L-1011 Stargazer at the Festival of Flight 2024

Northrop Grumman's L-1011 "Stargazer" took off today towards Long Beach Airport to be part of the static aircraft display of this year's "Festival of Flight".

Festival of Flight 2024

The festival will be held tomorrow at the LGB Airfield:

Generously sponsored by the Port of Long Beach, the lineup of aircraft is expected to include a KC-46 Pegasus, an air-to-air military refueling aircraft; the Flabob Express DC-3, built in 1943 and full of a storied history that includes flying Winston Churchill and the Royal Family; and a Northrup Grumman modified Lockheed L-1011 TriStar that is the only L-1011 still operational. The Condor Squadron will also conduct two flyovers. All aircraft displays are subject to change.

The ferry flight from Mojave to Long Beach took only 27 minutes to complete.

• Long Beach Airport: Festival of Flight 2024

An abandoned L-1011 on a beach

L-1011 in Cotonou © Matthew Klint/Live and Let's Fly

An L-1011 originally delivered to All Nippon Airways and last operated by Air Rum (msn 193P-1156) is sitting on a beach for some years now in Cotonou, Benin - West Africa.

One can find two interesting reports of this aircraft on the internet:

• Live and Let's Fly: Onboard A Lockheed L-1011 TriStar In Cotonou, Benin
• AirlineReporter: Exploring an Abandoned L1011 TriStar on a Beach in West Africa

New L-1011 article published on Simple Flying

Simple Flying aviation site released a recent article about the L-1011 TriStar:

TAP Air Portugal CS-TEF © Felix Goetting

• Simple Flying: 5 Fun Facts About The Lockheed L-1011 'TriStar'

CNN Travel article on TriStar CS-TMP, scuttled in Gulf of Aqaba

Ex-Luzair L-1011 TriStar CS-TMP, scuttled in Gulf of Aqaba, on 26th August 2019, caught CNN Travel's attention.

CS-TMP © Brett Hoelzer/Deep Blue Dive Center

The venerable old Lockheed Martin L1011 Tristar airplane, with its three engines, mounted on wings and tail fin, would be a sight to behold in the air or on the ground, let alone deep beneath the surface of the Red Sea, among the fish and coral.

The abandoned jet, sunk in 2019 to create an artificial reef to encourage marine life, has been photographed by American underwater photographer Brett Holzer in a series of images that capture the eerie spectacle created by this aquatic airliner.

• CNN Travel: Eerie abandoned passenger plane sits on floor of Red Sea

YQB Aviation - the history of the L-1011 in Canada

 YQB Aviation published a nice article about the L-1011 history in Canada:

Air Canada L-1011 © YQB Aviation

• YQB Aviation: La Petite Histoire du Lockheed L-1011 au Canada

L-1011 Stargazer still making history

Nice to see the L-1011 Stargazer alive and kicking:

The U. S. Space Force successfully launched the Tactically Responsive Launch-2 (TacRL-2) mission on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base on June 13 at 4:11 a.m. EDT, delivering a technology demonstration satellite to Low Earth Orbit.

• Space Force: U.S. Space Force successfully launches first tactically responsive launch mission

L-1011 Flight Report by Sam Chui

Thai Sky L-1011 © Sam Chui

Thai Sky Airlines, founded in 2004, was one of the last airlines in the world to set up an operation of scheduled flights using the L-1011. They had a fleet of two ex-Delta TriStars: HS-AXA and HS-AXE.

Sam Chui, a well-known aviation photographer and blogger, had the chance to fly this airline and shared a very interesting flight report on his blog.

• Sam Chui Aviation & Travel: Flying on Thai Sky Airlines TriStar L-1011

50 years of the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar by Key.Aero

Key.Aero published an article evoking the 50 years since the first flight of the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar.

N1011 © Jon Proctor

• Key.Aero: 50 years of the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar

TriStar500.net Site - 20 years online

Internet has become such a different place when compared to what it was in the late nineties. Today, business took most of the place of the free knowledge sharing that existed by that time. The first version of the TriStar500.net Site - although not yet with that name - was written in the last days of 1999 and it went online in January 2000.

Lockheed TriStar L1011, index, year 2000

The childish appearence of the website was compatible with the tender age of the young boy who wrote it. A handful of other L-1011 websites existed with lots of complete information about the whole worldwide fleet. So I didn't pretend to make one more site of that kind, nor did I have access to those sources of information or contacts in the aviation world to keep me updated. I just wanted to tell the world that I loved the L-1011, my favorite aircraft.

In 2004, a big leap was made with a professional hosting and a new own domain that also gave a new name to the website. That year, TriStar500.net truly became an L-1011 information center, not only with news about the L-1011's that belonged to TAP Air Portugal or that were still flying in my country, but also keeping attention to the worldwide fleet.

In 2007, I became the luckiest guy in the world when I started working as a crew member flying the good old L-1011 TriStar.

These days, 20 years after the first version of the website went online, I'm still committed to keep it alive as it became a solid part of my own life story.

• TriStar500.net Site: About this Site

Uncertain future for L-1011 Stargazer

Ahead of the latest ICON/Pegasus XL launch, Northrop Grumman's Vice-President stated that they are planning to keep their L-1011 Stargazer five to 10 years more.

