Redesign – Lockheed L-1011 TriStar
Autor: Cojocaru Gall, Adrian Eusebiu
Datum: 11.07.2025
Homework
Abstract
Objective – As part of the "Aircraft Design" course at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg) during the summer semester 2025, and under the supervision of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dieter Scholz, this project presents the redesign of an old commercial aircraft. The aircraft is the "Lockheed L-1011 TriStar", a three engine wide-body airliner dimensioned to fulfill FAR-25 certification requirements and is optimized for medium to long-haul missions. --- Approach – The design process followed a structured methodology using Excel-based tools developed by Prof. Scholz and previous student cohorts. Starting from a set of top-level aircraft requirements (TLARs), the aircraft configuration includes the fuselage, cabin, wing, empennage, landing gear, and high-lift devices which were developed using analytical methods introduced in the course. Performance characteristics such as aerodynamic coefficients, mass estimations, and center of gravity locations were iteratively refined. A cost analysis was also performed, including an estimation of Direct Operating Costs (DOC). The resulting aircraft geometry was modeled in 3D using OpenVSP. --- Results – The proposed aircraft meets the predefined mission requirements with a strong base compared with other similar and existing airplanes. The results show good alignment with comparable aircraft in its class, confirming that the applied methods lead to a coherent and realistic conceptual design.