On 20 Aug 2017 06:59:37 -0700, Miloch <Miloch_member@newsguy.com>
wrote: Western Airlines was also another user of the Electra. They
replaced the DC-6B's as Western's major aircraft. When they introduced
the Electra they had two special flights out of Ontario, California
for city dignitaries. I knew the Western Airline agent at Ontario,
and he was able to get me on board for one of the flights. Great
aircraft, the take off run, really pushed you back in your seat !
>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_L-188_Electra
>
>The Lockheed L-188 Electra is an American turboprop airliner built by Lockheed.
>First flown in 1957, it was the first large turboprop airliner built in the
>United States. Initial sales were good, but after two fatal crashes that led to
>expensive modifications to fix a design defect, no more were ordered. With its
>unique high power-to-weight ratio, huge propellers and very short wings
>(resulting in the majority of the wingspan being enveloped in propwash), large
>Fowler flaps which significantly increased effective wing area when extended,
>and four-engined design, the airplane had airfield performance capabilities
>runways and high field elevations. Jet airliners soon supplanted turboprops for
>many purposes, and many Electras were modified as freighters. Some Electras are
>still being used in various roles into the 21st century. The airframe was also
>used as the basis for the much more successful Lockheed P-3 Orion maritime
>patrol aircraft.
>
>The Model 188 Electra is a low-wing cantilever monoplane powered by four
>wing-mounted Allison 501-D13 turboprops. It has a retractable tricycle landing
>gear and a conventional tail. It has a cockpit crew of three and can carry 66 to
>80 passengers in a mixed-class arrangement, although 98 could be carried in a
>high-density layout. The first variant was the Model 188A, followed by the
>longer-range 188C with room for 1,000 US gallons (3,800 L) more fuel and maximum
>take-off weight 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg) higher.
>
>
>Role
>Turboprop airliner
>
>National origin
>United States
>
>Manufacturer
>Lockheed Corporation
>
>First flight
>December 6, 1957
>
>Introduction
>January 12, 1959 with Eastern Air Lines
>
>Status
>In limited use
>
>Primary users
>American Airlines
>Eastern Air Lines
>Braniff Airways
>National Airlines
>
>Produced
>
>Number built
>170
>
>Variants
>Lockheed P-3 Orion
>
>American Airlines was the launch customer. Eastern Air Lines, Braniff Airways
>and Northwest Airlines followed. The Electra suffered a troubled start.
>Passengers of early aircraft complained of noise in the cabin forward of the
>wings, caused by propeller resonance. Lockheed redesigned the engine nacelles,
>tilting the engines upwards three degrees. The changes were incorporated on the
>production line by mid-1959 or as modification kits for the aircraft already
>built, and resulted in improved performance and a better ride for passengers.
>
>Three aircraft were lost in fatal accidents between February 1959 and March
>1960. After the third crash, the FAA limited the Electra's speed until the cause
>could be determined.
>
>After an extensive investigation, two of the crashes (in September 1959 and
>March 1960) were found to be caused by an engine mount problem. The mounts were
>not strong enough to damp a phenomenon called "whirl mode flutter" (analogous to
>the precession of a child's top as it slows down) that affected the outboard
>engine nacelles. When the oscillation was transmitted to the wings and the
>flutter frequency decreased to a point where it was resonant with the outer wing
>panels (at the same frequency, or harmonically related ones), violent
>up-and-down oscillation increased until the wings would tear off. The company
>implemented an expensive modification program (the Lockheed Electra Achievement
>Program or LEAP) in which the engine mounts and the wing structures supporting
>the mounts were strengthened, and some of the wing skins were replaced with
>thicker material. All Electras were modified at Lockheed's expense at the
>factory, the modifications taking 20 days for each aircraft. The changes were
>incorporated in later aircraft as they were built. However, the damage had been
>done, and the public lost confidence in the type. This and the smaller jets that
>were being introduced eventually relegated Electras to the smallest airlines.
>Production ended in 1961 after 170 had been built. Losses to Lockheed have been
>estimated as high as $57 million, not counting an additional $55 million in
>lawsuits. Electras continued to carry passengers into the 1980s, but most now in
>use are freighters.
>
>In 1973, the Argentine Navy bought three Electras equipped with cargo doors.
>These were used during the "Dirty War" to toss political prisoners into the Rio
>de La Plata in the infamous death flights. The Electras were also used for
>transport duties during the Falklands War in 1982.
>
>Specifications (Model 188A)
>
>General characteristics
>Crew: Five (3 flight deck)
>Capacity: 98 passengers
>Payload: 33,800 lb (15331 kg)
>Length: 104 ft 6 in (31.85 m)
>Wingspan: 99 ft 0 in (30.18 m)
>Height: 32 ft 10 in (10.00 m)
>Empty weight: 57,400 lb (26,036 kg)
>Max. takeoff weight: 113,000 lb (51,256 kg)
>
>Performance
>Maximum speed: 390 knots (448 mph, 721 km/h) at 12,000 ft (3,660 m)
>Cruise speed: 324 knots (373 mph, 600 km/h)
>Range: 1,913 nmi (2,200 mi, 3,540 km) with maximum payload, 2,409 nmi, 2,770 mi,
>4,455 km with 17,500 lb (7,938 kg) payload
>Service ceiling: 32,000 ft (9,753 m)
>Rate of climb: 1,970 ft/min (10 m/s)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>*
|
|