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

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, but in order to meet the requirements of Western Air Express, 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 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. The Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company (P&W) was founded in 1925 by Frederick B. Rentschler, who had previ ...

engine was fitted to ease operations over the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

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 Roscoe Turner (September 29, 1895 – June 23, 1970) was a record-breaking American aviator who was a three-time winner of the Thompson Trophy air race and widely recognized by his flamboyant style and his pet, Gilmore the lion, Gilmore the L ...

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

Operators

; *

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

; *

American Airways American Airlines, Inc. is a major airline in the United States headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and is the largest airline in the world in terms of passengers carried and daily flights. American, ...

* New York, Rio, and Buenos Aires Line *

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

* Texas Air Transport * Western Air Express

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 Air Express (26 April 1994 – 2000) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was highly tried as a juvenile in 1996, winning one minor race and being placed in the July Stakes, Solario Stakes and Dewhurst Stakes. I ...

1920s United States airliners Single-engined tractor aircraft Parasol-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1928 Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear

Description

Variants

Operators

Specifications

See also

References