Lockheed 12A Electra G-AFTL
Said to be one of the world’s most historic photo-reconnaissance aircraft still in existence today, Lockheed 12A Electra Junior G-AFTL completed its first post restoration flight from Sywell Aerodrome in Northamptonshire in the hands of Pete Kynsey on March 27, 2023. Two civil Lockheed 12s ordered by British Airways Ltd. were actually intended for covert military reconnaissance flights. Sidney Cotton modified these aircraft for aerial photography and in civilian guise, overflew and surreptitiously photographed many German and Italian military installations during the months preceding World War II
The Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior, more commonly known as the Lockheed 12 or L-12, is an eight-seat, six-passenger all-metal twin-engine transport aircraft of the late 1930s designed for use by small airlines, companies, and wealthy private individuals. A smaller version of the Lockheed Model 10 Electra, the Lockheed 12 was not popular as an airliner but was widely used as a corporate and government transport
Frederick Sidney Cotton OBE (17 June 1894 – 13 February 1969) was an Australian inventor, photographer and aviation and photography pioneer, responsible for developing and promoting an early colour film process, and largely responsible for the development of photographic reconnaissance before and during World War II. He numbered among his close friends George Eastman, Ian Fleming and Winston Churchill.
Aircraft Type: Lockheed 12A Electra Junior
Year of Manufacture: 1936
Powered by: 2 x Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior
Colour scheme: Civilian scheme as under Frederick Sidney Cotton ownership
