ORD to LAS | American Trans Air (ATA) | L1011

April 1989 flight from ORD Terminal 4 to LAS Terminal 2 on an American Trans Air (ATA/TZ) L1011. This was filmed using a full size VHS Panasonic OMNIMovie camcorder, so it was difficult to hold the video recorder steady.
Some interesting highlights:
The first takeoff was aborted due to a fueld boost pump issue so we were delayed 6 hours
The FA reminding passengers smoking is only allowed in the smoking section rows 28 - 41.
Lots of vintage aircraft taxing around
Enjoy! Leave a like & comment!

[@flyc3]

The polished engine, the sunsetting and the reflection of the rotating beacon just summed up aviation in the 70s and 80s - amazing capture, even I wasn’t expecting the aborted take off. Loved the L-1011, beautiful aircraft.

[@Scott_T_]

It was quite an interesting but fun ride back then. The camcorder battery died at the end, otherwise I would have captured the taxi all the way to the gate. Thanks for watching.

[@vivaivar]

What a fantastic time capsule, lots of metal on the move that day

[@ManningTaylor]

Awesome video. I was a co-op student for ATA back in High School. I remember the L-1011 very well, it was an older plane even back in the late nineties. But it was beautiful and spacious. One night I stepped into the empty cockpit and saw a plaque on the wall that showed the plane was originally delivered to Delta Air Lines in December of 1973.

[@Scott_T_]

Very cool! Yeah the L-1011 was way ahead of its time back then.

[@JamesAMG]

Amazing video!! Always fun listening to people’s commentary in aviation that don’t typically know what’s going on. “Hard left turn”…..plane proceeds to make shallow right turn haha

[@Scott_T_]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@LupeCoded]

😂😂

[@paulj2948]

I remember that exact looking American Trans Air L1011. From JFK to Acapulco either 1987 or 1988. A charter round trip on spring break. Free flowing drinks and smoking on board. Also flew Eastern L1011 in 1979 and 1990 and TWA in 1984. Great plane.

[@JimBronson]

Had the pleasure of riding on some of Delta's L1011s, great aircraft. You get a little more of the famous RB211 buzz forward of the wing on takeoff and climbout. Very quiet in cruise.

[@Scott_T_]

Couldn't agree more! Those aircraft were built like tanks and ahead of their time.

[@michaelmichniak127]

I too have flown ORD to LAS on an ATA L10-11. It was sometime in the 90's and was a charter. The seating was all coach and set up in a 3-4-3 configuration and was very tight. The normal configuration was 2-5-2 and at one time Delta had theirs in a 2-4-2.....very comfortable! Also even though this was a budget charter flight they still served a hot meal!

[@Scott_T_]

Yeah this was a 2-5-2 config. Always liked the 2-5-2 unless you were in the middle of the 5 section.

[@christopherescott6787]

An aircarft I never had a chance to fly on. I've been told it was one of the most spacious. Once again, great footage.

[@Scott_T_]

I do recall it was quite spacious with very comfortable seats.

[@LMays-cu2hp]

Nice to see the older painting of ATA!! The mire new color livery design looked better. They looked more tropical like. And they were with flying a lot of the Caribbean and Hawaii flights. They were also handling some of the cruise ship groups!! Wow!!😊😊 Nice!!😊

[@Scott_T_]

Yes indeed!

[@LMays-cu2hp]

@@Scott_T_ I hope you have been flying safely on more recent flying. Please continue to enjoy traveling.

[@callmehost7594]

Wow i never thought id see footage of inside an L1011 this is actually so cool i love the older tri jets!

[@Scott_T_]

Great! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@BobbyGeneric145]

Its all over youtube

[@TheTraveler976]

Oh wow ATA so memories of flying back then.. very nice video, love the seeing the Delta and Northwest planes ✈️

[@Scott_T_]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@aviationlba747]

ATA were committed to the L-1011 right till the end. Just before they went bankrupt, they started to replace them with even older DC-10s from Northwest, purely because parts were more widely available. Both legendary airliners.

[@TheKingTubby1]

Thanks for keeping the memories of travel on the old Tristars alive and online

[@Scott_T_]

Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@sightsandsoundsofaviation]

The L-1011 doors seem to be opened and closed same fashion as the L-188 Electra, sliding up and down. Never was aware of that. Incredible footage saved for us including an aborted take-off !! Thank you.

