The story
Lockheed scaled down its Model 10 Electra into a six-passenger feeder airliner with the same 450 hp Wasp Junior engines, which made it faster. It first flew on 27 June 1936 at 12:12 PM, a fitting time for the Model 12, three days before a government competition deadline that Lockheed then won by default. Airlines mostly passed, but oil and steel companies, governments and air forces bought it, and 130 were built before production ended in 1941. Before the war, Sidney Cotton flew two in civilian guise and secretly photographed German and Italian military sites.
The airliner in the last scene of Casablanca (1942) is a Lockheed 12 wearing an Air France seahorse, though Air France never flew the type. Some shots used a cut-out and scale models instead.
Quick answers
How do you identify a Lockheed 12 Electra Junior?
A low-wing twin with two radials in round cowls, twin fins and rudders at the ends of the tailplane, and a tailwheel. The main wheels fold back into the engine nacelles but stay partly exposed. A Beech 18 shares the twin-tail, twin-radial taildragger layout, so look twice.
What does a Lockheed 12 Electra Junior sound like?
Two Wasp Junior nine-cylinder radials, the same engines as the bigger Electra 10A.
How fast is the Lockheed 12 Electra Junior?
Top speed is 196 kts (225 mph) (12A).
How many passengers does the Lockheed 12 Electra Junior carry?
Up to 6. A typical layout is Two pilots and six passengers, with a lavatory at the rear.
How far can the Lockheed 12 Electra Junior fly?
Range is about 695 nmi (12A).
How big is the Lockheed 12 Electra Junior?
It is 36 ft 4 in long and 49 ft 6 in across the wings.
When did the Lockheed 12 Electra Junior first fly?
Its first flight was in 1936.
How many Lockheed 12 Electra Juniors have been built?
130 built.
How rare is a Lockheed 12 Electra Junior in Bogey?
COMMON. Everyday traffic. You will catch plenty of these, and every first catch still counts. Your first Lockheed 12 Electra Junior catch is worth 25 points.
