L-1011 Question

[Ewan Whosearmy]

Can anybody confirm if the L-1011 Flight Deck was fitted with a PVD system? The only a/c i was aware of which ustilised a PVD as standard was the SR-71 (also a Lockheed product).

I ask as there is a PVD control console on sale at ebay (which states that it came from an L-1011), and i wondered if this was a one of piece of kit that was trialed or instead was a standard fit.

Many thanks for all replies.

[Martin Leighton]

Yeah, the L-1011 certainly has got PVDs which can be used for either take-off or landing guidance. It's also got the best autoland in the business!!!
Brgds,


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Per ardua ad.......

[Air Conditioned]

I believe Trident was PVD equipped at the outset.

[411A]

The Lockheed L1011 did NOT repeat NOT come standard with PVD. These were fitted as a customer airline option and, so far as I know only BEA (BA) ordered same. This information comes direct from Lockheed Martin Customer Support. And, as for having THE very best autopilot, absolutely correct.

[scanscanscan]

Well 411a and Martins could both be slightly mistaken!
1. I flew with the Gulf Air L1011 fleet from 1975 until 1989 and I recall useing Pvds and also the Ground run monitor on our "Five star Tristars".
2. I also recall more than one autopilot.



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We will do the drill according to the amendments to the amendments I er think?

[GotTheTshirt]

411A,
scanscan is quite correct all the BA aircraft and some CAA recognised airlines like GF had PVD.
The system was not FAA approved only CAA. When the GF Tristars were sold to the USA (Arrow and Interlease) the PVD had to be removed as it not approved.

Re the autopilot yes one of the best - designed in part by a Brit !!
When one of the Court line aircraft were delivered in 72 the original delivery flight was from Palmdale to Portland Oregon (for Tax reasons!!) and was flown by a Lockheed crew totally on Autpilot from takeoff roll to stopped on the runway.

When dealing with Lockheed Martin Greenville you should note that L1011 production and product support was originaly co-located in Burbank and Palmdale CA.
After Lockheed production closed Product Support was moved to Atlanta GA area and many of the original L1011 people moved.
Product support has now moved to Greenville SC and virtually no one moved. The info from Greenville is only as good as the paperwork (or the desire to research the paperwork) and not from hands on knowledge that was available in CA and GA

[411A]

T SHIRT
Yes indeed, now that I recall, GF did have PVD and recall flying a GF TriStar on short-term lease to UL. In actual fact, all of the TriStar support personnel (now reduced to three) have shifted to Greenville, spoke to one just today.

[Track]

Just interested, what is PVD?

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Track

[Cornish Jack]

Track - PVD = Para Visual Display.
It consisted of two 'barber's pole' type indicators mounted horizontally on the glare shield. They were activated from the Localiser and used as steering guidance for low vis take-offs and as reversionary steering aids in the event of A/P disconnects on the landing roll. The direction of rotation of the 'pole' indicated the turn required to regain the centre-line.
BTW - also fitted as standard to BA's 744s.

[ausflyer]

Anyone out there know anything about a 1011 that is about to be dismantled in Amman Jordan. Noticed an advertisement for A&P engineers to comlpete the project. Any/all responses appreciated.

Thanks from downunder.(Australia)

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[Speedbird48]

The BA Tri-Stars and the Gulf- Air ones did have PVD's and they worked very well as did the whole auto-pilot system. Wonderful machine.
There was a home video taken at the time of Cat3 qualification, I think at Edwards, that shows a TriStar doing an auto-land with NOBODY in the seats. I heard that the rush for the seats once it touched down would have won the Olympics.
I was on them for nine years and they were the best of my career.

[Track]

Thanks CJ for the PVD explanation.

But what are the advantages the L1011 AP has over other autoland and AP systems? What does it do better than for instance the 747-classic AP? Or do you consider it to be even superior over modern ( A330, B777 ) systems?

I'm not criticising, just wondering what it is that makes it so special.

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Track, F/O B737-800, nice autoland, no rollout http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/frown.gif

[Roger Turbojet]

Don´t shoot me if I´m wrong, but I belive that the L1011 was the first airliner capable of makeing autoland/CATIII, Lockheed did all the background work and development. That gave them some knowlegde when designing the L1011, rather than a pice of equipment to be fitted (so to speak).

Please correct me If I'm wrong...

[Cornish Jack]

Track
One should never speak for other people, but I think I would be correct in saying that anyone who had anything to do with the Tristar thought it was PFM. It was years ahead of it's time and the A/P was far more sophisticated than anything else of that era. A senior pilot at my previous employer used to recount the tale of a duty day doing LHR - CDG twice, back to back and the only time he saw the ground was taxying in and out at London and Paris. One of the helpful control functions was DLC - Direct Lift Control - where the spoilers worked in conjunction with, but in opposite direction to, the elevators, to provide very accurate glidepath tracking with minimum pitch disturbance. Lovely aircraft ! :)