California
Central Airlines Lockheed 12A N71K
(c/n
1204)
California Central Airlines
commenced operations as an intra-state airline in 1949. It
advertised
a $9.99 (plus tax) fare from
Burbank to Oakland (and $5.55 from Burbank to San Diego). These
were
bargain prices, even in 1949 money. N71K was originally
built for the FAA as NC1 and
also
served as NS17. The shot above was taken at Oakland, and
aircraft was named " Little Nik"
at the time. Note Martin 2-0-2 (unpainted) in
the background. So far as is known it was the only
one of its type operated by CCA and was quickly replaced by a
DC-3. It later went, briefly, to
Southwest Airways.
N71K is currently at Disneyworld in Orlando, where it
is masquerading as
the "Lockheed from the Movie
Casablanca". (In actual
fact, that machine was almost certainly
NC17376
- c/n 1220).