Country of origin:

United States of America

Description:

Commercial transport

Power Plant:

Two 567 kw (760 hp) Wright GR-1820-F62 Cyclone nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engines with two stage supercharger

Specifications:

History:

The L.14, or Super Electra as it was known, was introduced to the worlds airlines in 1937 as a larger, more powerful version of, and replacement for, the Lockheed 10A Electra. Basic layout and construction details were the same, but accommodation was provided for a maximum of 14 passengers and luggage. The aircraft was consequently larger, and the fuselage larger in diameter, while the installation of retractable Fowler flaps was an innovation which ensured the machine could operate into relatively small fields despite its high wing loading.

The prototype was first flown in July 1937 and 112 were built in three main versions, the 14-H2 with 560 kw (750 hp) Pratt & Whitney Hornet S1E2G engines; the 14-F62 with 567 kw (760 hp) Wright Cyclone GR-1820-F62 engines; and the 14-G3B with 612 kw (820 hp) Wright Cyclone GR-1820-G3B engines. When World War II began many were impressed into service with the USAAC as the C-111, and one was built for the US Navy as a staff transport known as the R-40. In civil guise it saw service with Continental Air Lines, Northwest Airlines, Aer Lingus, BOAC, DNL, Flugfelag, Greater Japan AirLines, KLM, Sabena, LOT, Trans Canada Airlines and others.

Howard Hughes and a crew of four in July 1938 in a Model 14 (NX18973) flew a round-the-world flight of 23,804 km (14,791 miles) in 3 days 19 hours 8 minutes. Thirty were exported to Japan in 1938 where a further 119 were built under licence with 671 kw (900 hp) Mitsubishi Ha-26-I engines by Kawasaki and Tachikawa, the latter developing a variant known as the Ki.56. Carrying a flight crew of two with a stewardess, the Model 14 was noteworthy for many innovations and earned the designer, Clarence Kelly L Johnson (of Lockheed SR-71 fame) the 1937 Lawrence Sperry Award.

Guinea Airways imported two Lockheed 14W Super Electras from Aer Lingus Teoranta, Dublin, and these VH-ADW (c/n 1497 – ex EI-ABV – Darwin) and VH-ADY (c/n 1498 – ex EI-ABW – Adelaide) arrived in Adelaide on 9 June 1940 in full camouflage, carrying their Australian registrations, delivery being made in 65½ hours flying time. They underwent Certificate of Airworthiness overhauls and had the camouflage removed. They entered service on the Adelaide – Darwin route and were configured to carry 12 passengers.

On 27 August that year VH-ADW became VH-AEW. On one occasion this aircraft force landed near Alice Springs but was repaired and continued in service until retired and broken up at Croydon, SA in 1952. VH-ADY was lost on a flight from Alice Springs to Batchelor, crashing on Annaburro Station on 21 April 1942. The Company also operated another L.14 VH-ABI (c/n 1418 – Koranga) from June 1938 but it crashed at Katherine, NT on 18 January 1939.

A further pair of L.14s was imported by W R Carpenter & Co of Sydney and they entered service on the Sydney – Brisbane – Port Moresby – Salamaua – Rabaul route. These aircraft were Model 14H Super Electras VH-ADS (c/n 1431 – ex NC17392 – Carmenia) and VH-ADT (c/n 1409 – ex NC17382 – Caronia) and were fitted with two 559 kw (750 hp) Pratt & Whitney R-1690-S1E2-G Hornet radial engines. They had initially been obtained from Continental Airlines of Denver, Colorado.

First service was flown on 3 May 1941 by VH-ADS from Port Moresby to Sydney, the distance of 2,993 km (1,860 miles) being covered in 10 hours 40 mins. They remained in service until January 1942 when they were used to evacuate personnel from Rabaul, Wau and Port Moresby to Cairns in the face of approaching Japanese forces. During this work VH-ADS was attacked by Japanese flying boats but escaped and returned to Cairns. However, later that night it crashed on take-off at Cairns and was destroyed, being noted in records as “crashed while engaged in military work under direction of RAAF”.  VH-ADT then was flown to Mascot and by July 1942 was operating out of Parafield, SA on charter work to the USAAC. On 22 August it was damaged at Batchelor, NT and returned to Parafield for a major overhaul by Guinea Airways.

In January 1943 Ansett Airways operated VH-ADT on US Army charter work and it was flown by W R Carpenter crews. In 1944 it was leased to ANA and later that year was purchased by Qantas. The machine then operated on the Brisbane – Darwin route. Late in 1945 it was leased to ANA again.

As Japanese forces moved through the Netherlands East Indies in early 1942 the fleet of aircraft operated by KNILM was used to evacuate civilian and military personnel to Darwin and Broome, some hundreds of flights and many thousands of personnel, both civil and military, being evacuated. Later these aircraft were taken over by the Australian and US Governments. Included amongst these were two L.14s PK-AFN (c/n 1414 – ex X9) and PK-AFP (c/n 1442 – ex X17). These were allotted call signs VHCXI and VHCXJ respectively and were operated as part of the war effort by Guinea Airways on behalf of the USAAF ADAT No 21 Squadron. C/n 1414 crashed at Alice Springs, NT on 13 February 1944; and c/n 1442 was withdrawn from service on 21 March 1945 and handed over to the USAAF. At one stage the USAAF BuAer serials 44-83233 and 44-83234 were allotted to these machines but were not taken up.