Some of you were interested so will post a new thread here on my new purchase. As most of you are aware I own a Twin Commander 680FP and a few years ago purchased a Beech 18 that I've been flying a good bit. In December I purchased the Lockheed 12 that was used in the latest Amelia Movie in 2009. The guy that purchased it in 1987 and spent 15 years rebuilding it is a good friend of mine. He lost his medical and was getting tired of her sitting in his hanger not flying and he'd been after me for a while to buy it. We worked out a deal and I set out upgrading the panel to get her ready to do some serious bird watching.
The airplane is a 1936 model 12a and was gone through tip to tail in the restoration.
As for comparing it to the Beech 18 it is really in a totally different category and not saying this because I own it. It really surprised me at how different the two airplanes are. Outside of the engines there isn't a single part they share. I still love flying the Beech too but engineering wise they couldn't be different.
They are both big tail traggers so they share that aspect but the Lockheed is more like a mini DC-3 than it is a Beech 18. Controls are very smooth and it lands around 80, stalls around 65 and you have elevator control all the way through the process. The 18 will lose elevator if you get much below 90 on landing.
The cockpit on the Lockheed is the only thing I'm not in love with but it is so cool flying such an old airplane you get over it pretty quickly. The window is flat and right in your face. Visibility is terrible when on the ground but great in the air. Like a DC-3, you have to reach for the instruments which takes some getting used to.
All of the controls including throttles and other handles are ball bearings so they are very smooth to operate. Ailerons droop with the flaps giving you an almost 40' flap hanging out there which is why it can land so slow. Gear is driving by screw jacks instead of all the cables and chains that are in the beech 18 so are smooth as glass going up and down.
Overall, the Lockheed is a very very awesome airplane to fly and definitely gets everyone's attention when it pulls up.
Here are a few pics and anyone interested is welcome to fly on down and I'll let you fly it.
Here is link to entire gallery:
https://gshutter.smugmug.com/Airplanes/My-Planes/Lockheed-12/Lockheed-12a
