1930 жылдардың американдық жолаушы және жүк көлігі ұшақтары

1930s American family of airliners

The Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra was an American civil passenger and cargo aircraft built by the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation during the late 1930s. An outgrowth of the earlier Model 10 Electra, the Model 14 was also developed into larger, more capable civil and military versions.

The design, developed by a team led by Don Palmer, was a scaled up version of the original Model 10 Electra, with passenger seating increased from 10 to 14. It was intended to compete commercially with the contemporary Douglas DC 2 and the Boeing 247. The first Model 14 flew on July 29, 1937, piloted by Marshall Headle. Early 14's used the Pratt & Whitney R 1690 Hornet engine; later the Wright R 1820 Cyclone 9 was offered as an option. Lockheed built a total of 114 Model 14s; another 119 were built under license in Japan by the Tachikawa Aircraft Company under the designation Tachikawa Type LO Transport Aircraft Thelma. Another 121 were built by Kawasaki Aircraft Company under the designation Kawasaki Type 1 cargo transporter. The type 1 cargo's fuselage was lengthened by , enabling the fitting of larger cargo doors. In Japan during the late 1930s and early 1940s, in common with most large economies of the time, research was being conducted into pressurised cabins for high altitude flight. In similar fashion to the Lockheed XC 35, in the United States, Tachikawa incorporated a pressurised cabin into new forward and centre fuselage sections for one of the locally built Lockheed Type LO Transport Aircraft. The resulting research aircraft was given the long designation Tachikawa Lockheed Type B high altitude research aircraft and the company designation Tachikawa SS 1. The first conversion was completed in May 1943, re engined with 2x Mitsubishi Ha 102 14 cylinder radial engines. The two conversions carried out a brief flight testing programme.

The Model 14 entered commercial service with Northwest Airlines in the US in October 1937. Aircraft were exported for use by Aer Lingus of Ireland, British Airways and KLM of the Netherlands. The Model 14 was the basis for development of the Lockheed Hudson maritime reconnaissance and light bomber aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force, USAAF, United States Navy and many others during World War II. In 1938, British prime minister Neville Chamberlain, after signing the Munich Agreement, returned to London Heston Airport on board a British Airways Lockheed 14, and was famously photographed beside the aircraft (registration ), showing to the crowd the signed document, which he would later that day describe as bringing "peace for our time".

In May 1938, a team of aviators of the Polish airline LOT, made up of Wacław Makowski, director of LOT and first pilot, Zbigniew Wysiekierski, second pilot, Szymon Piskorz, mechanic and radionavigator, Alfons Rzeczewski, radio navigator and Jerzy Krassowski, assistant, accomplished an experimental flight from the United States to Poland. This flight was carried out on board one of the aircraft bought by LOT, manufactured by Lockheed in California, a Lockheed Model 14H Super Electra (of which the Polish registration was SP LMK.). The crew took off from Burbank (Los Angeles) where these aircraft were manufactured, and after a tour of South America, flew the Atlantic from Brazil to West Africa en route to Warsaw. A poster celebrating the flight can be seen in a US Library of Congress/Matson Archive photo of the LOT/Imperial Airways Sales office in Jerusalem about 1939. The distance covered was of They flew via the cities of Mazatlan, Mexico City, Guatemala, and Panama, then via the South American cities of Lima, Peru; Santiago, Chile; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Rio de Janeiro and Natal in Brazil. They flew across the South Atlantic to Dakar, Senegal, in Africa and then to Casablanca, Tunis, and then on to Rome, Italy. The final leg of the flight brought them to Warsaw, Poland. The flying time was 85 hours between 13 May and 5 June. The overflight of the Atlantic from Natal to Dakar lasted 11 hours and 10 minutes (1,908 mi/3,070 km). This feat by Polish aviators marked the history of air communication on a world level. (Prior to this flight airliners were delivered across the Atlantic as deck cargo on ships ). Howard Hughes flew a Super Electra (NX18973) on a global circumnavigation flight. With four crewmates (Harry Connor, copilot; Tom Thurlow, navigator; Richard Stoddart, engineer; and Ed Lund, mechanic), the Lockheed 14 took off from Floyd Bennett Field in New York on July 10, 1938. The flight, which circled the narrower northern latitudes, passed through Paris, Moscow, Omsk, Yakutsk, Fairbanks, Alaska and Minneapolis before returning to New York. The total distance flown was 14,672 mi (23,612 km) and total time was 3 days, 19 hours, 17 minutes.

