Lockheed L-12 Electra Junior

infobox Aircraft
name = L-12 Electra Junior
type = Utility aircraft
manufacturer = Lockheed


caption =
designer =
first flight = June] 27, 1936
introduced =
retired =
status =
primary user =
more users =
produced =
number built =
unit cost =
developed from = Lockheed L-10 Electra
variants with their own articles = 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.

Variants

* 12-A 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
* : RCAF
*
*
* : SAAF
* : RAF
*
**US Army Air Corps
**US Army Air Force
**US Marine Corps
**United States Navy

pecifications (12A Electra Junior)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?= plane
jet or prop?= prop
ref=
crew= two, pilot and co-pilot
capacity=six passengers
length main= 36 ft 4 in
length alt= 11.07 m
span main= 49 ft 6 in
span alt= 15.09 m
height main= 9 ft 9 in
height alt= 2.97 m
area main= 352 ft²
area alt= 32.7 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 5,765 lb
empty weight alt= 2,615 kg
loaded weight main= 8,650 lb
loaded weight alt= 3,924 kg
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=
engine (prop)=Pratt & Whitney R-985-48
type of prop=radial engines
number of props=2
power main= 450 hp
power alt= 336 kW
power original=
max speed main= 195 knots
max speed alt= 225 mph, 362 km/h
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
range main= 695 NM
range alt= 800 mi, 1,287 km
ceiling main= 22,900 ft
ceiling alt= 6,980 m
climb rate main= 1,140 ft/min
climb rate alt= 427 m/min
loading main= 25 lb/ft²
loading alt= 120 kg/m²
thrust/weight=
power/mass main= 0.10 hp/lb
power/mass alt= 0.17 kW/kg
more performance=
armament=
avionics=

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 1976 TV movie "Amelia Earhart".

ee also

aircontent
related=
*Lockheed L-10 Electra
*Lockheed L-14 Super Electra
similar aircraft=
*Beech 18
sequence=
lists=
*List of Lockheed aircraft
*List of military aircraft of the United States
see also=