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Lockheed classic’s Atlantic voyage

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BATA LOCKHEED 10

24 www.aeroplanemonthly.com AEROPLANE AUGUST 2015

In the 1930s, a Lockheed 10 Electra was the corporateaircraft of famous Czechoslovak shoe manufacturer

Bata. Now this very machine has returned

ELECTRA’SELECTRA’SRETURNRETURN

WORDS: STEFAN SCHMOLL

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AEROPLANE AUGUST 2015 www.aeroplanemonthly.com 25

I t marked a homecomingafter 76 years when, on28 May, pilots Milan Vacíkand Nikola Lukačovič

touched down in Lockheed 10AElectra ‘OK-CTB’/N241M on thesmall grass airstrip at Točná in thesouthern suburbs of Prague. Undertheir collective belt since setting offfrom Hamilton in Ontario, Canada,were nine sectors involving about 40flying hours and 9,700km (6,027miles) — not bad for a 78-year-oldmachine. Hundreds of onlookersgave the visibly touched crew anenthusiastic welcome at Točná. Afterall, it’s not every day that a Lockheed10, currently the world’s only flyingexample of this elegant type, crossesthe Atlantic.A few years ago, a Czech

entrepreneur discovered this 1930sicon in Texas. He did not let up untilhe was able to acquire N241M fromlong-time owner James Almand in2010. Since then, Wichita Air Servicein Kansas has restored the twin-

engined Lockheed to a conditionbetter than new, a maiden flight beingcarried out on 12 March this year.In addition to fully-overhauled

Pratt & Whitney Wasp Juniorengines, the new owner attached greatimportance to an authentic interior,appearing just as it did when theaircraft was operated by Czechoslovakshoe manufacturer Bata before thewar. Of course the cockpit is not inthe style of the Thirties, including asit does many modern instruments. Itwould, as Nikola Lukačovič said, besomewhat irresponsible to attempt tocross the Atlantic today with periodequipment.The Electra makes a beautiful

sight, highly polished and sportingthe historic Bata livery. Thankfully,it is not scheduled to disappear intoa hangar, but will form the mainattraction of a planned museum atTočná. In addition, the enthusiasticCzech crew plans to take the twinto selected classic aircraft events andairshows all over Europe.

This forms the latest chapter in theoutstanding history of an airframethat was built at Burbank, Californiain 1937 with the constructor’s number1091. From that April until March1939 it served as Bata’s corporateaircraft, registered OK-CTB. A fewdays before the German invasionof Czechoslovakia, the Electra wasflown (carrying, it’s said, Bata familymembers and the company’s generalmanager) to Poland, which was atthat time still free. Then it went viaYugoslavia, Italy and Paris to London,where the natural metal Lockheed wasused as on VIP shuttles for a coupleof weeks.In May 1939 it was sold to the

Royal Canadian Air Force, whichflew it as a transport in Canadawith the serial RCAF 7656, untilits retirement in 1946. The aircraftwas sold for a sum of C$42,000.After passing through the hands ofseveral US owners, with registrationsN79236 and N241M, the Electra waspurchased in 1974 by James Almand

BELOW: Lockheed10A Electra N241M,marked as OK-CTB,over Germany on26May during itsdelivery flight toPrague.CHRISTIAN BRAMKAMP

BATA LOCKHEED 10

ABOVE:WithLockheed 10A

OK-CTB, Bata helpedpioneer corporateflying in Europe.

VIA MILAN VACÍK

RIGHT:A previouslyun-published photoof Jan Antonín Batain front of his family

firm’s Lockheedin Brno during

1937. He was thehalf-brother of

company founderTomáš Bata, who

died in an air crashin 1932.

TECHNICAL MUSEUMIN BRNO

RIGHT: Cruisingserenely over theGreenland glacier.

TOCNÁ AIRPORT

from Grand Prairie, Texas. He operatedit for many years in its former RCAFcolours (see the front cover of the June1981 Aeroplane Monthly).The first stage of the aircraft’s

‘homecoming’ trip to the CzechRepublic took place in April. Aftersuccessful flight-testing by someAmerican colleagues, Milan and Nikolaflew the Lockheed fromWichita toHamilton, where it was exhibited fora few weeks at the Canadian WarplaneHeritage Museum. There took place avery special meeting, when the daughterof Tomáš Bata Jr, Rosemarie Bata Blyth,visited the former family aircraft.Meanwhile, Vaclav Bejček and Jarda

Anyz, the two mechanics on the team,used the period spent at Hamiltonto make final technical preparationsfor the big adventure. The 1,900km(1,180-mile) stretch across the endlesscornfields of the mid-western UnitedStates and along the shores of the GreatLakes was only the prelude.

