Lockheed Model 8 Sirius

The Lockheed Model 8 Sirius is a single-engined, propeller-driven monoplane designed and built by Jack Northrop and Gerard Vultee while they were engineers at Lockheed in 1929, at the request of Charles Lindbergh. History In 1929 and 1930 15 Sirius aircraft were constructed. Donovan, M. Regis. "A Short History of the Wooden Wonders." rustysparks.com. Retrieved: November 26, 2015.

The first and best known Sirius was bought by Lindbergh and named Tingmissartoq which in 1931, as NR211, was turned into a float plane."Lockheed Sirius "Tingmissartoq", Charles A. Lindbergh." Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved: November 26, 2015. Lindbergh and his wife Anne Morrow Lindbergh flew it to the Far East, where she wrote a book about their experiences there entitled North to the Orient. The aircraft was damaged in Hankou, China, when it capsized while being lowered off the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes, and had to be sent to Lockheed to be repaired."Lucky Lindy and His Lockheed Sirius." Lockheed Martin. Retrieved: November 26, 2015.

In 1931, György Endresz and Sándor Magyar made a successful US–Hungary transatlantic flight with a Lockheed Sirius 8A aircraft named Justice for Hungary.Dawson, Brian. ""Justice for Hungary" - a historic flight, 1931." American Hungarian Federation. Retrieved: November 26, 2015.

In 1933, the Lindberghs set out again with their Sirius, now upgraded with a more powerful engine, a new directional gyro, and an artificial horizon. This time, their route would take them across the northern Atlantic, with no particular destination, but primarily to scout for potential new airline routes for Pan Am."Lockheed's Early Years, 1912-1940." centennialofflight.net, 2013. Retrieved: November 26, 2015. While at a refueling stop in Angmagssalik, Greenland, the Inuit of the area gave the Sirius a nickname, "Tingmissartoq" or "one who flies like a bird". They continued on their flight and made many stops in Europe, Russia, then south to Africa, back across the southern Atlantic to Brazil and back over New York City at the end of 1933, after 30,000 miles and 21 countries; droves of people turned out to greet them as they landed.

The aircraft was in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City until 1955, when ownership was transferred to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. It was given to the Smithsonian Institution in 1959, and it went on display at the National Air and Space Museum when the original facility opened on the National Mall in 1976.

Variants

Lockheed 8 Sirius Single-engine, two-seat, long-range, high-performance aircraft; one built for Charles Lindbergh."Lindbergh Picks A Plane." Popular Mechanics, November 1930. Retrieved: November 26, 2015. Sirius 8 First production version, similar to the Lockheed 8 Sirius; one built. Sirius 8A Equipped with an enlarged tail surface; eight built."Lockheed Sirius 8A NC117W." Delta Mike Airfield, 2008. Retrieved: November 26, 2015. Sirius 8C Four-seat version fitted with an enclosed cabin seating two passengers, located between the engine and the pilot's cockpit; one built. DL-2 Metal fuselage and wooden wings. One built by the Detroit Aircraft Corporation.

Operators

Spanish Republican Air ForceNash, David. "Aircraft that took part in the Spanish Civil War." Aircraft of the Spanish Civil War. Retrieved: January 15, 2015.

Specifications (Lindbergh's Sirius 8)

Lockheed Model 8 Sirius

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