Lockheed Model 10
| Lockheed Model 10 Electra | |
|---|---|
 Lockheed Electra 10A |
|
| Type: | Twin-engine propeller plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
February 23, 1934 |
| Commissioning: |
1935 |
| Number of pieces: |
149 |
The Lockheed Model 10 Electra was a twin-engine, all-metal aircraft from the Lockheed company .
history
During the difficult years of the Great Depression from 1929 to 1932, Lockheed's existence was threatened and, after the appearance of the Boeing 247 and Douglas DC-2, was forced to invest all available funds in the development of a new generation of aircraft that was on par with the competition. The first of the new designs appeared at the end of 1933, a twin-engine, smooth-skinned aircraft with a double rudder unit called the Lockheed 10 and the name Electra . The new model was designed to carry ten passengers and luggage quickly and economically. It resembled the Boeing 247 in appearance, could carry the same number of passengers as the competitor model, but was smaller in size. On the other hand , the Electra was faster, had a greater range at a higher service ceiling and, above all, was cheaper than the model of the competition.
Business success was immediate, and orders for seven planes from Northwest Airlines and Pan American World Airways had been placed before the first flight . The prototype with the registration X233Y took off from Burbank (California) on February 23, 1934 on its successful maiden flight. As the first customer, Northwest Airlines put the Electra into service in August 1934, after route test flights with the new type had been carried out since June 1934. At this point in time, orders for 22 machines had already been received. A total of 149 Electra were built, including a small number of C-36s for the US Army Air Corps (USAAC) and the US Navy (USN) .
Not only did most of the major American airlines acquire the Electra , but airlines in the UK and Commonwealth , Continental Europe, and South America also had this aircraft in their fleet. The pattern was also able to record several record flights. For example, shortly before her 40th birthday , Amelia Earhart attempted to be the first person to circle the earth at the equator. An Electra 10-E was available to her as an aircraft, during this attempt Amelia Earhart went missing in July 1937 and was pronounced dead.
There were three basic versions of the Electra : The model 10A had 400 hp (294.2 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-985 (Wasp Junior) SB2 engines, the model 10B had 420 hp (308.9 kW) Wright R- 975 -E3 Whirlwind motors. The last version, the Model 10E , received 450 hp (331 kW) R-1340-S3H1 Wasp engines and additional fuel tanks for a longer range.
The first operators of the Model 10 were the following airlines :
- USA: Northeast Airlines , Delta Air Lines , Eastern Air Lines , Mid-Continent Airlines , National Airlines , Northwest Airlines , Pan American World Airways and Pacific Alaska Airlines ;
- Canada: Trans Canada Air Lines
- Latin America: Compañia Mexicana de Aviación , Linea Aeropostal Venezolana , Panair do Brasil and KLM Westindies ;
- Australia & Pacific: MacRobertson-Miller Aviation (MMA), Guinea Airways and Union Airways
- Europe: British Airways , LOT , LARES and Aeroput .
British Airways put their machines into service in March 1937 on the Wiking post line Croydon-Hamburg-Copenhagen-Malmö-Stockholm, but also used them between Croydon and Le Bourget. Many of the civilian Electra were confiscated during World War II and flew for the USAAC and the Royal Air Force (RAF) . Some of the machines of the Polish LOT that had escaped to Romania were later made available by the Romanian government to its alliance partner Germany, which incorporated it into various air force transport units.
In 1936, Lockheed turned to the development of a scaled-down version of the Electra intended for the shuttle and business aircraft market, designated the Lockheed Model 12 .
Technical specifications
Lockheed Model 10/12 Electra :
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| length | 11.75 m |
| Wingspan | 16.75 m |
| height | 3.05 m |
| drive | Two Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior SB2, air-cooled 9-cylinder radial engines with 400 HP each |
| Cruising speed | 300 km / h |
| Range | 1,300 km |
| Service ceiling | 6,100 m |
| Max. Takeoff weight | 4,670 kg |
| capacity | 2 men crew, 12 passengers |
See also
literature
- Michael O'Leary: Lockheed 10/12 Electra - Database . In: Airplane Monthly August 2001, pp. 51-64
- René J. Francillon: Lockheed Aircraft since 1913 , Putnam & Co., 2nd revised edition 1987, ISBN 0-85177-805-4 , pp. 118–129
- Joseph P. Juptner: US Civil Aircraft Series Volume 6 , Aero Publishers, 1978, reprinted in 1994 by TAB Books, no ISBN, pp. 184-187, pp. 212-214, pp. 298 f.
