Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior
The Lockheed 12 was an eight-seat, six passenger all-metal transport designed for use by smaller airlines and private owners. Developed as a scaled-down version of the Lockheed 10 Electra, the prototype made its first flight on June 27, 1936, piloted by Marshall Headle.
British Airways Ltd. ordered two Electra Juniors in 1939. Although ostensibly acquired for civilian purposes, these aircraft were modified for aerial photography and used by Sidney Cotton to track Axis military activity on the eve of World War II.
A modified Electra Junior was used by the NACA as a testbed for "hotwing" deicing technology.
A total of 130 Electra Juniors were built. At the time of Pearl Harbor this aircraft had outsold the competing Beech 18 by 2-1, and Lockheed had over two dozen unfilled orders. In order to concentrate on more vital and advanced wartime aircraft, Lockheed turned the unfilled orders over to Beechcraft, who eventually built many thousands of their Model 18.
The Electra on screen
An Electra Junior appeared in the film Casablanca. Wartime security precautions prevented shooting at an airport at night, so a cardboard cutout stood in for a real airplane in many shots.
Two Electra Juniors appeared as stand-ins for a model 10-E Electra in the 1976 TV movie Amelia Earhart.
Variants
- 12-A with non-retractable Tricycle gear.
- 12-B with two 440 hp (or 330 kW) Wright R-975 Whirlwind radial engines.
- 212 light attack/trainer with gun turret atop aft fuselage.
Civilian Operators
British Airways Ltd, NACA, Santa Maria Airlines
Military Operators
RCAF, Indonesia, Netherlands East Indies, SAAF, RAF, US Army Air Corps, US Army Air Force, US Marine Corps, US Navy.
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