Lockheed Model 10 Electra
The Lockheed Model 10 Electra was a twin-engined all-metal aircraft Lockheed.
History
Lockheed was in the difficult years of the Great Depression from 1929 to 1932 threatened the existence and looked after the appearance of the Boeing 247 and Douglas DC-2 forced all remaining financial resources to invest in the development of a new, competitive equivalent aircraft generation. As the first of the new designs appeared in late 1933 a twin-engine, glattbeplankter and provided with a double vertical tail design with the name of the Lockheed 10 Electra and the name. The new model was designed for fast and economical transport of ten passengers and luggage. It was similar in appearance to the Boeing 247, was also the same number of passengers transported as the competition pattern, but was smaller in dimensions. For this, the Electra was but faster, had a longer range at higher service ceiling and was especially cheaper than the model of competition.
The commercial success was immediate, and even before the first flight were ordered before for seven machines from Northwest Airlines and Pan American World Airways. The prototype with the registration X233Y launched in Burbank (California ) on February 23, 1934 his first successful flight. The first customer presented Northwest Airlines Electra in August 1934 in service after since June 1934 route proving flights were carried out with the new pattern. At this time, orders for 22 aircraft had already received. Including a small number of C- 36 for the U.S. Army Air Corps ( USAAC ) and U.S. Navy ( USN) were built a total of 149 L-10.
Not only are most of the major American airlines bought the Electra, but also airlines in the UK and the Commonwealth, Continental Europe, and South America had this aircraft in their fleet assets. Also, the pattern has seen several record flights. For example, undertook Amelia Earhart shortly before her 40th birthday to attempt the first human to orbit the Earth at the equator. As her plane was a Lockheed Model 10 Electra available in this experiment Amelia Earhart disappeared in July 1937 and was declared dead.
From the Electra, there were three basic models: the model 10A was 400 hp ( 294.2 kW) Pratt & Whitney R -985 ( Wasp Junior) SB2 engines, the Model 10B with 420 hp ( 308.9 kW) Wright R- 975 -E3 Whirlwind engines equipped. The latest version, the Model 10E received as a drive 450 hp ( 331 kW) R -1340 - S3H1 Wasp engines and additional fuel tanks for greater range.
The first operator of the L-10 were the following airlines:
- USA: Northeast Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Eastern Air Lines, Mid- Contenent Airlines, National Airways, Northwest Airlines, Pan American World Airways and Pacific Alaska Airlines;
- Canada: Trans- Canada Air Lines
- Latin America: Compania Mexicana de Aviación, Linea Aeropostal Venezolana, Panair do Brasil and KLM West Indies;
- Australia & the Pacific: MacRobertson -Miller Aviation ( MMA), Guinea Airways and Union Airways
- Europe: British Airways, LOT, LARES and Aeroput.
In 1936, Lockheed turned to the development of a scaled-down version of Electra, which was intended for the shuttle and business aircraft market and has been referred to as the Lockheed Model 12.
Specifications
Lockheed Model 10/12 Electra: