Need Interior colors Lockheed Super Electra Model 14H

[PolMikeD]

I know how the Lockheed Hudson interiors were painted,  but I need the info for the Civil Airliner version.

 

Besides the ones purchased by BOAC, two ex-LOT airlines Super Electras were impressed into service once they escaped from Poland via a circuitous route to England.  Those aircraft were SP-BNF & SP-LMK which became, respectively, G-AGBG & G-AGAV.

 

I only have a black and white photo, a black white cut-away view and a photo of one modeler's interpretation, which appears to use a variety of greys, light bluish grey, buff and tan.

 

Anybody have anything definitive on the interior colors of the airliner - especially the passenger cabin?      

 

 

 

 

Edited June 8, 2018 by PolMikeD

[Roger Holden]

3 hours ago, PolMikeD said:

Anybody have anything definitive on the interior colors of the airliner - especially the passenger cabin?      

You will struggle to get an answer to that. By the late 1930s airliner interiors were not standardised, as they were becoming more luxurious and being styled to suit individual airlines, as they are today.  For example, TWAs DC-2s had unique seats and upholstery, which were different to say, KLM's. So you need photos of LOT's interior, then you can make a best guess along the lines of the colours you list above.  Sometimes, vintage airline brochures do contain descriptions of the upholstery, so you would need to find if LOT produced any brochures promoting their L14s. If you absolutely must have the correct info, then contacting the airline concerned is the best course of action since they probably will have some original order paperwork in their archives specifying the upholstery. Fortunately they are very much still in existence.

[Vingtor]

Sorry, I cannot answer your question about the colours. However, I have written about these two aircraft in BOAC service, and their escape flight to Britain, in my book The Stockholm Run.

 

Nils

[PolMikeD]

Roger - Thanks, I am pursuing this on several fronts at once.

 

Nils Mathisrud,  Yes, I'm in the process of finding a copy at a decent price.  So far, it's ranging from ~$74-$150 US.

 

I'll contact my friends at Mushroom to see if a reprint will happen any time soon, as well.  

 

The stories of the escape of each LOT Super Electra are fascinating. 

 

I'm going to build SP-BPM using the Classic Air Frames kit, which will require different engines, cowls and props, among other changes, like the full clear Hudson-like canopy the Poles installed on several LOT 14Hs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PolMikeD]

I figured out how to add photos to my original post - take another look

[VH-USB]

5 hours ago, PolMikeD said:

Roger - Thanks, I am pursuing this on several fronts at once.

Nils Mathisrud,  Yes, I'm in the process of finding a copy at a decent price.  So far, it's ranging from ~$74-$150 US.

I'll contact my friends at Mushroom to see if a reprint will happen any time soon, as well.  

The stories of the escape of each LOT Super Electra are fascinating. 

I'm going to build SP-BPM using the Classic Air Frames kit, which will require different engines, cowls and props, among other changes, like the full clear Hudson-like canopy the Poles installed on several LOT 14Hs.

I strongly agree with Roger about the colors/materials of the civil airline L14 Super Electra cabins being fitted out to each customer's specifications/taste. I seriously doubt you'll be able to determine the exact colors of the LOT L14 cabins as I have friends who have tried without any luck.

There is a L14 manual available for reading online which gives a highly detailed description of the interior/cabin and the materials used. Unfortunately, no colors are given though...

http://www.avialogs.com/index.php/aircraft/usa/lockheed/model-14-super-electra/lockheed-14-super-electra-service-manual.html

If you are interested in the LOT L14s, and their noteworthy flights, a Polish friend of mine has published, in two separate books, the memoirs of LOT pilot/director Waclaw Makowski. One book describes flying for LOT and includes a chapter devoted to the 1938 flight of L14 SP-LMK from California to Poland.

This book is large and contains many rare photos, but is written entirely in Polish. It's titled 'Waclaw Makowski: Cywil w wojsku Wspomnienia z zycia i wojen'.

I was fortunate enough to have Waclaw Makowski's son, who lives in Maine, translate the 1938 flight chapter for me.

 

Tim

Edited June 8, 2018 by VH-USB
new information

[GrzeM]

On 6/8/2018 at 8:46 PM, VH-USB said:

the memoirs of LOT pilot/director Waclaw Makowski. One book describes flying for LOT and includes a chapter devoted to the 1938 flight of L14 SP-LMK from California to Poland.

