Lockheed_10A_flight

My flight on the Air Canada (Trans Canada Airlines) Lockheed 10A

By Carl Robinson

The Lockheed 10A sitting at the FBO.

On July 7 2006, I had the chance to do two things I always wanted to do. Go see the Concorde at the Air and Space museum?s Udvar-hazyCenter and ride on a vintage airliner. With the help of Airliners International 2006, I was able to do that. This is the story of my flight on this wonderful Lockheed aircraft.

The History of the aircraft is that it was bought by Air Canada in 1937 and was used to fly Air Canada?s first flight which was Vancouver-Seattle. Little was know about its use after it was retired but ended up in the USA in an aircraft graveyard. When someone found it and noticed that it was previously owned by Air Canada, they decided to rebuild the aircraft. Some time was put in to rebuild it and some challenges came up too. A spar which the two wings are connected to and is the most important structural part of the aircraft was in bad shape and needed to be replaced. There wasn?t one like it and it had to be made from scratch. Finally it was restored and flyable. Air Canada pilots had the chance to fly it and its employees rode on it. For the AI2006 convention they decided to bring the aircraft for flights for a donation to a non-profit organization the airline recommended.

The day was a wonderful day and we arrived at Landmark Aviation which is a FBO (Fixed Base Operator) who services private jets, similar to what an airline does to one of its aircraft at the gate. Landmark Aviation is one of two FBO?s WashingtonDullesAirport has to cater to the private jets. Since Reagan National has strict rules about entering it?s airport, most pilots fly to Dulles or any of the other smaller airports around the area. The other problem is this zone called the ADIZ (Air Defense Identification Zone). Certain aircraft are allowed in this area which is the airspace around Reagan, Dulles, and BaltimoreAirports. Aircraft are not allowed in the restricted area and if someone tries to challenge it will be dealt with severely. There have been some incidents with small aircraft flying into the area and almost getting shot down by the Air Force.

After we arrived we were given some rules like following the pilot to the plane and watch out for the aircraft around us. The two pilots who were flying us were Captains Jim Mason and Harvey Reid. Captain Reid is an Airbus A340-500 captain on Air Canada?s Toronto-Hong Kong route. Captain Mason is a longhaul pilot as well with other aircraft.

Our walkaround Captain Reid shows us the baggage compartment

Captain Reid walked us around the aircraft and told us a little information about the aircraft and its history. As soon as he was done, we got in and both captains did their checklists. The flightplan was to fly at 1,500 feet to avoid the ADIZ and to fly around the airport area for about 25 minutes flight time. The engines were started and we were off to Runway 1L for our departure. What was weird was we stuck out like a sore thumb and I wondered what the pilots in the large aircraft were thinking when they saw us taxiing out.

A United A320 watches us pass by

We saw some nice aircraft like a DHL 767, UPS DC-8, and some international airliners. As soon as we got to the beginning of the runway, we were off. The ride was smooth and we were able to see the suburbs and flew near the Mountains. Once we were at a level flight we had an opportunity to see the cockpit and get some photos of the cabin. After that, we were in a holding pattern for runway 1L and were a little long for our flight due to other air traffic. Once we were ready we were on a final for 1L and had a chance to see some aircraft after landing. We taxied back to the FBO and our flight was over. We received a postcard of the aircraft and I had it autographed by the two pilots. It was a wonderful experience and it was a great pleasure to be able to ride on a piece of history. I hope to see it again in 2007 when Air Canada celebrates their 70th anniversary with their first flight and the delivery of their first Boeing 777.

Thanks to the Air Canada flight crew Jim Mason and Harvey Reid, Airliners International 2006 Landmark Aviation, and the other passengers who flew with me.

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