History

Aircraft By Type

Aircraft Make & Model:
Lockheed 10-B Electra
MTOW:
10,300 lb.
Range:
350 miles
Speed:
190 mph
Seats:
10 passengers
Length:
39 ft.
Wingspan:
55 ft.
Height:
10 ft.
Engines:
2 Pratt & Whitney Wasp
HP or Thrust:
450 hp
No. flown by DL:
6 total: 1 Model 10-B purchased from Eastern Airlines, 4 Model 10-Bs purchased new from Lockheed, 1 Model 10-A leased from Braniff Airways (December 1939-March 20, 1940)
RoutesFlown:
Forth Worth, Texas, to Charleston, South Carolina (Air Mail Route 24)
Advantages:
Drawbacks:
First Delivery:
December 21, 1935
First Scheduled Service:
January 10, 1936
Reason Aquired:
Faster, larger, and more comfortable than the Stinson T and Stinson A. Most modern instrumentation of the day.
Last Retirement:
May 1942
Reason Disposed:
Four requisitioned by the military for wartime use.

Narrative:  Lockheed 10 Electra 1936-1942


Technical Advances
"The Electra brought Delta out of the barnstorming era." Charles Dolson, hired as a pilot in 1934, later Delta's second CEO.

Flagship of the airline in the later 1930s. The fast, streamlined Electra had modern instrumentation and retractable wheels. 

The Electra was Delta's first all-metal aircraft. Earlier Delta aircraft were metal frames covered with a skin of fabric and epoxy, or "dope."

Interior
The Electra held 10 passengers and 2 pilots. Cabin appointments included hat nets, window curtains, a dome light, reading lamps, ashtrays, drinking water and a lavatory.

With the Lockheed 10, Delta introduced its first onboard meal service — box lunches and coffee served by the co-pilot.

Bag bins (used for passenger bags and air mail) were located under the wings and in the nose.

More Information

 

Pictures
  • Delta's first meal service, Lockheed 10 Electra, 1936
  • Lockheed_Electra
Videos
  • Lockheed Aircraft: "Look to Lockheed for Leadership" circa 1940