View source for Lockheed Vega

{{short description|Utility transport aircraft by Lockheed}}
{{for|the later corporation known as Lockheed-Vega|Vega Aircraft Corporation}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2010}}
{{Infobox aircraft
|name            = Vega
|logo            = File:Lockheed Vega Logo.png
|logo_size       = 165px
|image           = Lockheed Vega 2-D (4476644584) (cropped).jpg
|aircraft_type            = [[Transport]]
|national_origin = United States
|manufacturer    = [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed Aircraft Limited]]
|designer        = [[John Knudsen Northrop]] and [[Gerald Vultee]]
|first_flight    = July 4, 1927
|introduction      = 1928
|retired         =
|status          = Retired
|primary_user    = Commercial air carriers
|more_users      =
|produced        =
|number_built    = 132
}}

The '''Lockheed Vega''' is an American five- to seven-seat high-wing [[monoplane]] airliner built by the [[Lockheed Corporation]] starting in 1927. It became famous for its use by a number of record-breaking pilots who were attracted to its high speed and long range. [[Amelia Earhart]] became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in one, and [[Wiley Post]] used his to prove the existence of the [[jet stream]] after flying around the world twice.

==Design and development==
[[File:Lockheed Vega 5B, Amelia Earhart - Blick ins Cockpit.jpg|thumb|Lockheed Vega Cockpit]]
Designed by [[Jack Northrop|John Knudsen Northrop]] and [[Vultee Aircraft|Gerald Vultee]], both of whom would later form their own companies, the aircraft was originally intended to serve with Lockheed's own airline routes. They set out to build a four-passenger (plus pilot) aircraft that was not only rugged, but also one of the fastest aircraft of its era. Using a wooden [[monocoque]] fuselage, plywood-covered [[cantilever]] wings and the best engine available, the Vega delivered on the promise of speed.

The fuselage was built from sheets of [[plywood]], skinned over wooden ribs. Using a large concrete mold, a single half of the fuselage shell was laminated in sections with glue between each layer and then a rubber bladder was lowered into the mold and inflated with air to compress the [[lamination]] into shape against the inside of the mold. The two fuselage halves were then nailed and glued over a separately constructed rib framework. With the fuselage constructed in this fashion, the wing spar couldn't cut through the fuselage, so the single spar cantilever wing was mounted atop the aircraft. Only the engine and [[landing gear]] remained essentially [[streamliner|unstreamlined]], and on the production versions the undercarriage had teardrop shaped fairings covering the wheels, while only the earliest versions lacked [[NACA cowling]]s and had the engine cylinders exposed to the airstream. It was powered by the [[Wright Whirlwind series|Wright Whirlwind]] air-cooled [[radial engine]], which delivered {{cvt|225|hp}}.

==Operational history==
[[File:Lockheed Vega 5B of Amelia Earhart c1932.jpg|thumb|The Lockheed 5B Vega that Amelia Earhart flew across the Atlantic.]]
[[File:Lockheed Vega cn 122 NR105W -Winnie Mae- 1935 (mfr via RJF) (18327531806).jpg|thumb|[[Wiley Post]]'s "[[Winnie Mae]]", in which he circled the globe, and proved the existence of the [[Jet Stream]].]]
The first '''Vega 1''', named the ''Golden Eagle'', flew from Lockheed's [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] plant on July 4, 1927. It could cruise at a then-fast {{cvt|120|mph}}, and had a top speed of {{cvt|135|mph}}. A number of private owners placed orders for the design, and by the end of 1928, 68 had been produced. In the 1929 [[National Air Races]] in [[Cleveland, Ohio]], Vegas won every speed award.

In 1928, Vega ''Yankee Doodle'' (NX4769) was used to break transcontinental speed records. On August 19–20, Hollywood stunt flier Arthur C. Goebel broke the coast-to-coast record of [[Russell Maughan]] by flying from [[Los Angeles, California]], to [[Garden City, New York]], in 18 hours and 58 minutes, in what was also the first nonstop flight from west to east. On October 25, barnstormer and former mail pilot Charles B.D. Collyer broke the nonstop east to west record set in 1923 by the U.S. Army Air Service in 24 hours and 51 minutes. Trying to break the new West-to-East record on November 3, Collyer crashed near [[Prescott, Arizona]], killing him and the aircraft owner, Harry J. Tucker.<ref>[http://www.dmairfield.org/people/collyer_cb/index.html "Charles B.D. Collyer."] ''Davis-Monthan Aviation Field Register,''  December 25, 2011. Retrieved: December 27, 2012.</ref>

