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Amelia
Earhart's Lockheed Vega
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Amelia Earhart was the first woman, and only the second person (the
other was Charles Lindberg), to make a nonstop solo flight across the
Atlantic Ocean. On May 20, 1932, she set off alone from Harbor
Grace, Newfoundland. The weather was a problem from the start, and
at one point in the flight, ice on the wings forced her into a
3,000-foot, unchecked descent. She finally managed to level off and,
constantly fighting fatigue, she landed in a field near Culmore,
Londonderry, Northern Ireland. She made the 2,026-mile flight in 14
hours, 54 minutes.
The aircraft she used was a bright red
Lockheed Vega 5B, a sleek, new monoplane with a fully cantilevered wing
and roomy cabin area. It was the first airplane built by
Lockheed. The first one flew in 1927 and 131 were eventually
manufactured.
Amelia sold her Vega to the Franklin Institute
in Philadelphia in June 1933. The aircraft was displayed there until it
was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution on September 8, 1966. It
is displayed in the Museum's Pioneers of Flight gallery. |
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Lockheed
Vega
Premier Series Model. 1/28th scale. 18.3" wingspan x 12" long
No. AB1CD-PR. Only $194.95
Lockheed
Vega
From our Deluxe Series. 1/24th scale. 20/5"
wingspan x 13.75" long
No. AB1CD-DX. Only $159.95 |
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See
Amelia Earhart's Lockheed
L-10E
under Airliners. |
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