This book is large and contains many rare photos, but is written entirely in Polish. It's titled 'Waclaw Makowski: Cywil w wojsku Wspomnienia z zycia i wojen'.

Tim

The book is really great! I've read it two times and still have not enough. It not only describes the beginnings of the Polish aviation, both civil and military (in 1920 war Makowski was frontline pilot) but also all those human interest anecdotes from life in 1914-1944 extremely interesting period. Makowski was great personality and talented writer.

[VH-USB]

On ‎6‎/‎20‎/‎2018 at 4:54 AM, GrzeM said:

The book is really great! I've read it two times and still have not enough. It not only describes the beginnings of the Polish aviation, both civil and military (in 1920 war Makowski was frontline pilot) but also all those human interest anecdotes from life in 1914-1944 extremely interesting period. Makowski was great personality and talented writer.

The book's editor had contemplated an English language edition but it wasn't financially feasible.

In addition, he felt that Makowski's beautiful, poetic writing would loss much in translation.

How I wish I could read Polish! At least I could provide a few old LOT L14 photos for the book.

[PolMikeD]

TO: VH-USB 

 

I strongly agree with Roger about the colors/materials of the civil airline L14 Super Electra cabins being fitted out to each customer's specifications/taste. I seriously doubt you'll be able to determine the exact colors of the LOT L14 cabins as I have friends who have tried without any luck.

There is a L14 manual available for reading online which gives a highly detailed description of the interior/cabin and the materials used. Unfortunately, no colors are given though...

http://www.avialogs.com/index.php/aircraft/usa/lockheed/model-14-super-electra/lockheed-14-super-electra-service-manual.html

If you are interested in the LOT L14s, and their noteworthy flights, a Polish friend of mine has published, in two separate books, the memoirs of LOT pilot/director Waclaw Makowski. One book describes flying for LOT and includes a chapter devoted to the 1938 flight of L14 SP-LMK from California to Poland.

This book is large and contains many rare photos, but is written entirely in Polish. It's titled 'Waclaw Makowski: Cywil w wojsku Wspomnienia z zycia i wojen'.

I was fortunate enough to have Waclaw Makowski's son, who lives in Maine, translate the 1938 flight chapter for me.

 

Is it possible to send me a copy of that translation?

[VH-USB]

21 hours ago, PolMikeD said:

TO: VH-USB 

Is it possible to send me a copy of that translation?

The translated chapter is in storage.

I'll need to find what box I have stored it in.

It's a rather long chapter if I recall, so a fair number of pages to copy.

[VH-USB]

On ‎6‎/‎7‎/‎2018 at 2:26 PM, PolMikeD said:

I know how the Lockheed Hudson interiors were painted,  but I need the info for the Civil Airliner version.

Besides the ones purchased by BOAC, two ex-LOT airlines Super Electras were impressed into service once they escaped from Poland via a circuitous route to England.  Those aircraft were SP-BNF & SP-LMK which became, respectively, G-AGBG & G-AGAV.

I only have a black and white photo, a black white cut-away view and a photo of one modeler's interpretation, which appears to use a variety of greys, light bluish grey, buff and tan.

Anybody have anything definitive on the interior colors of the airliner - especially the passenger cabin? 

Great news on the LOT L14 cabin colors!

After searching for decades a friend of mine only recently found an old Polish newspaper, from March 1938, which contains a short article about the delivery of LOT L14s  SP-BNE and SP-BNF, which arrived on the deck of the M/S Batory ocean liner.

This newspaper article describes the passenger cabin as:  "the seats are covered with greenish cloth, the same as the entire cabin is upholstered".

This makes sense as a number of years ago I read, in an old L10 Electra manual, that the linoleum used in the plane's lavatory was "green" in color.

I know from an old L14 manual that the fabric for the seats and carpeting was manufactured by a company named 'Laidlaw'. I have been searching for years for an original Laidlaw fabric sample book but without any luck. Maybe some day one will turn up!

Well, at least we now know the color of the LOT L14 cabins, if not the exact shade and material texture.

 

Tim

 

[PolMikeD]

Hey, Thanks for the info.