Looking to improve the design, Lockheed delivered the Vega 5 in 1929. Adding the [[Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp]] engine of {{cvt|450|hp}} and a new [[NACA cowling]] improved performance enough to allow the addition of two more seats, and increased cruising speed to {{cvt|155|mph}} and top speed to {{cvt|165|mph}}. A variant of the Vega 5 was built specifically for private aviation and executive transport as the L.5A "Executive" although the 5 was also used by many airlines, including [[Pan American Airlines]], [[Pacific Alaska Airways]] and [[Transcontinental and Western Air]]. A total of 64 Vega 5s were built.

In 1931, the [[United States Army Air Corps]] bought two DL-1 Vegas, with the first designated as '''Y1C-12''' and the second, a DL-1B designated as '''Y1C-17'''. These both had a formed metal fuselage, while the Y1C-17 had additional fuel tanks in the wings.

The Vega could be difficult to land. In her memoir, [[Elinor Smith]] wrote that it had "all the glide potential of a boulder falling off a mountain."<ref>Smith 1981, p. 94.</ref>  In addition, forward and side visibility from the cockpit was extremely limited; Lane Wallace, a columnist for [[Flying (magazine)|''Flying'' magazine]], wrote that "Even [in level flight], the windscreen would offer a better view of the sky than anything else, which would make it more of a challenge to detect changes in attitude or bank angle.  On takeoff or landing, there'd be almost no forward visibility whatsoever."

===Vega DL-1A special===
A one-off special based on the metal-fuselaged DL-1 was built by the Detroit Aircraft Corporation, and exported to the United Kingdom for Lt. Cmdr. [[Glen Kidston]] who named it ''Puch''. It was initially registered in the UK as ''G-ABFE'', then was re-registered as ''G-ABGK'' to incorporate Kidston's initials.<ref name="goodall"/> He used this Vega for a record-breaking flight from the UK to South Africa in April 1931. Following Kidston's death the following month, the aircraft was eventually sold to Australian airline owner [[Horrie Miller (aviator)|Horrie Miller]], who entered it in the [[MacRobertson Air Race]]. Flown in the race by Miller's Chief Pilot, Capt. Jimmy Woods, it overturned on landing at [[Aleppo]] ''en route'', whereupon Woods withdrew from the race and the DL-1A was eventually shipped to Australia. Following repairs and re-registration as ''VH-UVK'', Miller used the aircraft for charter and leisure flying, after which it was impressed by the [[Royal Australian Air Force]] in 1941. In 1944 the aircraft was transferred to the Australian Department of Civil Aviation (DCA). Via information from RAAF pilots, DCA declared the Vega to have serious pitch control problems and it would be scrapped. Attempts by James Woods to reclaim the aircraft were ignored, and it was destroyed in October 1945. It was the only Vega to operate in Australia.<ref name="goodall">Goodall, Geoff. "Vega VH-UVK: The Story of a Unique Aeroplane." ''Journal of the Aviation Historical Society of Australia,'' Volume 17, Issue 4.</ref>

