the TriStar has proved long lived—it may now be approaching the twilight of its career, but there are still substantial numbers of the original fleet in service 25 years after the type was first introduced, a fair proportion still in operation with the original airlines proving that it continues to be commercially viable. Lockheed L1011 TriStar is the second Airliner Color History, a new series of highly illustrated books on important civil aircraft. Author Philip Birtles was involved in the aviation business for 30 years, joining Havilland as an engineer apprentice in 1957. His career included eight years as personal assistant to Chief Test Pilot John Cunningham; he has written 12 books on aviation and is Chairman and Managing Director of the Mosquito Aircraft Museum.