| L-12 Electra Junior | |
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| A Lockheed 12A, F-AZLL | |
| Role | Utility aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed |
| First flight | June 27, 1936 |
| Developed from | Lockheed L-10 Electra |
| Variants | Lockheed L-14 Super Electra |
The Lockheed 12 Electra Junior was an eight-seat, six passenger all-metal transport designed for use by smaller airlines and private owners. Developed as a scaled-down version of the Lockheed 10 Electra, the prototype made its first flight on June 27, 1936, piloted by Marshall Headle.
British Airways Ltd. ordered two Electra Juniors in 1939. Although ostensibly acquired for civilian purposes, these aircraft were modified for aerial photography and used by Sidney Cotton to track Axis military activity on the eve of World War II.
A modified Electra Junior was used by the NACA as a testbed for "hotwing" deicing technology.
A total of 130 Electra Juniors were built. At the time of the Pearl Harbor attack this aircraft had outsold the competing Beech 18 by 2-1, and Lockheed had over two dozen unfilled orders. In order to concentrate on more vital and advanced wartime aircraft, Lockheed turned the unfilled orders over to Beechcraft, who eventually built many thousands of their Model 18.
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Variants
- 12-A modified with non-retractable Tricycle gear
- 12-B with two 440 hp (330 kW) Wright R-975 Whirlwind radial engines
- 212 light attack/trainer with gun turret atop aft fuselage
Operators
- Civilian
- Continental Airlines, which used them as their primary aircraft in the late 1930s.
- British Airways Ltd. (a front for the espionage of Sidney Cotton)
- NACA
- Santa Maria Airlines
- Military
Survivors
- C-40A/L-12 is on display at the Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California
- CF-CCT is on display at the Canada Aviation Museum in Ottawa, Ontario
Specifications (12-A Electra Junior)
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General characteristics
- Crew: two, pilot and co-pilot
- Capacity: six passengers
- Length: 36 ft 4 in (11.07 m)
- Wingspan: 49 ft 6 in (15.09 m)
- Height: 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)
- Wing area: 352 ft² (32.7 m²)
- Empty weight: 5,765 lb (2,615 kg)
- Loaded weight: 8,650 lb (3,924 kg)
- Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney R-985-48 radial engines, 450 hp (336 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 195 kn (225 mph, 362 km/h)
- Range: 695 nmi (800 mi, 1,287 km)
- Service ceiling: 22,900 ft (6,980 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,140 ft/min (427 m/min)
- Wing loading: 25 lb/ft² (120 kg/m²)
- Power/mass: 0.10 hp/lb (0.17 kW/kg)
Popular culture
An Electra Junior appeared in the 1942 film Casablanca. Wartime security precautions prevented shooting at an airport at night, so a cardboard cutout stood in for a real airplane in many shots. Two Electra Juniors appeared as stand-ins for a model 10-E Electra in the NBC 1976 TV movie Amelia Earhart. Another model 12 appears in the 2009 movie "Amelia".[1]
Notes
See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
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