On January 10, 1938, Northwest Airlines Flight 2, an L14H, crashed near Bozeman, Montana, due to structural failure caused by a design defect, killing all 10 passengers and crew on board. On May 16, 1938, a Northwest Airlines L14H2 (NC17394) struck Stroh Peak (near Saugus, California) while on a delivery flight, killing all nine on board. On July 8, 1938, Northwest Airlines Flight 4, an L14H (NC17383), stalled and crashed on takeoff from Billings Municipal Airport, killing one of 10 on board. On July 22, 1938, a LOT Polish Airlines L14H (SP BNG) crashed near Stulpicani, Romania, killing all 14 on board; the cause was unknown, but the aircraft may have been struck by lightning. On November 18, 1938, a Trans Canada Air Lines L14H2 (CF TCL) crashed shortly after takeoff from Regina Airport, killing both pilots. On November 22, 1938, a British Airways Ltd. L14 WF62 (G AFGO) crashed at Walton Bay, Somerset while on a test flight, killing both pilots Commander E. G. Robinson and Commander Robert P. J. Leborgne. On December 9, 1938, a KLM L14 WF62 (PH APE, Ekster) crashed on takeoff from Schiphol Municipal Airport due to engine failure while on a training flight, killing all four on board. On January 13, 1939, Northwest Airlines Flight 1, an L14H, crashed on takeoff from Miles City Municipal Airport following a cockpit fire, killing all four on board. On January 18, 1939, a Guinea Airways L14H (VH ABI, Koranga) crashed on takeoff from Tindal Airport following a loss of altitude, killing all four on board. On May 17, 1939, an Imperial Japanese Airways L14 WG3B (J BCOZ) crashed on takeoff from Fukuoka Airport after the aircraft struck a fence, killing six of 11 on board. On December 21, 1939, a British Airways, Ltd. L14 WF62 (G AFYU) ditched in the Mediterranean 300 mi off Alexandria, Egypt killing five of 11 on board. On January 22, 1940, a KNILM L14 WF62 (PK AFO) crashed off Ngurah Rai Bali International Airport after losing altitude on takeoff, killing eight of nine on board. On April 22, 1940, a BOAC L14 WF62 (G AFKD, Loch Invar) crashed near Loch Lomond, Scotland while being ferried from Perth International Airport to Heston Airport, killing all three crew on board. On November 10, 1940, RAF L14N2 AX688 stalled and crashed shortly after takeoff from Nairobi during bad weather, killing all on board. On February 6, 1941, a Trans Canada Air Lines L14H2 (CF TCP) crashed into trees while on approach to Armstrong Airport, killing all 12 passengers and crew on board. On February 20, 1941, Royal Air Force Hudson III T9449 suffered a double engine failure and crashed near Musgrave Harbour, Newfoundland. The pilot Captain Joseph Mackey survived, but the two other crew and the sole passenger, Canadian doctor, and Nobel Laureate, Sir Frederick Banting, died. On December 18, 1941, an Aeroflot L14H (CCCP L3453) stalled and crashed near Khodynka Field following engine failure during a test flight, killing two of three on board. On August 22, 1942, a KLM West Indies Service L14 WF62 (PJ AIP) crashed shortly after takeoff from Piarco Airport, killing all 13 on board. On December 20, 1942, a Canadian Pacific Air Lines L14H2 (CF TPD) crashed into Mount William Knight, killing all 13 passengers and crew on board; the wreckage was found in August 1943. On January 13, 1943, an Air France L14H2 (F ARRF) crashed at Aguelhok, Mali due to engine failure, killing all three crew on board. On May 19, 1943 RAF Hudson IIIA FH168 (c/n 414 6458) Crashed in attempted forced landing 7 miles south of RAF St Eval, England, as a result of engine failure. Two of the crew were killed, including, Air Commodore Sir Nigel Norman who was thrown from the aircraft and broke his neck. He was on his way to the Middle East for an airborne forces planning conference. Also killed in the crash was P/O (Obs) Arthur Rotenberg, J/16615 buried in St Columb Major Cemetery
On August 26, 1943, a British West Indian Airways L14H (VP TAH) burned out at Piarco Airport during refueling. On March 28, 1946, a Dalstroi Aviation L14 (514) crashed on takeoff from Zyrianka, Russia due to crew error, killing the pilot. On April 22, 1946, a TACA de Nicaragua B14S (AN ACC) crashed on takeoff from La Libertad Airstrip, killing 18 of 21 on board in the deadliest accident involving the Super Electra. On December 7, 1946, a Dalstroi Aviation L14 (6) crashed on climbout from Berelakh, Magadan, Russia (then part of the Khabarovsk Territory) due to double engine failure, killing all seven on board. On October 29, 1948, an R. A Brand & Co. Ltd. L14 08 (G AKPD) crashed off Elba, killing all four passengers and crew on board; the wreckage was found in March 1954 during the search for BOAC Flight 781. On July 14, 1951, an Airtaco L14H (SE BTN) crashed on takeoff from Stockholm due to double engine failure caused by fuel starvation, killing four of six on board. On June 16, 1955, a TAPSA L14H2 (OB QAG 338) crashed on takeoff from Tarapoto Airport due to loss of control after the cargo shifted, killing all three on board.