Western Air Express Lockheed Vega 5

Additional Information:

The Lockheed Vega is a five- to seven-seat high-wing monoplane airliner built by the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. Production began in 1927 and the aircraft became famous for its use by a number of record-breaking pilots who were attracted to its high speed and long range. The Vega 5 variant is an improved model that is powered by either a 410 hp Wasp A, 450 hp Wasp B, or 420 hp Wasp C1 radial piston engine. The Vega had a wooden monocoque fuselage with a wooden, internally-braced, cantilever wing as pioneered by Anthony Fokker.

Western Air Express (WAE) was based in Los Angeles, California and began operations on May 23, 1926 with an initial route from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City carrying U.S. mail and occasional passengers. On May 15, 1929, the carrier began the first scheduled passenger airline service to New Mexico with a route from Los Angeles to Albuquerque that made stops at Kingman and Holbrook, Arizona using a Fokker F-10 tri-motor. Two weeks later on June 1, 1929, the route was extended eastward from Albuquerque to Kansas City with stops at Amarillo and Wichita. WAE operated many other aircraft types during its service within New Mexico including the Fokker F-7, F-14, F-32, F-Super Universal, Douglas M2, Lockheed 5A Vega, and Clark GA-43. Some of these aircraft however were only used to transport mail which was the primary focus for airline operations during that time. A ticket office was opened in downtown Albuquerque at the Hotel Franciscan. The Western Air Express name was changed to Western Air Lines in 1941 and the carrier nearly merged with Continental Airlines in 1978.

Western Air Express flew the Lockheed Vega 5, NC-624E, on their mail/passenger service to Albuquerque on May 1, 1930. The aircraft flew the El Paso-Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM-Pueblo CO,-Denver-Cheyenne route.

Below are several fuselages under construction at the Lockheed plant.

GALLERY: