Lockheed Electra Jr. 12A, used in the movie Amelia

Lockheed Electra Jr. 12A, used in the movie Amelia for the filming in South Africa
(the airplane is currently in France)
Airframe
• ~5000 hours only since new
•
s/n 1287 (one of the last built)
Engine’s are Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior
•
•
Left by Covington 160 SMOH
Right by Covington 0 SMOH
Propellers
•
•
•
Hamilton Standard Hydromatic two bladed
Left 160 SNEW
Right 160 SNEW
Interior – Exterior
Interior original, in used but nice condition. 6 cabin seats, 2 cockpit seats. We've decided, as
it is the only original example, to keep it as original as possible, and avoid the overrestoration way.
Notes:
It’s VFR only, but stock in that it has never been restored but it is a perfect example of an
original machine which has never been seriously damaged and always been kept airworthy.
It has flown for the US Navy, then RAF, then British Airways (Sydney Cotton), then
Escadrille Mercure, French airline based on the Côte d'Azur, then entered a private
collection, then us. Only known damage: off-field landing during WW 2, in Ireland,
dismantled and repaired by Shorts Bros. and Harland in Ireland. One tail wheel problem
while taxiing in a ditch, tail wheel / tail-cone replaced in Amsterdam (this was during the
50s). Then, in September 2007, gear retraction while taxiing, repaired before flying to South
Africa for filming of "Amelia": landing gear dismantled, completely overhauled, all lines and
rings replaced, retraction system (electrical) overhauled, new flaps made and installed,
engine cowls repaired, firewall forward complete overhaul (mounts, lines, controls) during
engines replacement. All this was done in Switzerland by MAS Services of Bex, well-known
for their work on historical aircraft.
Presently, we've kept it in "Amelia’s” colors, because someone might be interested in having
a Hollywood acft, with Hilary Swank perfume still on board... Plus many, many references on
the silver screen, articles and documentaries (can add a Bluray DVD of the film as a bonus
to
the buyer...).
Description
from owner below (keep in mind that he is French):
2850 Territorial Road West, Battle Creek, MI, 49015 | (269) 565-1000 | [email protected]
2850 Territorial Road West, Battle Creek, MI, 49015 | (269) 565-1000 | [email protected]
2850 Territorial Road West, Battle Creek, MI, 49015 | (269) 565-1000 | [email protected]
After Lockheed had introduced its ten-passenger Model 10 Electra, the company decided to develop
a smaller version which would be better suited as a "feeder airliner" or a corporate executive
transport. At the same time, the U.S. Bureau of Air Commerce had also sensed the need for a small
feeder airliner and announced a design competition for one. In order for a candidate to qualify for the
competition, a prototype had to fly by June 30, 1936.
Lockheed based its candidate, which it named the Model 12 Electra Junior, around a smaller,
improved version of the Electra airframe. It would carry only six passengers and two pilots but would
use the same 450 hp (340 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior SB radial engines as the main
Electra version, the 10A. This made it faster than the Electra, with a top speed of 225 mph (362 km/h)
at 5,000 ft (1,500 m). Like the Electra, the Model 12 had an all-metal structure, trailing-edge wing
flaps, low-drag NACA engine cowlings, and two-bladed controllable-pitch propellers (later changed
to constant-speed propellers). It also had the Electra's twin tail fins and rudders, which were
becoming a Lockheed trademark. The landing gear was a conventional tail-dragger arrangement,
with the main wheels retracting backwards into the engine nacelles; as was often the case with
2850 Territorial Road West, Battle Creek, MI, 49015 | (269) 565-1000 | [email protected]
retractable gear of the period, the wheel bottoms were left exposed in case a wheels-up emergency
landing was necessary.
As in the Electra and the Boeing 247, the Model 12's main wing spar passed through the passenger
cabin; small steps were placed on either side of the spar to ease passenger movement. The cabin
had a lavatory in the rear. Although the standard cabin layout was for six passengers, Lockheed
also offered roomier, more luxurious layouts for corporate or private owners.
The new transport had its first flight on June 27, 1936, three days before the competition deadline, at
12:12 PM local time, a time deliberately chosen for the Model 12's number. As it turned out, the
other two competition entries, the Beechcraft Model 18 and the Barkley-Grow T8P-1, weren't ready in
time for the deadline, so Lockheed won by default.
The "Electra Junior" name did not catch on in the way that the original Electra's name had. Most
users simply referred to the plane by its model number, as the Lockheed 12.
The original Lockheed 12 version, with Wasp Junior engines, was the Model 12A. Almost every
Lockheed 12 built was a 12A or derived from the 12A
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)
Max takeoff weight: 9,200 lb (4,173 kg)
Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior SB radial engines, 450 hp (336 kW) each
2850 Territorial Road West, Battle Creek, MI, 49015 | (269) 565-1000 | [email protected]