Phil Joyce, vice president of space launch programs at Northrop Grumman, said this week that the company is trying to sell the launches using the two remaining Pegasus XL rockets, and officials plan to keep the Pegasus rocket’s L-1011 carrier jet flying for at least five or 10 more years. 

“We’re looking out five or 10 years with the L-1011, and what parts do we need, being the only flying L-1011 on the planet,” he said. “We have the only trained pilots, we have the only trained mechanics for that aircraft, and we needed the parts.”

However, and since there are no new Pegasus missions scheduled, some rumors say that the aircraft used as an airborne launch platform will be retired soon and turned into a monument, as it was already proposed in the recent past.

Stargazer monument © Gordon/Orbital ATK

In even if Stratolaunch project seems to be having its difficulties, the fact is that new airborne launch platforms for small satellites (like Virgin Orbit's Cosmic Girl/Launcher One) are being developed and the challenge of keeping an aircraft that is 45 years old and that is the last operational L-1011 in the world will certainly condemn Stargazer to its final retirement soon or later.

• LoudounNow: Northrop Grumman Proposes Rocket Monument at Orbital ATK
• Spaceflight Now: Rockets purchased by Stratolaunch back under Northrop Grumman control

More underwater photos of Lockheed L-1011 CS-TMP

CS-TMP © Aqaba.jo

The ex-Luzair L-1011 TriStar is providing the opportunity for amazing photos underwater. You can find some of them on the link below as well as more information about its scuttling.

• Aqaba Site: Dive a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar Wreck

Successful launch of the Pegasus XL/ICON Satellite

After a two-year delay, the ICON satellite intended to study the Earth's ionosphere was finally launched. The new launch date was set for the last 9th of October but weather restrictions scrubbed the attempt one more day.

Stargazer © Northrop Grumman Corporation

Last night, the L-1011 took off from Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral, heading towards the Atlantic Ocean and started its climb to 39000 ft. The typical launch circuit pattern was followed and every parameter was nominal for the launch. Unfortunately, when approaching the launch box (a virtual shaped area from which the launch must take place), communications with Stargazer were lost and the launch aborted. The aircraft had to fly one more circuit which took about 30 minutes, and communications were re-established using a new frequency. At its second attempt, everything went fine and the Pegasus XL rocketed away, delivering the payload to its intended orbit (a LEO - Low Earth Orbit).

The ICON mission was the 44th flight of the Pegasus rocket proving the success of the Stargazer/Pegasus XL airborne launch platform.

For the moment there are no new Pegasus XL missions scheduled.

• Northrop Grumman: Northrop Grumman Successfully Launches NASA ICON Satellite

ICON launch set for this Wednesday

News from NASA's Kennedy Space Center:

NASA and Northrop Grumman completed their Launch Readiness Review on Tuesday, Nov. 6, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There are no technical issues being worked at this time. NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, satellite mission is scheduled to launch Wednesday, Nov. 7, by Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus XL rocket, which will be carried aloft by the company’s L-1011 Stargazer aircraft taking off from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

• Kennedy Space Center: Launch Readiness Completed for ICON

ICON launch delayed once more

New date is yet to be decided.

The L-1011 Stargazer carrying the Pegasus rocket arrived at CCAFS last Friday and will remain in Florida to conduct the testing. The spacecraft remains in good health.

• NASA KSC: ICON Launch Delayed

Another new date for ICON

Launch moved forward to October 26, in Cape Canaveral. L-1011 Stargazer to be used as airborn launch platform.

• Spaceflight Now: Launch Schedule

New date for Pegasus XL • ICON

Launch is now scheduled for October 6, 2018, in Cape Canaveral.

Pegasus XL © Northrop Grumman

• Spaceflight Now: Launch Schedule

ICON mission postponed again

L-1011 Stargazer © NASA/Randy Beaudoin

The launch of ICON satellite, which was supposed to take place last June 14, is now set for late September after Northrop Grumman (the new owner of Orbital ATK) found an issue with the fin actuator of the Pegasus XL rocket. The launch site of the satellite is also set to be relocated from Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean to Cape Canaveral in Florida.

• Spaceflight Now: NASA likely to relocate delayed Pegasus launch to Florida

Aviation News - British Airways TriStars

The current issue of Aviation News (Incorportating JETS) brings to us an interesting overview about the career of the L-1011 TriStar in the fleet of British Airways.

Aviation News - June 2018

The TriStar described in this article as "high, wide and handsome" served the British carrier for almost 20 years.

• Aviation News: June 2018

Orbital ATK is the new owner of N91011

When consulting FAA Registry website, Orbital ATK (trade name for ORBITAL SCIENCES CORP) shows up as the new owner of the L-1011 with tail number N91011, a transaction that took place on April 5.

N91011 parked at Victorville

This airframe, an ex-TAP Air Portugal, was previously owned by TriStar Experience, which gave up on it in favor of preserving the ex-Flying Hospital L-1011.

No press release was made about this move on Orbital's website but one can assume N91011 will be used for spare parts to support the operation of the only active L-1011 in the world, the "Stargazer".

• FAA Registry: N-Number Inquiry for N91011

Next Pegasus XL launch

According to Spaceflight Now, the ICON mission is now planned to take place on June 14. The ICON satellite will be launched into orbit using the Pegasus XL rocket released from an airborne platform, the L-1011 Stargazer.

• Spaceflight Now: Launch Schedule