GEOFF RUSSELL COLLECTION
No. 10703. Lockheed 188A Electra (VH-TLC c/n 1147) Trans Australia Airlines "Charles Sturt"
Photographed by Geoff Russell

Lockheed 188A Electra

07/31/2011. Ordered by Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) on February 28, 1960, the aircraft was first flown on August 16, 1960, and alike VH-TLA it was fitted with up-tilted engines to correct a propeller resonance. It was delivered to TAA nine days later, August 25 1960, registered as VH-TLC and named Charles Sturt, it started service on September 3. And alike VH-TLA, VH-TLC also underwent LEAP-modifications, these being performed between May 24 and June 16, 1961.

The aircraft was stored at Essendon Airport, Melbourne, Victoria, on October 31, 1970, transferred to Melbourne Airport, Tullamarine, on September 2, 1971, it was also sold to Concare Aircraft Leasing of Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA on January 21, 1972, registered N188LC. After being operated by Holiday Airlines in the second half of 1972, the aircraft was leased to Transcontinental Air Transport on December 1 of that year.

A year later, December 20, 1973 the aircraft returned to Concare and was immediately sold to California Airmotive Corporation at Van Nuys, California. California Airmotive was renamed American Jet Industries (AJI) in 1973, and the aircraft was converted to a model 188AF freighter by AJI in 1975. In June 1976 it was sold to TACA (Transportes Aéreos Centroamericanos, Central American Air Transport) of El Salvador as YS-06C. It returned to the USA in October 1985, registered to Galaxy Airlines Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Florida, again as N188LC.

Subsequently it was registered to Orion Aircraft Sales Inc., Van Nuys, in August 1987, to Nevada Aircraft Sales, Las Vegas, Nevada in January 1988, to Cardinal Corporation, Las Vegas in April 1988, before it was transferred to Lima, Peru on December 10, 1988, for delivery to Palmas del Espino SA, registered OB-M-1328, and December 28 it started service with Aero Transporte SA. March 20, 1989 it was leased for a year to Linhas Aereas de Mocambique of Mozambique, registered OB-1328.

In August 1991 it was registered to Lineas Aereas de la Amazonica, Columbia as HK-3642X, February 1992 it was reregistered to Transapel SA of Bogota, Columbia as HK-3706X, in August 1994 it was reregistered HK-3706 while in service with Apel Express, and in September 1997 the aircraft was seen stored at Bogota. By January 2003 the aircraft was in service with Mex-Jet Cargo of Mexico City, Mexico, registered XA-AEG.

On March 29 2003, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair at Aeropuerto Internacional de Tocumen, near Panama City, Panama, when during engines start a propeller struck a ground power unit, engine number 3 burned and the wing was damaged. In February 2011 the aircraft was still at the airport.

Created July 31, 2011