[@Scott_T_]

Glad you enjoyed! I wasn't aware the Electra also had rolling doors. Very interesting.

[@bryangallet9056]

Took quite a few flights out of Indianapolis on ATA with this airplane. I can remember one time we had an aborted takeoff but we had gotten quite up to speed so when they broke man did the plane ever twist and shake. It was something else. Few of the glasses went flying and shattered in the preparation area. Few hours later finally they called it and brought in a different airplane. But I'll never forget the high-pitched roar of those engines when we took off

[@Scott_T_]

Yeah the L-1011 was ahead of its time, a tank of an airplane and those distinct engine sounds were awesome.

[@camillesymons2170]

Very impressive! I certainly miss these beautiful machines! Last time that I ever flew on an L1011 was back in 1985! So many happy memories forever!

[@Scott_T_]

Yeah I wish they were still flying today. I'm just glad I got the chance to ride in one and captured the video.

[@lakewoodil]

Sadly all these great machines are chopped up and are no longer in service. What a waste.

[@Jeff-sp7bg]

Thank you for uploading this important and historic video!

[@Scott_T_]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jamieburroughs427]

Any more vintage flight videos?

[@marksimpson6170]

Flew from Manchester to New York on a L-1011 with American Trans Air September 1988!..

[@Scott_T_]

It was a fun ride. The plane was built like a tank.

[@davidcoburn2350]

I miss the L-1011s… an ATA Tristar was the very first heavy a/c I learned to refuel while working at KAEX

[@Scott_T_]

Yeah it was a unique aircraft and lots of fun to ride in. Thanks for watching!

[@Amtran727]

I was a Chicago based Flight Attendant for ATA from 2000-2004. It was a great company to work for. Thanks for posting.

[@Scott_T_]

Very cool! Thanks for watching!

[@BobbyGeneric145]

I flew with an fa at my old regional a few years back who did over a decade at ata. She was very classy lady with great stories of sitting somewhere glamorous in between charters.

[@Amtran727]

@@BobbyGeneric145 Was her first name Jean?

[@BobbyGeneric145]

@@Amtran727 hmm I have a suggestive memory but that could be right... , very pretty, mid 60s,southern accent I recall, based in Midway. Maybe blond hair? Hell I even remember we had a layover in Saskatoon or Regina!

[@ilscatiiicapproach9872]

Excellent collection of classic videos! I subscribed. Hopefully you have more to upload.

[@Scott_T_]

There is one more DC-10 video that I need to edit and upload. There is also the 727 return to ORD at night that I still can't find which I'll never stop looking for. Other than that, that's really all I have. Trust me, I wish I had a lot more.

[@dezzaofoz]

People seem way happier back then!!

[@Scott_T_]

Yes, it was a completely different time back then.

[@juliogonzo2718]

Cool video! I was on an L1011 in about 1996 when I was a kid. Had no idea they'd be pretty much extinct by now. Things were definately different back in the day. Passengers would be outraged by a 6 hour delay nowadays.

[@Scott_T_]

Yeah the delay wasn't fun but I'm glad we made it safely. Thanks for watching.

[@Luv2fli08]

The L1011 was built like a tank and could be noisy. Most likely ex Delta as they sold a few to ATA.

[@longbeach7623]

Respectfully, I don’t think this was an ex DL jet. This video was filmed in the 1980s most likely, given by the UA DC-8, of which all were gone by ‘90-‘91. Delta didn’t start trimming their Tristar fleet until 1997 or later. ATA acquired the -500s, which I recall were the last to go.

[@nathankimble927]

ATA flew several ex-Delta L10's in the 80's and 90's@@longbeach7623

[@Scott_T_]

I agree - they were built like tanks back then.

[@georgiathai4961]

⁠@@longbeach7623American Trans Air bought their first TriStars from Delta in 1985. We had a total of 9 ex Delta airplanes. The -500s were ex Alia airplanes, and we had 5 of those. 2 ex Hawaiian airplanes, 3 ex TWA airplanes. We would lease a few TriStars for the summer season, most of which were Five Star Airlines (all ex TWA) airplanes and a spattering of ex Eastern airplanes.

