People who routinely fly the sleek jets and turboprops of today’s
airlines would be in for a real surprise if they were to revert back to
the Lockheed 10A, the first aircraft put into service by Trans-Canada
Air Lines (TCA), the progenitor of Air Canada. Cruising at a sedate 306
km/h (190 mph) and with a range of only 885 km (550 mi), this aircraft
carried a maximum of 10 passengers. Even with the stops for refuelling,
the 10A achieved a noteworthy speed for that time.
When
the aircraft first flew under the TCA colours, it had already been in
the air for 3 years, having first flown in 1934. The early 30’s were a
time when the aviation industry was starting to come out of its long
slumber after the end of World War I; concepts such as monoplanes and
retractable landing gears were among the innovations introduced in
aircraft design. At the same time as Lockheed was coming out with its
10A-12A series, Douglas was producing the even better known DC-2-3, the
latter becoming the most famous transport aircraft
of all time.
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