Lockheed Electra Propulsion Story

Developing the Alison 501-D13 for the Lockheed Electra. The Alison 501-D13 is a single shaft gas turbine with a 14 stage axial flow compressor driven by a four stage turbine. It was originally developed by the Alison Engine Company for the Lockheed C-130 transport (designated T56) entering production in 1954. With an unusually long production run, over 18,000 engines have been produced since 1954, logging over 200 million flying hours. The military version (T56) was first flown in the nose of a B-17 test-bed aircraft in 1954. A Lockheed Constellation was used as a flying test bed for the civilian version (501-D13) with Aeroproducts propeller. The Constellation performance was so impressive with these engines, the flight test pilots nicknamed it the "Elation". The engine also flew on the P-3 Orion, E-2/C-2, as well as civilian airliners such as the Convair 580 and Lockheed Electra.