A Very Classy lady
by Captain Raymond B. Lank

Aviators have been having love affairs with aircraft for a very long time; fickle by nature, they quickly transfer their respect and affection from one love to the next - though not always with the same degree of commitment. But very few of us ever get the chance to enjoy the company of the "perfect 10".

She is a very classy older lady who has kept her lovely figure, is lively and responsive with a hypnotic perfume all her own.

Her name? "Electra".

Her full name is Lockheed 10A "Electra". In fact she was christened No. 1116 back in June 1937, and when Air Canada acquired her in January 1984 she was N3749. A generation ago she had been known as CF-TCC when she flew with Trans-Canada Air Lines, as one of the Company's original order of new aircraft. Since then she has enjoyed a checked career, both in Canada and the USA with airlines, government and corporate interests.

The romance started on Jan 12th, 1984, at a small out of the way airport at Brookville, Florida. The purpose of our rendezvous was to get to know each other before we took off on a three day delivery flight back to Canada, where she could begin yet another career.

As she sat parked in a corner of that remote American airport, my first impression of this aircraft was of quiet dignity, augmented by a certain inexplicable aura. But its sheer grace, more than anything else, caught my imagination and turned my head. Like a model, she patiently posed for dozens of photos as we tried to capture the magic of the moment on film.

As the pre-flight checks were completed our anticipation grew. Just climbing aboard the aircraft to stow our gear brought back a flood of memories. To this modern jet pilot the vintage "av-gas" smell was like an intoxicating perfume. The inclined uphill walk to the cockpit (between two single rows of five seats) the awkward step up over the spar reminded me of my old DC-3 or Lodestar days. Bud Clark, the aircraft owner (until we handed him the cheque at the Air Canada hangar in Winnipeg). Moved comfortable into the left seat while I stooped and folded myself in the co-pilots seat with unabashed delight.

After we had reviewed all the cockpit gauges and switches, along with standard operating and emergency procedures, I took time out to just enjoy the view from the co-pilots seat. Looking out the sliding side window enabled me actually to see the starboard prop, engine and wing! It had been a long time since I was last able to do that from a cockpit.

Starting the Pratt and Whitney R985 Wasp Jr. is straight forward with that rich reciprocating engine vibration and sound totally developing one in nostalgia. Delightful!. Taxiing visibility forward is a little restricted and with differential throttle and rudder little breaking is needed for directional control. Take-off power is applied evenly without delay and the nose firmly eased forward in the level flight attitude. In approximately 1000 feet the aircraft literally "jumps" into the air at between 65 and 70 mph. The "up" gear is selected and when the wheels have been tucked away the lever is returned to neutral. (no flap is used for take-off).

We circled back over the airport so that more photos could be taken from the ground and then set course to the NW out over the Gulf of Mexico en route to Memphis, Tennessee. Ernie Sykes (who had first loaded CF-TCC) and Al Scammel (Air Canada Chief Aircraft Inspector) settled down back in the comfortable executive cabin (Ted Morris had remained in Florida). Bud and I began sharing the many hours of manual flying. The lack of an autopilot was, if anything, a plus enabling us to feel more as one with the aircraft. We climbed through the warm evening air and were on top at 6000 feet. Engines were set at 1800 RPM and 27 inches of boost for 155 miles per hour. Our first order of business was to set up a safe fuel management operation using as egg timer as a backup! We ran 30 minutes on each front tank then one hour on each of the two smaller aft tanks before returning to the mains for the balance of the flight. The flight plan called for 4+00 (four hours and no minutes) (with 6 hours fuel on board) burning the 100/130 fuel at 40 US gallons per hour.

The night moved in on us and flashlight augmented what built-in cockpit lighting still worked. One of the most enchanting aspects of this type of aircraft is being able once again to see the strobe affect that the moonlight creates on the propellers.

