iniBuilds took to their Discord server to announce the release of their rendition of the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. The aircraft had been teased on iniBuilds’ Instagram stories in late 2024, with the first official announcement coming in December 2025, and more in-depth previews around two weeks ago.
About the L-1011 TriStar
The Lockheed L-1011 (pronounced “El-ten-eleven”), the third ever wide-body jet airliner after the Boeing 747 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10, is an American medium-to-long-range, wide-body trijet airliner built by the Lockheed Corporation. With a seating capacity of up to 400 passengers, the TriStar was able to fly over 4,000 nautical miles nonstop. Powered by three Rolls-Royce RB.211 engines, the trijet configuration consisted of one each under the wing, and one center-mounted in the rear fuselage with an S-duct air intake situated on the base of the aircraft’s tail.
The original L-1011-1 flew in November 1970, entering service with Eastern Air Lines in 1972. The longer-range, shorter-length L-1011-500 first took to the skies in 1978 and entered service with British Airways in 1979. Initial sales were hampered by two years of delays due to developmental and financial problems at Rolls-Royce, the aircraft’s sole engine option. After L-1011 production ended, Lockheed withdrew from commercial aircraft development due to sales that fell below target. As of 2026, only one L-1011 is in service as Stargazer.
Key features of iniBuilds’ TriStar
iniBuilds’ L-1011 TriStar brings aviation’s most distinctive wide-body aircraft to life with exceptional detail and systems depth. Every detail, from its iconic trijet layout to its advanced systems, has been painstakingly developed using real-world data and extensive reference material.
The TriStar features detailed engine simulation with authentic EPR logic, spool behavior, and realistic thrust response, fully simulated triple INS navigation system supporting authentic waypoint entry, alignment, and inertial navigation workflows, realistic lighting environment, realistic wear-and-tear texturing with aged materials, scratches, and operational grime, and accurate PBR material system with dynamic lighting response across all surfaces.
Furthermore, the TriStar also features a highly detailed cockpit recreation, including Captain, FO, and full Flight Engineer stations, and a fully modeled passenger cabin with period-correct layout, materials, and lighting tone. The TriStar also includes a professionally recorded, real-world L-1011 sound set captured by the Echo 19 Audio Production team with an authentic RB.211 engine sound profile, dynamic environmental sound transitions, detailed cockpit ambience, and high-quality system and mechanical audio feedback across all interactions.
iniBuilds’ TriStar also includes a unique and period-inspired “Paper Flight Bag” or PFB that replaces the commonly found EFBs with a more analogue feel. The PFB features an integrated SimBrief import for fuel, route, and payload sync, customizable fuel and payload loading, a styled OFP with a realistic dispatch-style layout, and aircraft ground services and state control panel. The PFB also features a built-in flight engineer autocomplete system for full or partial aircraft setup for various phases of flight.
Closing Notes
The complete release notes and feature list can be found on the iniBuilds Store page for the L-1011 TriStar.
iniBuilds’ Lockheed L-1011 TriStar is available to purchase from the in-sim Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Marketplace and retails for USD 49.99 exclusive of taxes. The developer has also published a launch trailer commemorating the release, which can be viewed below.
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