AMERICAN AIRLINES VEGA
This new release (early 1990's) from Spec Cast is the latest American Airlines release in the very popular licensed "American Airlines Series"! The American Airlines Series includes the DC-3, Stearman, Ford Tri-Motor and now the Lockheed Vega! It has a removable pilot canopy for coin insertion, rotating propeller and wheels, and a rotating engine cowl that pulls of for coin removal. Weighing more than a pound, this airplane measures 11 inches wing span by 8 inches in length.
Historical Note: The Lockheed Vega was designed and engineered by John K. Northrop in 1927. The construction of the over 27 foot long fuselage is deceptively simple in design and was a key in the transition from frame and fabric to the aluminum monocoque design still used today. Innovative engineering was also used for the cantilevered single high wing. The Vega was also among the first planes to use a drag-reducing engine cowl. It was advanced engineering ideas, such as these, that made the Vega an overwhelming success. A long list of pilots set 34 world records in Lockheed Vegas. Among them were such well known aviators as Wiley Post and Amelia Earhart who relied on the smooth, aerodynamic design and rugged construction of the Vega. Amelia Earhart's Trans-Atlantic and cross country flights in 1932 were both made in a Vega equipped with an additional fuel capacity totaling 430 gallons. She flew her second Vega from Hawaii to Los Angeles in 1935 to become the first woman to fly solo over both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Item Number: AA35065 Price: $119.95