Ex-Continental Airlines 1937-vintage twin stages through UK en route to Switzerland

Lockheed 12A Electra Junior NC18125 has been delivered to a new owner in Switzerland Arial Lüdi, arriving at Altenrhein airport adjacent to Lake Constance on 12 June. Its trans-Atlantic ferry flight took the 1937-vintage twin via Reykjavík, Wick and Duxford.

This was one of the relatively few Electra Juniors to see commercial passenger-carrying service when new, doing so with Continental Airlines until October 1940. It served with the Royal Canadian Air Force for five years from December 1940, before having a succession of owners including Texaco, and nuclear physician Dr Colgate W. Darden III, who kept the machine between 1966 and 1998. Exported to Canada, the Lockheed flew as CF-LKD from 2007-20, when it returned to the USA.

NC18125’s arrival means there are now five airworthy Electra Juniors in Europe. The others are the Chabbert family’s F-AZLL at Arcachon, France, NC14999 belonging to Luc Hellings at Genk-Zwartberg, Belgium, NC18130 of Hanover, Germany-based Art Deco Aviation and Fighter Aviation Engineering’s G-AFTL, which has taken up residence at Duxford.