==Variants==
[[File:Lockheed Vega 1 L'Air December 15,1928.jpg|thumb|Vega 1 prototype]]
;Vega 1: Five-seat cabin monoplane, accommodation for one pilot and four passengers, powered by a {{cvt|225|hp}} Wright J-5, J-5A, J-5AB or J-5C Whirlwind radial piston engine. 
;Vega 2: Five-seat cabin monoplane, powered by a {{cvt|300|hp}} Wright J-6 Whirlwind radial piston engine.
;Vega 2A: Redesignation of one Vega 2 aircraft, modified for higher gross weight operation.
;Vega 2D: [[File:Lockheed Vega Interior.jpg|thumb|The interior of a Vega 5]]Redesignation of two Vega 1s and one Vega 2, each fitted with a {{cvt|300|hp}} Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial piston engine.                          
;Vega 5: Improved version, powered by a {{cvt|410|hp}} Wasp A,  {{cvt|450|hp}} Wasp B or {{cvt|420|hp}} Wasp C1 radial piston engine.
;Vega 5A Executive: Executive transport version, with a plush interior.
[[File:NASM-A19670093000-NASM2018-10361-000001.jpg|thumb|Vega 5B at the  Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum]]
[[File:Lockheed 5C Vega of Lithuanian Air Force.jpg|thumb|Lockheed 5C Vega of Lithuanian Air Force, 1935-1940]]
;Vega 5B: Seven-seat passenger transport version, built for higher gross weight operations with commercial operators.
;Vega 5C: Seven-seat cabin monoplane, with revised tail surfaces, built for higher gross weight operations.
;DL-1: Vega 5C with an aluminum fuselage. Built by the [[Detroit Aircraft Corporation]].<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Sport Aviation|title=A Superstar Reborn|author=Budd Davidson|date=June 2014|page=52}}</ref>
;DL-1A/DL-1 Special: One-off air racing and record breaking version, c/n 155.
;DL-1B: Seven-seat cabin monoplane, similar to the DL-1. Built by the Detroit Aircraft Corporation.
;Y1C-12: One DL-1 acquired by the U.S. Army Air Corps for service tests and evaluation.
;Y1C-17: One DL-1B acquired by the U.S. Army Air Corps for service tests and evaluation.
;UC-101: One Vega 5C impressed into service with the U.S. Army Air Force in 1942.

==Operators==
===Commercial operators===
A large number of airlines and private owners operated Vegas, many with only a small number of airframes.

===Military operators===
[[File:Lockheed Y1C-17.JPG|thumb|USAAC Y1C-17 showing metal fuselage that distinguished the Detroit-Lockheed examples.]]
;{{AUS}}
*[[Royal Australian Air Force]] – one aircraft
;{{LTU}}
* [[Lithuanian Air Force]] - one aircraft (s/n. 134, former registration NC926Y), 1935-1940, purchased after the trans-Atlantic flight (Lituanica II)<ref>{{Cite web|last=Stašaitis|first=Vytautas|title=Antrosios "Lituanica" skrydis ("Flight of the Second Lituanica - in Lithuanian)|url=https://www.plienosparnai.lt/page.php?938|website=Plieno Sparnai}}</ref>
;{{flagicon|Spain|1931}} [[Second Spanish Republic|Spain]]
*[[Spanish Republican Air Force]] – one aircraft
;{{flag|United States|1912}}                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
*[[United States Army Air Corps]]/[[United States Army Air Forces]] – three aircraft

==Aircraft on display==
[[File:NASM-NASM2014-01653.jpg|thumb|Wiley Post's "[[Winnie Mae]]", a model 5C, while on display at the [[National Air and Space Museum]]]]