With the extremely high noise level in the cockpit one avoids unnecessary conversation. The soothing vibrations on a clear moonlit night easily lulls one into pleasant thoughts of years gone by…of the pilots and other aircraft that fifty years ago had shared the heavens with CF-TCC, of flashing ground beacons and radio ranges, of open cockpit mail planes and even leather helmets and silk scarves in the slip stream …

But memories not withstanding PX's go on forever, estimates must be dialed up on the Jeppesen and passed on to ATC. Even with no DME, INS, FMS or area NAV all of our estimates were within one minute. The overcast below thickened and soon our "VFR on top" separated our small aircraft from the earth below with only the occasional glimpse of a large city faintly visible through the clouds. Tallahassee, Wiregrass, Montgomery, Vulcan, Hamilton, Holly Springs and finally Memphis, 571 nm (nautical miles) four hours and five minutes (4+05).

Our final approach was with 45 deg. Flap at 90 miles per hour. The "Electra" type aircraft balloons noticeable with flap deployment. And when the gear is down it must be trimmed nose-up to assist on the power off flare. Everything was routine until fairly close in when one of our two passengers (name withheld to protect the guilty) inadvertently sat on the forward fire extinguisher - confirming that both it and our adrenaline worked!

We taxied up to the General Aviation hangar and tucked CF-TCC in for the night, then ordered coffee and sandwiches for the early morning departure and sped off to the grand old "Peabody" hotel. (No we did not wait up to see the famous ducks waddle across the lobby at 11pm). It had been a long day-Toronto to Tampa in the L1011, by car to Brooksville and then to Memphis with the 10A. After the required coloured water and food we retired for the night. Friday the 13th dawned clear and cool with a reasonable WX forecast for the second leg of our delivery flight. CF-TCC had been rolled out and was awaiting our pre-flight, the only difference being that this time other photographers were congregating around the vintage machine. We flight planned 3+50 from Memphis to Sioux City, Iowa at 8000'. Departure was routine. One thing for sure a 10,000 foot jet runway seemed a trifle generous. We turned WNW for Walnut Ridge and once again started the egg timer. At 8000 feet, 1850 RPM, 26 inches, 155 miles per hour, indicated air speed with 0 deg. F (remember Fahrenheit?) on the OAT gauge (original equipment!) CHT 150 deg., Oil temp 70 deg., fuel pressure 40 psi and the cockpit noise level somewhere near 100 db! Every time Ernie and Al changed positions the aircraft had to be re-trimmed. When Bud was flying and wanted service he would simply 'out sync' the engines and when the startled (worried?) cabin folks looked up front he'd then request 'whatever'…now that was a unique stew call system. Though sandwiches and a thermos of coffee did the trick Bud kept slicing pieces of red apple to mix with his ever present "Pringles" and M&M's". I wished I had not run out of film because his Confederate Air Force brown fatigue cap and unusual picnic lunch would have made a great picture.

En route, most "Air Traffic Control centres asked us to "confirm that you are a Lockheed 10A". One young ATC controller commented, "you're down to two engines?" He was only old enough to have associated the work Electra with the four-engine Lockheed turbo prop of the fifties. (Could that explain why our MP needles were placarded 3 and 4!).

Gilmore, Walnut Ridge, Dogwood, Springfield, Napoleon (Kansas City East), St. Joseph. Each station's temperature getting colder as we moved further north. An old metal aircraft with little insulation, a rotten cockpit heater and no real toilet - combine to make a good case for landing early at Omaha, Nebraska. Even at that we covered 553 nautical miles in four hours and fourteen minutes (4+14).

Our decision to divert to Omaha (instead of Sioux City) proved to be a good one. Bud wheeled the aircraft on so smoothly that you couldn't tell we were on the ground. He lowered the tail and slowed to clear the live runway. Frankly, I think that the 10A was so annoyed at having left sunny warm Florida for 10 degrees below zero Fahrenheit environments that she purposely failed the left brake to ensure a warm hangar! With judicious use of differential throttle and rudder we crept our way to the Elliott Beechcraft FBO and what turned out to be the most modern hangar I've seen. It literally sparkled.

