M-130 China Clipper PAA Scale Model (Free Shipping)

Item#: KM130T

MSRP Price: $251.95

Factory Direct Price: $180.96

Wing Span: 21.00
Length: 15.00

Manufacturer: Glenn L. Martin Company

FREE SHIPPING within the U.S. (additional rates apply for other destinations)

This Ready to Ship M-130 China Clipper PAA Model Airplane was handcrafted with absolute precision using the finest Philippine Mahogany and was sealed to last for generations. Working from our library of blueprints, reference materials and their exact photographs, Factory Direct Models master artisans recreated this M-130 China Clipper PAA into an amazingly detailed display model airplane replica that you can display at your home, office, museum, tradeshow or any place you desire.

This M-130 China Clipper PAA Model Aircraft is a perfect gift for Aviation Enthusiasts, Pilot, Aviator or people who took part in developing this Airplane.

Please note that the stand shown in this photograph may vary or change with the model you receive.

Your model will be made exactly as shown in the photographs. If you would like to change this model in any other way, please visit Our Custom Model Gallery section of our website to commission a personalized model to be built.

M-130 China Clipper PAA History:

The Lockheed L188 Electra has the distinction of being the only large American turboprop airliner. An excellent aircraft, the Electra was beset by unfortunate and severe structural problems, and then was surpassed by rapid improvements in pure jet aircraft. The Electra was first developed in response to an American Airlines request for a medium-size short-haul airliner for US inter-city routes. However, Eastern wanted a larger plane, and negotiations led to the development of the final Electra specs. American and Eastern placed the first orders (for 35 and 40 planes, respectively), and American received the first Electra on December, 1958 (although it could not fly the first service due to a strike, and Eastern was left with this honor). The orders came rapidly then, from many US and Asian operators, as well as KLM in Europe.

a However; two Electras were found to have broken up in flight (they crashed in 1959 and 1960), and a structural fault was suspected. After a speed limit was imposed, Lockheed began looking for the answer, which it found in the phrase "whirl mode". If damaged, the engine mountings developed a harmonic with the wing when a whirl mode oscillation was generated, and this eventually tore the wing off the aircraft. The fix was not cheap, but it was effective. However, by then the Electra's reputation was tarnished, and many airlines shied away from the plane - only 26 more were sold. The existing Electras continued to boast excellent reliability and economics, and were not replaced until modern short-range jets became available. The Electras were then sold to other airlines or converted to freighters, and many are still flying today. The virtues of the Electra were not ignored by the military, since it was developed into the US Navy's highly successful P-3 Orion and other subchasers.