* 22 – Vega 5B on static display at the [[National Air and Space Museum]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] This was Amelia Earhart's aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|title=Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega 5B|url=http://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/lockheed-vega-5b-amelia-earhart|website=Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum|access-date=25 September 2017|archive-date=21 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721071457/https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/lockheed-vega-5b-amelia-earhart|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=FAA Registry [N7952]|url=http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N7952|website=Federal Aviation Administration|publisher=U.S. Department of Transportation|access-date=25 September 2017|archive-date=26 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170926095741/http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N7952|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* 40 – Vega 2D on static display at [[The Henry Ford]] Museum in [[Dearborn, Michigan]]. It was used by [[Donald Baxter MacMillan]] for exploration and mapping.<ref>{{cite web|title=1929 Lockheed Vega 5B Monoplane, Used by Explorer Donald MacMillan|url=http://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/artifact/240984|website=The Henry Ford|access-date=25 September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Airframe Dossier - Lockheed Vega 2D, c/n 40, c/r N965Y {2}|url=http://aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=66890|website=Aerial Visuals|publisher=AerialVisuals.ca|access-date=25 September 2017}}</ref>
* 72 – Vega 5C under restoration to airworthy status by Kevin Kimball in [[Mount Dora, Florida]] for [[Fantasy of Flight]] in [[Polk City, Florida]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Weeks|first1=Kermit|title=Lockheed Vega heads off for Restoration!|url=http://www.fantasyofflight.com/collection/fantasy-of-flight/lockheed-vega-heads-off-for-restoration-2|website=Fantasy of Flight|access-date=25 September 2017|date=15 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Clukey|first1=Pete|title=Vega Number 72: Keeping History Alive|url=http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/features/2016/C1Vega72.html|website=Lockheed Martin|publisher=Lockheed Martin Corporation|access-date=25 September 2017}}</ref> First owned by the Independent Oil and Gas Company of Tulsa, Oklahoma; it was restored by Dave Jameson in 1969 in the paint scheme of the Winnie Mae. The aircraft was also an airborne electronics laboratory for the [[General Electric]] company. It differs from the original with a larger R-1340 engine installation.<ref>"The Return of the Winnie Mae." ''Sport Aviation,'' October 1969.</ref>
* 122 ''[[Winnie Mae]]'' – Vega 5C on static display at the [[National Air and Space Museum]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] It was flown around the world twice and for high altitude testing by Wiley Post.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lockheed Vega Winnie Mae|url=http://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/lockheed-vega-winnie-mae|website=Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum|access-date=25 September 2017|archive-date=6 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200206002611/https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/lockheed-vega-winnie-mae|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Swopes|first1=Bryan R.|title=15 July 1933|url=http://www.thisdayinaviation.com/15-july-1933|website=This Day in Aviation|publisher=WordPress|access-date=25 September 2017|date=15 July 2017}}</ref>
* 161 – DL-1B on display with Mid America Flight Museum of [[Mount Pleasant, Texas]]. It was originally registered as NC12288. Its first post-restoration flight, by John O. Magoffin Jr. and Rick Barter, was on the centenary of powered flight, 17 December 2013.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lockheed Vega Restoration Update|url=http://www.antiqueairfield.com/articles/show/1504-lockheed-vega-restoration-update|website=Antique Airfield|publisher=Antique Aircraft Association and Airpower Museum|access-date=25 September 2017|date=6 March 2013|archive-date=28 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728130710/http://www.antiqueairfield.com/articles/show/1504-lockheed-vega-restoration-update|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Phelps|first1=Mark|title=Video: Vintage Lockheed Vega Flies Again|url=http://www.flyingmag.com/pilots-places/pilots-adventures-more/video-vintage-lockheed-vega-flies-again|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131223033106/http://www.flyingmag.com/pilots-places/pilots-adventures-more/video-vintage-lockheed-vega-flies-again|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 23, 2013|website=Flying|publisher=Flying Magazine|access-date=25 September 2017|date=19 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=FAA Registry [N12288]|url=http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=12288|website=Federal Aviation Administration|publisher=U.S. Department of Transportation|access-date=25 September 2017|archive-date=26 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170926095808/http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=12288|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* 203 ''Shell Oil Number 7'' – Vega 5C owned and operated by Walter Bowe. It was flown by [[Jimmy Doolittle]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Namowitz|first1=Dan|title=Doolittle Center acquires historic Lockheed Vega|url=http://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2016/june/16/doolittle-center-acquires-historic-lockheed-vega|website=AOPA|publisher=[[Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association|AOPA]]|access-date=25 September 2017|date=16 June 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=FAA Registry [N13705]|url=http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N13705|website=Federal Aviation Administration|publisher=U.S. Department of Transportation|access-date=25 March 2020|archive-date=9 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709011237/http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N13705|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Specifications (Vega 5C)==
[[File:Lockheed Vega 3-view NACA Aircraft Circular No.61.jpg|thumb|three-view drawing of Vega prototype with original small rudder and uncowled engine.]]
[[File:NASM-A19670093000-NASM2018-10372-000001.jpg|thumb|Vega 5B radial engine and prop]]
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=''Lockheed aircraft since 1913.''<ref>{{cite book|last1=Francillon|first1=Rene J.|title=Lockheed aircraft since 1913|date=1988|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis|isbn=0870218972|pages=67–86|edition=2nd reprint}}</ref>
|prime units?=imp
<!--
        General characteristics
-->
|crew=1
|capacity=6 pax
|length ft=27
|length in=6
|length note=
|span ft=41
|span in=
|span note=
|height ft=8
|height in=6
|height note=
|wing area sqft=275
|wing area note=
|airfoil='''root:''' Clark Y (18%); '''tip:''' Clark Y (9.47%)<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lednicer|first1=David|title=The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage|url=https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads/aircraft.html|website=m-selig.ae.illinois.edu|access-date=16 April 2019}}</ref>
|empty weight lb=2565
|empty weight note=<br>
::::Vega 5C floatplane {{cvt|3153|lb}}
|gross weight lb=4500
|gross weight note=<br>
::::Vega 5C floatplane {{cvt|4880|lb}}
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity={{cvt|160|USgal|impgal l}}
<!--
        Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=[[Pratt & Whitney R-1340C Wasp]]
|eng1 type=9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine
|eng1 hp=450
|eng1 note=
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=fixed-pitch propeller
|prop dia ft= |prop dia in= |prop dia note=
<!--
        Performance
-->
|max speed mph=185
|max speed note=with [[NACA cowling]]<br>
::::Vega 5C floatplane with [[NACA cowling]] {{cvt|175|mph}}
|cruise speed mph=165
|cruise speed note=<br>
::::Vega 5C floatplane with [[NACA cowling]] {{cvt|160|mph}}
|stall speed mph=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed note=
|range miles=725
|range note=<br/>
::::Vega 5C floatplane {{cvt|620|mi}}
|ferry range miles=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=<!-- if range unknown -->
|ceiling ft=19000
|ceiling note=<br/>
::::Vega 5C floatplane {{cvt|17000|ft}}
|climb rate ftmin=1300
|climb rate note=<br/>
::::Vega 5C floatplane {{cvt|1100|ft/min|m/s}}
|time to altitude=
|wing loading lb/sqft=16.4
|wing loading note=<br/>
::::Vega 5C floatplane {{cvt|17.7|lb/sqft}}
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass={{cvt|0.1|hp/lb}}
::::Vega 5C floatplane {{cvt|0.0926|hp/lb}}