In mid-May it was time for theAtlantic crossing. On 20 May Milanand Nikola flew the Electra to Iqaluit,one of the last outposts of Canada’sfar north-west. The crew refuelled theaircraft from barrels brought with aforklift by the friendly airport staff.Because of the cold, the engines neededa certain warm-up time, providinga good opportunity to de-ice theairframe — a job for men rather thanboys!Having dressed in the obligatory

dayglo survival suits, the crew madefor the first over-water stage, across the350km (217-mile)-wide Davis Straitto Nuuk airport in Greenland. Herea small leak on the oil line to the portengine made for a day off, at least forMilan and Nikola who were finally ableto catch up on lost sleep, while Vaclavand Jarda solved the minor problem.Instead of taking the shortest route

across the vast, uninhabited landmass

‘To pilot the historic Lockheed along theicebergs and fjords of Greenland andIceland was an incredible experience’

❖

ABOVE: CaptionCREDIT

BELOW: CaptionCREDIT

of the world’s largest island, the Electrawent along the fjord-rich south coastof Greenland to Kulusuk. Due tothick clouds, for a time it had to flyat iceberg level along the coastline,an unfamiliar feeling for both theseexperienced airline pilots.Fortunately, the crew was far from

alone. Nikola was proud that theywere able to use windyty.com, a newprogram which showed the forecastwind conditions. It was developed byhis brother Ivo, who also happens tobe the Electra’s owner. On Facebook,Milan reported daily from theindividual stages of the journey andposted the latest photos, while it waspossible to follow progress almost liveon a spot tracker. In addition to all themodern technology on board, a CessnaCitation CJ4 business jet served assupport aircraft during the entire trip.“In the sunny sections”, said Milan,

“it was a dream of a flight”. To pilotthe historic Lockheed along theicebergs and fjords of Greenland andIceland was, for him and Nikola, anincredible experience.After another 1,100km (683 miles)

over the rough North Atlantic, theElectra reached European ground on25 May when it touched down at Wickin the far north of Scotland. Muchof the tension now evaporated, as themost difficult part of the journey wasover. The survival suits could be takenoff, and it was back to more relaxedflying between cities and airfields.Word spread quickly that IWM

Duxford was the night-stop venueafter the following day’s stage. Manyonlookers were present that eveningwhen the Electra landed. The nextmorning the crew, fortified by a

ABOVE: A fine studyof the Electra overCanada. TOCNÁ AIRPORT

LEFT:Wearingsurvival gear, MilanVacík (left) andNikola Lukacovicmake for the FaroeIslands. TOCNÁ AIRPORT

BELOW: The fourcrewmembers whoconducted the ferryflight on the tarmacat Siegerland: fromleft to right, VaclavBejcek, Milan Vacík,Nikola Lukacovicand Jarda Anyz.STEFAN SCHMOLL

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28 www.aeroplanemonthly.com AEROPLANE AUGUST 2015

LOCKHEED 10 BACKGROUNDFirst flown on 23 February 1934, the Lockheed 10 Electra was arival to the Boeing 247 and Douglas DC-2. It was Lockheed’s firsttwin-engined, all-metal aircraft, and laid the foundation for a largefamily of military and civilian types in the years that followed.From 1935 onwards, 149 Electras were built, with four different

engine specifications. Some 115 of the two-pilot, 10-passengermachines were delivered to airlines, and nine from the factoryto the armed forces of Argentina and the US. Only 25 examples,including Bata’s OK-CTB, went to wealthy private individuals and

companies around the world. Of those, several were impressedinto military service during World War Two, being usedprimarily for VIP transportation. Another 130 examples of thesmaller, six-passenger Lockheed 12 Electra Junior were produced,starting in 1936.Today, only 16 Lockheed 10s survive. Aside from ‘OK-CTB’/

N241M, just one can be found in Europe — the 1935-vintage c/n1037, formerly NC14959, NC243 and NC5171N, which is displayedhanging from the ceiling of the Science Museum in London.

ABOVE: The Electra’selegant lines are setoff beautifully by thesmart Bata livery.STEFAN SCHMOLL

LEFT: An appropriatebackdrop for a 1930sairliner — the re-created Amsterdam-Schiphol terminalbuilding at Lelystad’sAviodromemuseum.TOCNÁ AIRPORT

BELOW: Arrival atTocná was delayedby a day due tostrong winds, butstill proved a causefor celebration.MARTIN HALES

full English breakfast, continuedby hopping to interesting airfieldsen route to Prague. Lelystad inthe Netherlands was on the list asa refuelling stop, the Aviodromemuseum’s re-creation of the historicAmsterdam-Schiphol terminal offeringgreat photographic opportunities.One felt almost transported back tothe time when OK-CTB was flownaround the capitals of Europe almost80 years ago.Because of prevailing tailwinds

on large sections of the journey, theteam progressed faster than planned.The Electra thus touched down fourdays earlier than expected at theSiegerlandflughafen in mid-westernGermany, from where our photo-shoot took place.But the stops in England, Holland

and Germany were nothing comparedto the excitement at Točná when theLockheed 10 landed on Thursday28 May, its first time on Czech soilsince 11 March 1939. It concludeda perfect Atlantic crossing in thishistoric airliner. In early June theElectra starred in the famous airshowat Pardubice, surely not the lastappearance of this rare icon ofEuropean aviation.

AEROPLANE AUGUST 2015 www.aeroplanemonthly.com 29

LEFT:N241M is the sole airworthyLockheed 10 not only in Europe,but also the world. STEFAN SCHMOLL

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: With specialthanks to Milan Vacík and NikolaLukacovic. The author is also gratefulto Christian Bramkamp, who organisedthe photo-shoot at Siegerland.