__NOTOC__ The Lockheed Air Express was the second aircraft design created by the

Lockheed Aircraft Company The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer. Lockheed was founded in 1926 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995. Its founder, Allan Lockheed, had earlier founded the similarly named but ...

after its founding in 1927; the type first flew in April 1928.Francillon 1982, p.85.

Description

The Air Express design incorporated the original fuselage of the

Vega Vega is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra. It has the Bayer designation α Lyrae, which is Latinised to Alpha Lyrae and abbreviated Alpha Lyr or α Lyr. This star is relatively close at only from the Sun, a ...

, but in order to meet the requirements of

Western Air Express Western Airlines was a major airline based in California, operating in the Western United States including Alaska and Hawaii, and western Canada, as well as to New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Miami and to Mexico City, London and ...

, the wing was raised to a parasol configuration above the fuselage and the cockpit was moved behind the wing, while a more powerful

Pratt & Whitney Wasp The Pratt & Whitney Wasp was the civilian name of a family of air-cooled radial piston engines developed in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.Gunston 1989, p.114. The Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company (P&W) was founded in 1925 by Frederick B. Rentsc ...

engine was fitted to ease operations over the Sierra Nevada mountains.Francillon 1982, pp. 84–85. The design was a commercial success for the company although only seven were built, plus one Air Express Special. No Air Expresses have survived to the present day. One, registered NR3057, was flown by Roscoe Turner.

Variants

;Lockheed 3 Air Express: Single-engined passenger and mail transport aircraft, seating between four and six passengers in an enclosed cabin, able to carry up to 1,000-lb (454-kg) of mail, powered by a 410-hp (306-kW)

radial piston engine; seven built. ;Air Express Special: One-off version built for

Laura Ingalls Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder (February 7, 1867 – February 10, 1957) was an American writer, mostly known for the ''Little House on the Prairie'' series of children's books, published between 1932 and 1943, which were based on her childhood ...

, for a non-stop trans-Atlantic flight in 1931; one built.

Operators

; *

Panair do Brasil Panair do Brasil was an airline of Brazil. Between 1945 and 1965 it was considered to be the largest carrier not only in Brazil but in all of Latin America. It ceased operations in 1965. History NYRBA do Brasil (1929–1930) ''Panair do Bras ...

; *

American Airways American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

* New York, Rio, and Buenos Aires Line *

Pan American Airways Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...

* Texas Air Transport *

Specifications

Lockheed_Air_Express_3-view_Aero_Digest_March_1929

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Francillon, René J. ''Lockheed Aircraft since 1913''. London:Putnam, First edition, 1982. . * Francillon, René J, ''Lockheed Aircraft since 1913''. Naval Institute Press: Annapolis, 1987. {{Lockheed Air Express 1920s United States airliners Single-engined tractor aircraft Parasol-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1928

Description

Variants

Operators

Specifications

See also

References