When aircraft are no longer wanted, they are usually scrapped with anything recoverable recycled. Some manage to be preserved in aviation museums around the world, and it seems others end up on the beach.
Lockheed L-1011 TriStars appear in the strangest places, such as the one you can go diving on in Aqaba, Jordan. For those not into diving, head to the beach in Cotonou in Benin for a real treat.
The TriStar On The Beach
This particular aircraft first took to the sky in 1978, being delivered to ANA that same year. After many years with the Japanese airline, it went to other second tier carriers, before finishing up with Air RUM until that airline ceased operating in 2008.
When looking at Google Maps, you can see that the airport in Cotonou, Benin abuts the the beach. That would have made it relatively simple to move into position, one would think.
As you can see in the video above, much of the interior remains intact. From the cockpit to the passenger cabin, almost everything is still there, which is quite remarkable.
How Do I Get There?
Cotonou Cadjehoun Airport is accessible via Air France from Paris, Ethiopian Airlines from Addis-Ababa, Royal Air Maroc from Casablanca, Turkish Airlines from Istanbul and from a bunch of other places on other smaller airlines.
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- The all important data plate in the aircraft.
Benin is not necessarily a place you would think of for a holiday, but this might add it to some people’s list of places to see. Hey, everyone loves the Lockheed TriStar!
Overall Thoughts
It’s always interesting when aircraft appear in places that you least expect them. I am sure if I was casually visiting Cotonou and spotted this plane on the beach that I’d be stopping for a bit of a nose around.
Whether it’s a formal museum like Brooklands in the UK with its Concorde and VC10, or the Qantas Founders Outback Museum with their Boeing 707 and Boeing 747, to a plane on a beach, it’s all fun to me. Clambering around aircraft is just kinda cool.
Did you know about the final resting place of this L-1011 TriStar? Have you visited it? Are there any other times you’ve come across planes in strange places? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Images via TWA302 on Airliners.net.
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I heard that the admission charge is negotiable. I wonder what the author paid.
There are very few L-1011 that can be seen now.
In its days, it was the most technologically advanced plane, even more than the 747. It did generate a lot of smoke when the engines were started. It was easy to alarm a fellow passenger by saying “look out the window, see how that engine isn’t working right with all that smoke” and knowing that the passenger could also smell it.
Yes, it’s virtually an aircraft consigned to history at this point, but it was some machine when it was brand new. Far more technologically advanced than the other aircraft competing with it, which arguably includes the 747. It’s a great regret that I never got to fly in one.
What a silly comment “Cotonou is not a place to go for vacation”. Geez!!! I guess africans that visit the beautiful city dont matter
You must have mis-read what I wrote, which was “Benin is not necessarily a place you would think of for a holiday” – something vastly different to your interpretation. I’d happily go there myself.
On my list of countries that I would like to visit thar I haven’t before, Benin is among the top 5 in Africa. I know someone that went there and sent me a postcard.
Excellent, hopefully you make it out there!