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A Look Back – The Loockheed 10A Electra

People who 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.


October 2, 2007  By Raymond Canon

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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