[@Andguitar1784]

Did I hear the flight attendant say, Welcome to Lost Wages?" 🤣

[@Scott_T_]

Thanks for watching. Yes, you heard that correctly.

[@glhx2112]

Aug 1999 I flew on one of ATA's L1011's from BWI to Aviano Air Base, Italy, then on to Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait. That was my first flight on an L1011 and now I know why they called it the "WhisperLiner". It was very quiet (inside) for it's size. Returned to the states on another ATA L1011 December of that year, stopping At Aviano, then on to Lajes Field, Azores, then BWI. That particular L1011 had a red "smile" painted on the nose, and I overheard some of the crew calling that particular plane "Freddy". Or was that what they nicknamed all their L1011's ?

[@Scott_T_]

Cool! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@EM-od6gu]

You could change the video title to have an aborted take off and probably receive more views. I was pleasantly surprised by this video, but didn’t have any idea it would have all the fun it contains !!! I was 15 in 1989 and I would’ve loved to be on this flight.. wow u were able to get the engine moan on takeoff not once but twice! Loved the clapping from the enthusiastic crowd. I think this is one of the best older “heavy” videos on KZbin.!

[@Scott_T_]

Thanks for the kind words. Because my videos are unique and the channel really can't grow since there are only a few videos I made, I'm not too worried about views. I wanted to display a bit of history so everyone can enjoy. It was very complicated to keep a full size camcorder steady to get the most stable video. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@budsfan1970]

Great video! Another thing I noticed is just how much more happy the passengers seemed back then. Plenty of applause on landing, and nobody whining and complaining about the aborted take off and subsequent delay caused by it. Today, people would be bitching like crazy and trashing the airline non stop on social media.

[@Scott_T_]

Yeah it was a different time back then. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@tomb4568]

Worked for them 7 years good times!

[@Scott_T_]

It was definitely a fun airline to fly on back in the day.

[@ulusguy]

0:36 Those seats look like the original Delta L-1011 interior from the '70s, so assuming this ship was leased or bought from Delta.

[@Scott_T_]

Yeah could be, I don't have any knowledge about its history. It was a fun ride.

[@longbeach7623]

That taxiway footage at ORD was gold. What year was this taken?

[@kevincallaghan3212]

89

[@Scott_T_]

1989. Thanks for watching!

[@jamieburroughs427]

0:20 You can hear a narrow body aircraft with the Pratt & Whitney JT8D engines taxing. However, theres no way to tell what aircraft it is. JT8Ds powered Boeing 727-100, 727-200, 737-100, 737-200 and McDonell Douglas DC-9s. The sound is the 1st gen JT8Ds. The 2nd gens sound similar and power MD80 Series

[@Scott_T_]

I *THINK* it was a 737-200, but can't be sure.

[@abathens]

Love that abort. Also, those hideous seat covers. The Delta L1011 at the time had the same ugly chit

[@Scott_T_]

Yeah looking back, those seats were hideous looking but quite comfortable compared to today's airline seats.

[@TWA727]

Just watching this video, when I realized that this was the accident aircraft that would become flight 232. Very erie.

[@Scott_T_]

Actually, it's the other video, this is the ATA L-1011. But yeah, it was quite startling when I realized what aircraft we actually were on.

[@bronaghkennedy-contemporar6718]

That plane looks like it’s about to fall apart 😳

[@Scott_T_]

Yeah it startled everyone when the takeoff was aborted. Thanks for watching.

[@WindowsXP781]

Have you flown on a 737-300

[@Scott_T_]

Yup - 737-200, 737-300 and 737-500.

[@JimBronson]

When the -300s were new, I always wanted to get on a -300, it was fascinating how much bigger the CFM-56 engines were. But then when they started retiring the -200s I always wanted a 200 because I knew it wasn't going to be much longer. I want to say my last 200 was HOU-AUS back in the early-mid 00s.

[@mehmetokay7073]

Every bit as dreadful as I always expected ATA to be.

[@Scott_T_]

Yeah the worst part was the 6 hour delay with no updates. It also didn't help we went out of Terminal 4 which was basically a small building with no windows.

[@miguelmouta5372]

A Trans airline?😁

[@Scott_T_]

yup! Right in the name too!