Lockheed Explorer

Explorer
Role	Exploration
National origin	United States of America
Manufacturer	Lockheed
Number built	4
Developed from	Lockheed Vega

The Lockheed Explorer was the least successful wooden airplane design produced by the Lockheed Aircraft Company . The Vega fuselage was combined with a cantilevered low wing. Seating for a single pilot was provided in an open cockpit behind the wings.

Design and development [ edit ]

Work on the Explorer was commenced in 1927 for Sir Hubert Wilkins as an aircraft for use in exploration of Antarctica . However, this configuration was judged impractical, and Wilkins opted to use a Vega equipped with floats instead. The incomplete aircraft was brought out of storage to make an attempt at a nonstop flight between Japan and the United States, funded by lumber dealer John Buffelen and members of the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce. Named City of Tacoma , the first Pacific crossing attempt ended in disaster when overfilled fuel tanks spilled over on takeoff. Two subsequent attempts in newer Explorers also met with failure.

The wing of a wrecked Explorer was fitted to the fuselage of an Orion by aviator Wiley Post , resulting in an Orion-Explorer hybrid variously referred to as 'Wiley's Bastard' and 'Aurora', though Post himself referred to the aircraft only by its serial number. The aircraft, nose-heavy, crashed after its engine failed shortly after takeoff near Point Barrow, Alaska on August 15, 1935, taking the lives of Post and humorist Will Rogers .

Lockheed built a total of four Explorers, all of which were destroyed in crashes.

Variants [ edit ]

4 Explorer: Single-seat single-engined aircraft, powered by a 450-hp (336-kW) Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial piston engine. Built for a non-stop trans-Pacific flight between Japan and the united States; two built.
7 Explorer: Improved version of the 4 Explorer, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp C radial piston engine; two built.

Specifications (Explorer 4) [ edit ]

Data from Lockheed Aircraft since 1913 ^[1]

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m)
Wingspan: 48 ft 6 in (14.78 m)
Height: 8 ft 2 in (2.49 m)
Wing area: 313 sq ft (29.08 m ²)
Empty weight: 3,075 lb (1,395 kg)
Gross weight: 9,008 lb (4,086 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney Wasp , 450 hp (336 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 165 mph (265 km/h, 143 kn)
Range: 5,500 mi (8,850 km, 4,800 nmi)
Rate of climb: 1,200 ft/min (6.1 m/s)
Wing loading: 28.8 lb/sq ft (140.5 kg/m ²)

References [ edit ]

Notes

^ Francillon 1982, p. 93.

Bibliography

Francillon, Rene J., Lockheed Aircraft since 1913 . London:Putnam, 1982. ISBN 0-370-30329-6 .
Francillon, Rene J, Lockheed Aircraft since 1913 . Naval Institute Press: Annapolis, 1987. ISBN 0-87021-897-2

[Francillon82_p93-1] Francillon 1982, p. 93.

[1]

Design and development [ edit ]

Variants [ edit ]

Specifications (Explorer 4) [ edit ]

See also [ edit ]

References [ edit ]