Lockheed L-188A Electra Promo Film #3 - 1960

first introduced to the lying public by Eastern Airlines in January and then by American Airlines a few days later Lockheed's prop jet Elektra has been building an impressive record of service during its first few months of operation offering time-saving schedules on three continents North America Australia and the Far East American Airlines inaugurated electric light on one of this country's busiest routes between cosmopolitan New York and the renowned metropolis of Chicago on the first return trip to New York the Electra covered the 710 miles in one hour 41 minutes shopping an hour and 14 minutes from all former schedules on the initial export delivery from the factory to Australia am set am a maid flight history logging the 2565 miles from Los Angeles to Honolulu in six hours 13 minutes almost two hours better than existing airline schedules by the end of July over 70 of these prop jet transports were delivered to a total of nine different world Airlines extending electra flight service to many corners of the globe Burbank California birthplace of the Electra born as the practical answer to an urgent airline need for a modern short to medium-range transport this flexible turboprop has been proving equally economical on longer range flights such versatility is the result of careful analysis and exacting design guided and augmented by the airline's themselves to produce the right jet age power and airframe package a quick trip down the factory line reveals girder strong assemblies incorporating Lockheed's fail-safe structural design used throughout electra construction this design principle assures complete flying safety reducing stress levels upon the airframe in such a manner that failure of any single element will not affect the structural integrity of the aircraft 3,750 horsepower is packed into each one of these allison prop jet engines known as model 501 - d13 they can lift a fully loaded Electra to 15,000 feet in ten minutes characterized by high power-to-weight ratio small frontal area and low fuel consumption this truly efficient power package is expected to accumulate two million operational hours by the end of this year the Electra power and airframe combination bears the same mark of lockheed quality which has put more than 30,000 aircraft in the skies over the past 27 years early in November 1957 the first Electra emerged from the production line to be readied for her maiden flight a few weeks later on December 6 the big day had arrived six weeks ahead of schedule hundreds of Lockheed employees and anxious pilots had waited for this event this was the beginning of electrolyte eight months of concentrated flying and she was declared air worthy by the Federal Aviation agency August 22nd 1958 five weeks ahead of schedule now she was ready to make her debut to the world in one of the most extensive pre-service demonstrations ever conducted undertaken in association with General Motors Allison division manufacturer of her turbine engines the tour spanned United States Canada Europe Asia and the Middle East establishing a new non-stop record from Istanbul Turkey to New Delhi India 3220 miles in seven hours 55 minutes four and a half hours better than the fastest scheduled airline though flown under maximum performance conditions often by unfamiliar crews few delays and an impressive maintenance record marked this rugged electric test covering eight weeks 150 hours 52,000 miles and demonstrations to over 3,000 guests passengers patterned after actual airline operations the Electra undeniably proved herself to the world she was ready to become the prop jet workhorse of today's vast network of Airlines as a proud parent guides a bright young child's career Lockheed continues to develop and improve this modern transport early in airline service noise and vibration had an unusual characteristic remaining low during takeoff and climb though maximum power was being used and becoming an annoyance only at high speeds and relatively low altitudes flight tests determined that the angle of air meeting the propeller blades in this particular flight condition caused propeller stresses and pressures against the side of the fuselage resulting in a relative increase in cabin noise and vibration once the principal cause was determined a remedy was obvious by tilting the nacelle upward three degrees air would now meet the propeller blades in an optimum manner so that loads would be more uniform rather than cyclic angle of Venus cells was then changed on a production model and thoroughly flight tested results were very gratifying vibration levels throughout the cabin were reduced considerably with these refinements the Electra's constant speed turbine power now produces a smooth quiet ride attested to by guests passengers and airline executives who have flown in the modified version Electra's presently in service are being modified to incorporate this design refinement within the first few months of airline operation 90% of all service problems were eliminated a credit to Lockheed's strategically stationed field service representatives and the vast inventory of spare parts and how has the electrode been accepted since airline operations began more than half of American Airlines first class passengers between New York and Chicago as well as between New York and Detroit are specifying Elektra flight enroute passengers remaining aboard at intermediate stops as well as new passengers boarding during hot weather enjoy the Electra's unique freon cooling system independent of any ground equipment even moderate temperatures prevail regardless of weather extremes on the ground or in the air Airport and community noise levels are the lowest of any modern transport in existence according to extensive tests conducted by the New York Port Authority the Electra has been proving faster doorknob to doorknob than any other plane because it can use airports close in to large metropolitan areas when a choice of airports is available less time is spent in ground travel coming and going to airports at a considerable distance from the downtown areas as air traffic volume increases this elektra advantage will become even more and more significant quick turnarounds permit less time on the ground save countless maintenance hours and allow better schedule dependability with brisk getaways on-time departures during the first three months averaged a creditable 95 percent for all airline operators Eastern Airlines within this same period averaged better than 8 hours daily utilization all 40 of Barry Electra's are in scheduled service they expect to increase this to ten hours daily passengers are really impressed when the electra beats its own flight schedule a frequent occurrence on the New York to Miami run overwhelming public support has proved this Lockheed prop jet the ideal airliner for Australia newspaper advertisements boasted this record regularly and set AMA bettered the fastest flight schedules on the Melbourne Sydney route by 35% during the first three weeks of operation the Electra profit record mounted to $4,000 a day with only one airplane utilization exceeded ten hours a day and the average load factor exceeded 80% the traveling public waited for and are now demanding Electra flight watch for more records greater schedule flexibility and frequency with an increase in flying travelers as trans Australia extends Electra service followed by Qantas and then Tasman Empire airlines later this year the Federal Aviation agency approved a thousand gallon increase in landing weight fuel limits an Electra extra proving extremely valuable in minimizing or eliminating on roof refueling on many flights four thousand gallons are now permitted aboard on Leonard one of the Electra's optional features proving very popular are these integral automatic stairs no delay no waiting for ramps or for luggage with these carry on racks fastened getaways upon arrival are routine with electric light when refueling is necessary the single-point system cuts time for this procedure two minutes another operational bonus the Federal Aviation agency approved extension of time before engine overhaul to a thousand hours after adequate samplings have been made at 600 and 800 hour intervals this extended time between engine overhaul allows over 300,000 miles of continuous operation with substantial increases expected within the near future developed and produced for a long hard life of profitable service the Electra has been proving itself a classic airplane within this short span of airline service her performance has been confirmed by these notable quotes the Electra with its big load speed and capability for using almost any airport anywhere is going to be a breadwinner it was a spacious and comfortable as any aircraft I have ever ridden in air conditioning and heating systems my room excellent no doubt about it they're definitely disappointed when they ask for an Electra and it's sold out and so many of the world's most discriminating airlines have confidently chosen the Electra the profit lighter in today's fleet of jet transports rapidly becoming an international favorite in man's new age of Mughal this is only the beginning of Electra jet service throughout the world you

Channel: Classic Airliners & Vintage Pop Culture

Views: 239,970

Rating: 4.9087548 out of 5

Keywords: Lockheed L-188 Electra (Aircraft Model), Lockheed Corporation (Organization), Burbank, California, Los Angeles, Douglas, DC-6, DC-7, Vickers Vanguard, Turboprop, Boeing 707, 727, American Airlines (Airline), Braniff International Airways (Organization), Eastern Air Lines (Organization)

Id: TeEfcL17xlU

Length: 17min 15sec (1035 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 29 2014