60 Years Ago Today
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posts: 1,355
60 Years Ago Today
It was sixty years ago today that the Lockheed Electra II made its maiden flight. Ansett-ANA's VH-RMA came along a bit later but she's still going strong with Buffalo Airways and indeed she was flying yesterday.
Victim of a bored god
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Join Date: Jan 1996
Location: Utopia
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I remember the Ansett Electras serving the Australia - Port Moresby - Lae air route. If was before the wing problem was fixed and once in the cruise the inboard engine power was reduced to avoid (I believe?) harmonic oscillation in the main spar.
They finally became a magnificent aircraft, serving many years in passenger and finally freight operations.
I recall one old Ansett captain suggesting they were only 5 minutes slower Sydney - Melbourne than a Boeing 737.
They finally became a magnificent aircraft, serving many years in passenger and finally freight operations.
I recall one old Ansett captain suggesting they were only 5 minutes slower Sydney - Melbourne than a Boeing 737.
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: woop woop
Posts: 228
My first ever flight was on an Ansett ANA Electra in 1958 if memory is correct ..on the red eye Perth Melbourne ..I think first class was down the back, could be wrong about that though...I seem to remember sitting over the wing as a 9 year old, I thought it was magic 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 150
Originally Posted by faheel
My first ever flight was on an Ansett ANA Electra in 1958 if memory is correct ..on the red eye Perth Melbourne ..I think first class was down the back, could be wrong about that though...I seem to remember sitting over the wing as a 9 year old, I thought it was magic
Right about First Class I meant, Mum and Dad tell me that First Class was down the back in the Constellations too... probably something to do with most of the noise being forward as opposed to rearward as is the case now with jet aircraft.
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: woop woop
Posts: 228
About 8 or 9 years later I was an apprentice electrician in Melbourne and we wired Ansett's jet engine test cell at Essendon airport, I well remember on my lunch break walking down to the tarmac in my overalls and climbing into Electra's,Viscounts, F27's, DC3, Convairs and anything else that was parked there..the good old days,no one ever questioned me and there were no asic or any other ID cards required to access the tarmac.
All that fired me up to start my pilot training, did it for another 50 years..
All that fired me up to start my pilot training, did it for another 50 years..
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 274
Originally Posted by TBM-Legend
Great pic of a great aircraft. Another great Lockheed design spawning the mighty P-3 line..
Beautiful sound.
Regards RW
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: with the other ex-CX pond scum (a zoologist was once head of Flight Ops)
Posts: 1,792
Flew the Electra’s military cousin, a mighty machine, only just being retired. The stubby wings and huge props on both types were a sight to behold. We called the P3 ‘the big grey and white Kingswood’.
So much power it was easy to forget an engine had been ‘loitered’.
So much power it was easy to forget an engine had been ‘loitered’.
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: brisbane,qld,australia
Posts: 273
A magnificent machine- truly a thoroughbred. The story of the structural problems tearing wings apart is an interesting story and well described in "The Electra Story". Well worth reading if you can obtain a copy.
Basically the gyroscopic effect exerted by the 13'6" prop in turbulence could not be dampened by the engine mounts and exerted a twisting force on the wing that increased until the wing snapped. Hence the initial fix by reducing airspeed to around 400 mph max.
After stiffening the eng mounts the Lockheed test pilots flew the aircraft at increasing speeds and turbulence until finally flying at vne in severe turbulence over the Sierra Nevadas with the prop attach bolts slackened off.
End of problem. I dips me lid to those guys!
Emeritus
Basically the gyroscopic effect exerted by the 13'6" prop in turbulence could not be dampened by the engine mounts and exerted a twisting force on the wing that increased until the wing snapped. Hence the initial fix by reducing airspeed to around 400 mph max.
After stiffening the eng mounts the Lockheed test pilots flew the aircraft at increasing speeds and turbulence until finally flying at vne in severe turbulence over the Sierra Nevadas with the prop attach bolts slackened off.
End of problem. I dips me lid to those guys!
Emeritus
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posts: 1,355
Casper
If you google "Manducat Radices Floria" the first hit is this PPRuNe thread! Drill a bit deeper and it is revealed that it describes the dietary habits of said wombat. I'm a bit slow today.
Casper, if you are not already on this list please shoot me a PM.
Ansett Electra Crew
If you google "Manducat Radices Floria" the first hit is this PPRuNe thread! Drill a bit deeper and it is revealed that it describes the dietary habits of said wombat. I'm a bit slow today.
Casper, if you are not already on this list please shoot me a PM.
Ansett Electra Crew
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Lost, but often Indonesia
Posts: 634
And flight deck visits for kids and the crew would complete and sign souvenir cards with altitude speed etc. I had a couple from the mid '70s trans Tasman flights on Kiwi DC-8's.
Didn't even need passports in those days. How times have so changed... :-(
Didn't even need passports in those days. How times have so changed... :-(
N4790P
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Asia
Age: 71
Posts: 2,126
Originally Posted by SRFred
... and for passengers, particularly young ones, there were postcards with pictures of the aircraft in the seat pockets.
