The Lockheed Vega was a single-engine, American high-wing, wooden structure with a fixed landing gear. The drive - in the Vega 5 version - was provided by a single Pratt and Whitney Wasp radial engine with 450 HP. A prototype flight took place in 1927, and serial production began shortly after. About 120 aircraft of this type were built in its course!
Lockheed Vega was created as a grassroots initiative of this label, and its designers were John Northrop and Gerald Vultee, who later founded their own aviation companies. The new machine was characterized by refined, for those times, aerodynamics and a very high maximum speed for an aircraft of this class. It was also able to carry 4 to 6 passengers. Several development versions of this aircraft were created in the course of production, for example: Vega 1 (the first production version, powered by the Wright Whirlwind engine), Vega 5 (version powered by the Wasp engine) or Vega 5 A (transport version). The plane of this type was also used by GH Wilkins to fly to the Arctic in 1928
The Lockheed DL-1 / Y1C Vega is an American, single-engine, mixed-structure, metal-lined passenger plane with umbrella wings. The flight of the prototype took place in 1927, and shortly thereafter, serial production was started at Lockheed's plant in Los Angeles, which ended with the production of 128 copies. In 1930, the DL-1 was sent to the USAAC for testing. The plane became famous thanks to the Wilkins' flight over the Arctic from Alaska to Spitsbergen on April 22, 1928. Technical data: length: 8.38 m, wingspan: 12.5 m, height: 2.59 m, maximum speed: 298 km / h, maximum range: 885 km , maximum ceiling 5485m.