Pan American Airways  Lockheed L1011-500 Tristar   N508PA          (c/n  1186)

                                    

                                        Pan American placed a sizeable order (for that era) with Lockheed in April of 1978 for a fleet
                                        of 12 wide-bodied Tristars with which to replace the Boeing 707s and Douglas DC-8s on their
                                        South American routes.  The first of these advanced dash 500 models flew with the airline in the
                                        spring of 1980, although all had been sold off by 1988.   A comprehensive history of the develop-
                                        ment  of this airliner may be found at:      http://flytristar.tripod.com/page/history.html
                                        I flew in a number of Trristars in the 1970s and 1980s and actually preferred them to their contemp-
                                        orary rivals, the Boeing 747 and Douglas DC-10 for comfort and general noise level.  The above
                                        (excellent) image of N508PA ("Clipper Bald Eagle") about to touch down at Miami International
                                        was taken by Bob Garrard in December, 1980.   N508PA was one of several which were sold to
                                        the Royal Air Force in 1984, this one becoming ZE704, a Mk. C.2.  Others were converted as tankers.