Lockheed Vega

what is it?

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.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 12.5 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 298 km/htop speed
• range 1,448 kmwithout refuelling
• seats 6passengers
• size 2,041 kgmax take-off weight
• built 132made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 99 years ago, in 1927.
• 🏎️Top speed is 2.3× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 12.5 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🌍Range of 1,448 km: 8× Amsterdam to Brussels.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1927-07-04

introduced

1927

status

retired

number built

132

role

transport

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Lockheed Corporation

engines

1× Pratt & Whitney R-1340C Wasp / Shenyang J-5

crew

1

passengers

6

length

8.4 m

wingspan

12.5 m

height

2.6 m

max take-off weight

2,041 kg

top speed

298 km/h

cruise speed

265 km/h

range

1,448 km

ceiling

5,791 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

family