Originally Posted by
rog747
PSA sat pax in the lower deck lounge of their Tristars in 1973 - it was cleared for pax there and had a under belly fairing fitted aft of the nose wheel in case of NG collapse etc
had a handy forward lower deck air stair too (court Line had a rear air stair fitted in aft hold that swung out for door 3R egress)
PSA only took delivery of only 2 of 5 built with lower deck lounges and LTU took the others i think - don't think LTU sat pax down there but they did use the lower deck lounge for a while?
Watching the Court Line L1011 airstair unfold was indeed a sight to behold, like a monstrous octopus unleashing itself ready for attack. Truly a tribute to great engineering design. If you have ever been quietly impressed at how engineers synchronise complex landing gear retraction and extension with sequential doors opening and closing then this thing would blow your mind.
p.s. in my very old and fading memory I recall it was in the front hold but will defer to your superior knowledge (memory).