The next few hours were spent supervising the removal of the port wheel assembly for overnight repair. Much later we drove to the local airport motel where some needed sustenance was obtained. We'd forgotten to have supper! That evening I spoke with Bill Sansom, our Air Canada Flight Dispatch Supervisor in Canada, and confirmed that tomorrow would eventually be VFR for the remaining flight leg. The 'crew' retired early (secretly pleased that Friday the 13th had held no serious surprises). Saturday morning brought with it ice fog and a met report of 4x1/4. At least this enabled us to have a second (third) cut of coffee before proceeding to the airport. We arrived at the field about 10 am to file our flight plan to Winnipeg.

The aircraft was ready and waiting and we took full advantage of the warm hangar to load all our personal belongings aboard and complete the pre-flight check. CF-TCC was towed outside into the bitter cold where I spent ten minutes trying to find an area clear of glare ice so that I could carry out the engine run up and check the great repair. Taxing back to the hangar I kept the engines running right up to the moment the fuel truck arrived. Then back into the office area to settle the overnight maintenance and fuel charges with my quickly dwindling cash advance. Word of the 10A's presence had gotten out and photographers were once again on hand to record the visit. We departed Omaha at 1130 for the proposed (three hour and fifty minutes 3+50) to Winnipeg via Sioux Falls, Watertown, Fargo, Grand Forks & Pembina. Once under way the visibility improved rapidly as we climbed NW and soon were right into VFR conditions in a huge ridge of HI pressure (3087!) The egg timer as again put on alert.

Just South of Sioux City a Cessna 310 asked if he could pull up alongside and give 3749 the once over. What a contrast we would have made to any third observing aircraft.

In anticipation of the frigid January temperatures, we had dressed very warmly and only the occasional visit to the passenger cabin was needed to regain control of ones toe-sensing capabilities.

By now my flying technique had started to adjust to adjust to the Electra. It no longer seemed as frustrating to input aileron and  'wait' for the resulting change in direction. Because cruise altitude increases of even 100 feet resulted in an indicated air speed (IAS) loss of 10 miles per hour I fell back on the old DC-3 trick of firmly planting your left knee against the angled control yoke and pinning the altitude. Props that at first had needed constant attention to avoid the out of sync condition now seemed to stay where they belonged. Al and Ernie rotated right seat chores in cruise and kept the log up to date.

The influence of the huge high-pressure ridge gave us winter flying conditions at their best. Visibility as far as the eye could see. Bright sunlight, and the crisp clean snow-covered fields sliced up only by fence and tree lines and those roads that were ploughed. The air was absolutely smooth until it was brought to my attention that one of the crew had gone to the toilet area (with quart sized metal can in hand)…suddenly unforecast clear air turbulence appeared out of nowhere. So did the visibly embarrassed bathroom occupant!

The only incident on this leg was when the right engine-feathering button vibrated itself loose from the overhead panel and landed somewhere on the cockpit floor. Several really interesting pictures could have been taken in the next few minutes.

The following radio message was sent to Air Canada "LOCKHEED 10A by FARGO 2100 8000 ETA YWG 2215 REQUEST WARM HANGAR, HOT COFFEE AND CUSTOMS".

At 21:53 Lockheed 3749 and her crew first sighted Winnipeg on the horizon, and as I eased the power back and we settled into a slow descent I marveled at the aviation history which had evolved since the very first 10A had crossed the US-Canada border on its ferry flight on 4 August 1936 en route to Vancouver.

The Winnipeg tower approved a special 'lo and over pass' before our landing on runway 31. We taxied to the Air Canada maintenance hangar and stopped in front of the huge West facing doors and watched them open to receive this newest member to our airline family. In a symbolic ceremony we exchanged a cheque for the logbook and keys and N3749 once again beamed CF-TCC. The following telex was sent to Capt. C.H. Simpson. Vice President Flight Operations.
"CF-TCC ARRIVED SAFELY HOME 2220Z JANUARY 14. 1984. THE ADVENTURE IS UNDERWAY. CAPT. LANK".

From The CAHS Journal - Vol.24, NO. 1, Spring '86  - See their web site at:
www.cahs.ca 

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