Sales Specification for Lockheed Turboprop Electra Passenger Transport 1957 [Aviation History]

Burbank, California: Lockheed, 1957. Near Fine/No Dust Jacket As Issued.

Plastic comb binding,  12.25 by 9 inches; 42 pages. Eight-page Performance and Characteristic data sheet [6 pages] is extant in rear pocket. Fully illustrated.

Carefully handled, Text clean, Bindings firm. Only flaw is a hint of hand/age-soiling on the outer wraps.

We found no institutional copies in OCLC/WorldCat. Sales specification for the passenger configured turboprop Electra. 9 by 12.25 inches.  A lovely example of mid-century merger of marketing illustration and engineering drawings.

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. It offered a uniquely high power-to-weight ratio, huge propellers and short wingspan. Most of the wingspan was covered by propwash, which, combined with the large Fowler flaps, allowed it to operate from short runways and high elevations.

Initial sales were good, but after two fatal crashes that led to expensive modifications to fix a design defect, no more were ordered.

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 Lockheed P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft.

Contents: +++ General Data. +++ Propulsion System. +++ Interiors, +++ Flight Station, +++ Interior Features, +++ Systems, +++ Structures, +++ Ground Servicing and Handling. +++ Maintenance, +++ Performance

Provenance: John G. Krisilas