avia.wikisort.org - Aeroplane

The Lockheed Air Express was the second aircraft design created by the Lockheed Aircraft Company after its founding in 1927; the type first flew in April 1928.[1]

This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2010)

Air Express
Role	Passenger and Mail transport Type of aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Lockheed
First flight	April 1928
Number built	8
Developed from	Lockheed Vega

Description

The Air Express design incorporated the original fuselage of the Vega, but in order to meet the requirements of Western Air Express, the wing was raised to a parasol configuration above the fuselage and the cockpit was moved behind the wing, while a more powerful Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine was fitted to ease operations over the Sierra Nevada mountains.[2] The design was a commercial success for the company although only seven were built, plus one Air Express Special.

No Air Expresses have survived to the present day. One, registered NR3057, was flown by Roscoe Turner.

Variants

Lockheed 3 Air Express

Single-engined passenger and mail transport aircraft, seating between four and six passengers in an enclosed cabin, able to carry up to 1,000-lb (454-kg) of mail, powered by a 410-hp (306-kW) Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial piston engine; seven built.

Air Express Special

One-off version built for Laura Ingalls, for a non-stop trans-Atlantic flight in 1931; one built.

Operators

 Brazil

• Panair do Brasil

 United States

• American Airways
• New York, Rio, and Buenos Aires Line
• Pan American Airways
• Texas Air Transport
• Western Air Express

Specifications

Data from Lockheed Aircraft since 1913 [3]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Capacity: 4 passengers or 100 cu ft (2.8m³) mail
• Length: 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m)
• Wingspan: 42 ft 6 in (12.95 m)
• Height: 8 ft 4.5 in (2.553 m)
• Wing area: 288 sq ft (26.8 m²)
• Empty weight: 2,533 lb (1,149 kg)
• Gross weight: 4,375 lb (1,984 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney Wasp C , 420 hp (310 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 176 mph (283 km/h, 153 kn) (with NACA cowling)
• Cruise speed: 151 mph (243 km/h, 131 kn)
• Range: 750 mi (1,210 km, 650 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 17,250 ft (5,260 m)
• Rate of climb: 1,460 ft/min (7.4 m/s)

See also

Related development

• Lockheed Vega
• Lockheed Explorer
• Lockheed Sirius
• Lockheed Altair

Related lists

• List of Lockheed aircraft

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Francillon, René J. Lockheed Aircraft since 1913. London:Putnam, First edition, 1982. ISBN 0-370-30329-6.
• Francillon, René J, Lockheed Aircraft since 1913. Naval Institute Press: Annapolis, 1987.

На других языках

---

- [en] Lockheed Air Express

---

[fr] Lockheed Air Express

Le Lockheed Air Express ou Lockheed L-3 est un avion de transport léger apte aux vols postaux conçu et réalisé aux États-Unis durant l'entre-deux-guerres[1]. Il n'a été construit qu'à huit exemplaires[2].

---

[it] Lockheed Air Express

Il Lockheed Air Express era un monomotore di linea ad ala alta a parasole prodotto dall'azienda statunitense Lockheed Aircraft Limited nei tardi anni venti.

---

---