Legendary. Groundbreaking. Breathtaking. Historical.

For us and others, the Lockheed Electra 12A is more than just an old museum piece: it is living aviation history. Built on June 25, 1937 in an aircraft factory in the USA with the registration NC18130, it has been regularly taxiing across the tarmac at Hannover Airport since February 2019.

History

Our Lockheed Electra Junior is a piece of living history. On June 25, 1937, the aircraft was completed in the original 12A design in the USA by Lockheed and registered with the number NC18130. Its first owner was FC Hall, who christened the plane "Villa" after his wife. Hall was the sponsor of record-breaking pilot Wiley Post, who six years earlier had circumnavigated the globe in just 8 days and 16 hours in the Lockheed Vega Winnie Mae. In the very year of her first registration, our gold piece took fifth place in the Bendix Trophy Air Races with a breathtaking flight from L.A. to Cleveland - just minutes behind the winner of the race, a fighter plane. In 1939, the Villa was acquired by the Gilmore Oil Company, which used the spectacularly beautiful aircraft in numerous promotions. Then, in November 1941, the aircraft was transferred to the Free French Air Force (FAFL)where, as "No. 1226", it transported many high-ranking military personnel during World War II, including Gerneral LeClerc, General Valin and General Charles de Gaulle. There is even evidence of a combat mission by the unarmed aircraft, during which hand grenades were thrown from the open side door. After the war, the veteran was sold to the Earl of Granard in England and served as a conveyance for the English aristocracy for 27 years. After two years in service with a French airline, the Villa was decommissioned in Nice in 1974 - it wasn't until 32 years later that it was made airworthy again to celebrate its 80th birthday at the historic Arlington Fly-In as the air show's antique highlight. There it was restored until 2019 and acquired by Art Deco Aviation.

Even a combat mission of the unarmed machine is documented, during which hand grenades were thrown from the open side door. After the war, the veteran was sold to the Earl of Granard in England and served as a conveyance for the English noble family for 27 years. After two years in service with a French airline, the Villa was decommissioned in Nice in 1974 - it wasn't until 32 years later that it was made airworthy again to celebrate its 80th birthday at the historic Arlington Fly-In as the air show's antique highlight. There it was restored until 2019 and acquired by Art Deco Aviation.

Moments.

No aircraft has shaped the image of aviation more than the Lockheed Electra. With its strikingly shiny, all-metal fuselage and two massive propeller engines, the aircraft, also known as the "Lockheed 10," set standards in design and performance. It was with this aircraft that aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart set off on her courageous attempt to circumnavigate the equator, and in the 1930s Electras were in service on numerous routes in the USA, Latin America and Europe.

In 1936, Lockheed introduced the Lockheed Electra Junior 12, a smaller version of the successful model. The Electra Junior probably made its most famous appearance in the film Casablanca, in whose grandiose finale it carries Ingrid Bergman to freedom. Electras were also war heroes in real life, with countless missions in World War II for the US Army and Navy and Britain's Royal Air Force, among others. Being smaller than its predecessor but using the same engines in the original 12A version, the Electra Junior was a lot faster. This made it popular for transporting important passengers such as officers, spies or even the VIPs of the oil industry.

You want to experience this icon up close? Then look for our current air show dates.

Data & Facts.

The Villa Electra.

THE VILLA ELECTRA

THE VILLA ELECTRA The Villa Electra has never looked better than it does today. Completely restored according to historical models and freed from the many varnishes, the hull shines again in its old splendor. The interior has also been restored with great attention to detail.

The villa is at home in the ArtDeco Hangar at Hannover Airport, from where we mainly operate it. All our maintenance and restoration work also takes place there. Art Deco Hangar am Flughafen Hannover zuhause, von wo aus wir sie überwiegend betreiben. Dort finden auch all unsere Instandhaltungs- und Restaurationsarbeiten stattfinden. 

Name

NC18130 „Villa“, SN 1226

FIRST TIME ADMISSION

25.06.1937

MANUFACTURER

Lockheed

Modell

Electra Junior 12A

DRIVE

2 Star motors

DRIVE UNIT TYPE

Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior SB

POWER PER ENGINE

336 kW

SPEED

361 km/h

CREW SEATS

2

PASSENGERS

6

LEVEL OF SERVICE

6.980m

RANGE

1.287 km

LEARN WEIGHT

2,615t

MAX. STARTING WEIGHT

3,924 t

SPAN WIDTH

15,09m

LENGTH

10,97m

HEIGHT

2,97m

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