|more performance=<!--<br />
*'''Take-off run:''' {{cvt||ft}}
*'''Take-off distance to {{cvt|50|ft}}:''' {{cvt||ft}}
*'''Landing run:''' {{cvt||ft}}
*'''Landing distance from {{cvt|50|ft}}:''' {{cvt||ft}}-->
}}

==See also==
{{Aircontent|
|sequence=
|related=
* [[Lockheed Air Express]]
* [[Lockheed Altair]]
* [[Lockheed Explorer]]
* [[Lockheed Model 8 Sirius]]
* [[Lockheed Model 9 Orion]]

|similar aircraft=
* [[Avia 156]]
* [[Consolidated Fleetster]]
* [[ICAR Comercial]]

|lists=
* [[List of aircraft of World War II]]
* [[List of Lockheed aircraft]]
}}

==References==

===Notes===
{{Reflist|group=N}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* Allen, Richard Sanders. ''Revolution in the Sky: Those Fabulous Lockheeds, The Pilots Who Flew Them''. Brattleboro, Vermont: The Stephen Greene Press, 1964.
* [[Walter J. Boyne|Boyne, Walter J.]] ''Beyond the Horizons: The Lockheed Story.'' New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998. {{ISBN|0-312-19237-1}}.
* Francillon, René J. ''Lockheed Aircraft since 1913''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1987. {{ISBN|0-85177-835-6}}.
*{{cite magazine|last=Grant|first=Robert S.|title=There's Gold in Them Thar Hills... or is There?: The Mitchell Expedition of 1932|magazine=[[Air Enthusiast]]|date=July–August 2002|issue=100|pages=50–55|issn=0143-5450}}
* {{cite book |last = Lawrence |first = Joseph |title = The Observer's Book Of Airplanes |location = London and New York |publisher = Frederick Warne & Co |year = 1945}}
* Smith, Elinor. ''Aviatrix''. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1981. {{ISBN|0-15-110372-0}}.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Lockheed_Vega}}
* [http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A19360030000 Lockheed Vega 5B] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111228220216/http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A19360030000|date=28 December 2011}}
* [http://www.jitterbuzz.com/flying_to_rio.html The Lockheed Vega] in the film ''[[Flying Down to Rio]]''
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=xd8DAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Popular+Mechanics%22+Jan+1935+floating&pg=PA492 "Wiley Post seeks New Record"] ''Popular Mechanics'', October 1934 pp.&nbsp;492–494. Drawing of ''Winnie Mae'' modified for high altitude record attempt

{{Lockheed}}
{{Detroit aircraft}}
{{USAF transports}}
{{ADF aircraft designations}}

[[Category:Lockheed aircraft|Vega]]
[[Category:1920s United States civil utility aircraft]]
[[Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft]]
[[Category:High-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1927]]
[[Category:Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear]]