Lockheed L-1011 Trivia Quiz

Answer: TriStar

Like its most notable competitor, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10, the L-1011 boasted a three-engine configuration. One engine hung from each wing, while the third engine was mounted in the tail. But the tail-mounted engine in the L-1011 actually integrated through the tail, using ducting similar to what was found on the Boeing 727 and providing more stability and quiet.

Answer: Rolls-Royce

The Rolls-Royce RB211 engine was developed as the powerplant for the L-1011. The three-spool design with carbon fiber fan was intended to have a high power-to-weight ratio to maximize engine efficiency. Rolls-Royce ended up going into receivership in 1971, as the costs of engine development bankrupted the company. The British government took control of Rolls-Royce with the understanding that the US government would guarantee the bank loans needed for Lockheed to finish the project.

At the time that the L-1011 was under development, Allison Engine Company was part of General Motors. Rolls-Royce acquired Allison in 1995.

Answer: Eastern

Several major American airlines used the L-1011 during its lifetime, including Eastern, TWA, and Delta. Eastern referred to their L-1011s as "Whisper Liners" because of their efficient and quiet operations. Delta was the most prolific user of the aircraft among American passenger carriers.

Answer: Japan

Lockheed vice-chairman Carl Kotchian admitted to Congress that the company had paid over $1.5 million to Japanese prime minister Kakuei Tanaka, in exchange for subsidizing All Nippon Airway's purchase of the L-1011. Kotchian and Lockheed chairman Daniel Haughton stepped down a week after Kotchian's testimony. Tanaka was eventually sentenced to four years in prison for the less serious charge of violating foreign exchange control laws, but he never spent time in jail.

Answer: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Saudia Flight 163, which originated in Karachi, had taken off from Riyadh on the second leg of the journey to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, when the crew detected smoke coming from a cargo compartment. The crew guided the L-1011 to a safe emergency landing, but a delay in evacuating the aircraft allowed the fire to get out of control. All 287 passengers and all 14 crew perished.

At the time, it was the second worst single-aircraft disaster of all time, behind the Turkish Airlines Flight 981 crash near Paris in March, 1974.

Answer: San Francisco

Erroneous activation of the stick-shaker stall warning device prompted the first officer of Flight 843 to abort the takeoff when the aircraft was just 16 feet off the ground. The aircraft landed hard and came to rest, upright, in the grass nearly 300 feet away from the departure end of the runway. Unlike the Riyadh incident, in which the crew tragically delayed evacuation, the TWA crew safely evacuated the aircraft in less than two minutes.

There were 10 people who suffered minor injuries, but all 280 passengers and 10 crew survived.

Answer: IBM Personal Computer

The Delta Flight 191 disaster occurred over three years after the Pan Am Flight 759 disaster, in which a Boeing 727 was knocked to the ground by a similar microburst during takeoff from New Orleans. Don Estridge was tasked with leading a team to create a low-cost alternative to computers on the market from competitors Apple and Commodore.

The success of the IBM PC helped lead Estridge up the IBM ladder, eventually becoming Vice President, Manufacturing. Estridge, his wife, two IBM summer interns, and six family members of other IBM employees were among the 128 passengers killed in the disaster.

Answer: United Kingdom

A total of nine L-1011s--six formerly serving with British Airways and three formerly serving with Pan Am--were converted into the mid-air refueling role after the war over the Falkland Islands. The aircraft, assigned to No. 216 Squadron and based at RAF Brize Norton, are slated to be replaced by a new Airbus tanker early in the 2010s, as part of the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft program.

Answer: Stargazer

Orbital Sciences's L-1011, formerly used by Air Canada, carries the Pegasus rocket up to a height of 40,000 feet for launch. This mobile launch platform allows for lower per-flight costs, as it eliminates the need for fixed launch pads on the ground.

The L-1011 replaced NASA's famed NB-52 air-launch vehicle, a modified B-model of the B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber, as the launch platform for Pegasus.

Answer: 250

Lockheed originally estimated that it would need to produce 500 aircraft to break even on the project. However, in 1981, the company decided to cease production after reaching just half that number. Despite the L-1011's success as a commercial carrier, it marked Lockheed's last foray into major civilian aviation.