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Link (The Legend of Zelda)

Link (リンク) is a character and the protagonist of Nintendo's video game franchise The Legend of Zelda. He was created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Link was introduced as the hero of the original The Legend of Zelda video game in 1986 and has appeared in a total of 21 entries in the series, as well as a number of spin-offs. Common elements in the series include Link travelling through Hyrule whilst exploring dungeons, battling creatures, and solving puzzles until he eventually defeats the series' primary antagonist, Ganon, and saves Princess Zelda.

Throughout the series, Link has made multiple appearances in a variety of incarnations, but has been traditionally depicted in his signature green cap and tunic wielding a sword and shield. He has appeared as both a child and young adult of the elf-like Hylian race. Within Zelda mythology, Link is the soul of a legendary hero that throughout history is reincarnated within a seemingly ordinary boy or young man whenever evil arises. To defeat Ganon, Link usually obtains the mystical Master Sword or a similar legendary weapon obtained after completing many trials.

In addition to the main series, Link has appeared in other Nintendo media, including merchandise, comics and manga, and an animated television series. He is a prominent character in various spin-off games, including Hyrule Warriors, Cadence of Hyrule and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. He has appeared in several other game franchises, including the Super Smash Bros. series, SoulCalibur II and Mario Kart 8, and has also been referenced in other games, such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Alongside fellow Nintendo character Mario, Link is one of the most recognisable characters in the video game industry. He has been instrumental in the establishment of the role-playing video game genre as the protagonist of the series, which has influenced numerous other video games with its concepts of open world and nonlinear gameplay. According to Guinness World Records, Link is the most critically acclaimed video game playable character and the most ubiquitous action-adventure video game character. He was recognised by the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition as the second best video game character after Mario. Critics have named him as one of the greatest and most influential video game characters of all time.

Characterisation
Link's creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, said that his concept of The Legend of Zelda was based on his childhood memories as well as books and movies that he and video game designer Takashi Tezuka had enjoyed, notably J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Miyamoto wanted people to have the opportunity to be heroes and created Link as a normal boy, with "a destiny to fight great evil". On the origin of the character's name, Miyamoto said: "Link's name comes from the fact that originally, the fragments of the Triforce were supposed to be electronic chips. The game was to be set in both the past and the future and as the main character would travel between both and be the link between them, they called him Link". In the Nintendo book Hyrule Historia he said that the character is named Link because he, "connects people together" and, "he was supposed to spread the scattered energy of the world through the ages".

Link is the playable character who appears in every instalment of The Legend of Zelda series. Although there are many iterations of Link, each with a similar role and appearance, they are not the same individual. The series spans thousands of years in Hyrule's history across The Legend of Zelda fictional timeline, so that each version of the character is a different Link, sometimes being a descendant of earlier incarnations or a spiritual reincarnation. In some games, such as Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, the same version appears in both, continuing that character's individual story. Skyward Sword, which was released in 2011, explained Link's incarnations by creating an origin story, in which the antagonist Demise curses the hero to be caught in an endless cycle of defeating evil in the form of Ganon.

As no canonical game in The Legend of Zelda series to date has contained substantial spoken dialogue for Link, he is mostly a silent protagonist, but not a mute character. His voice acting consists only of grunts, battle cries, and other sounds, although in The Wind Waker, he can be heard saying, "Come on!" Despite lacking spoken dialogue, Link interacts with other characters through visual responses, such as nodding or shaking his head, reactions from side characters, or game text that expresses his dialogue. Series producer, Eiji Aonuma explained that a core aspect of Link's design is that players need to relate to him and put themselves in his shoes, while still playing as themselves. Link is silent to allow the player to interpret how he sounds, make decisions for the character and become the hero.

Character design
Link's character design has been consistent, but it has evolved across the series. His sprite design was created by Tezuka. In an interview with Gamekult, Miyamoto said that Tezuka used the Disney character Peter Pan as a source of inspiration when creating Link in order to make the character recognisable. Due to the limited capabilities of the technology at the time, the development team was only able to use three colours and chose green as Link's signature colour, as the first game was mainly set within a forest environment. Link's sword and shield, long hat and ears were all created to make the character easily distinguishable. For Ocarina of Time, Miyamoto said that the team started by designing a grown-up model followed by a child model, but realised that both could be used in the game, "to tell the story of a boy growing up". Link's teenage appearance in Ocarina of Time was designed with the aim of making him more handsome, influenced by developer Yoshiaki Koizumi's wife declaring, "all of Nintendo's characters have funny noses; don't you have any handsome ones?" Nintendo illustrator Yusuke Nakano said that Link's design in Ocarina of Time was based on a well-known American actor at the time of the game's development.

Prior to The Wind Waker a cartoon version of Link was created by graphic designer Yoshiki Haruhana as a way to evolve the series, which was well received by the development team. According to designer Satoru Takizawa, this oversized anime-inspired design with huge eyes offered a richer variety of expression and provided a better way of representing the puzzles and mechanisms than a more photorealistic design. After many experiments, the development team had decided that cel-shading was the best option for expressing a young, energetic boy. Although the team loved the idea of basing the next Zelda game on a cartoon Link, Aonuma held off presenting it to Miyamoto until later in the game's development. When he did view it, Miyamoto reportedly cringed, believing that the game would not sell, but the team insisted that there was not enough time to develop a realistic art style. Toon Link eventually carved his own identity into the franchise by appearing in multiple entries in the series and being introduced as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Aonuma said that despite some initial outrage, gamers began to accept Toon Link, so Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks were created with a similar artwork style.

Following the response to The Wind Waker, Nintendo reversed the art style for Twilight Princess in 2006, by depicting Link in a more realistic style with a darker, grittier tone. Nakano and Takizawa stated in The Legend of Zelda: Art and Artifacts that they had planned to design him aged mid-to-late twenties and that he would be well built, but this was rejected because the team expected that fans wanted to see Link as he appeared in Ocarina of Time. Aonuma explained that the design team wanted to express Link as an older teenager: "The fact that we're seeing Link on horseback and swinging a sword, I think that's one more way in which Link has matured". In Twilight Princess, Link has the ability to transform into a wolf. Aonuma said that the design team considered the animal to be the best representation of a hero and that this function gave the adult version of Link limited human abilities, allowing him to mature over the course of the game.

Link's signature green tunic and cap have evolved over the course of the series. At a Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Takizawa described the subtle changes made to Link's outfit. For Twilight Princess he, "made the hat long, so it would flap in the wind and move around", but for Skyward Sword, he made it more diminutive and gave it less motion. The release of Breath of the Wild in 2017 broke the conventions of Link's design, notably by the absence of his signature green outfit. Takizawa explained that "as the graphic fidelity has increased it becomes more difficult to make that hat look cool". For Breath of the Wild nearly 100 designs were considered to ensure that Link remained a neutral character. Aonuma commented: "We thought that the iconic green tunic and hat had become expected, so we wanted to mix things up and update his look. Interestingly, though, nobody on the team said, 'Let's make him blue!' It just organically ended up that way".

Link's physical features have also evolved, influenced by trends in masculinity. His handsomeness has been defined by soft, androgynous facial features, a sharp nose and a slight build. His hair has been inspired by the fashion of the era, beginning with a mullet in the 1980s, then followed by blond curtain bangs and pierced ears in the 1990s, moving to choppy, layered side-swept bangs by the release of Twilight Princess. His look was updated in Breath of the Wild to include a ponytail and a wide variety of outfits. Although Link is a male character, Aonuma said that he wanted him to be gender neutral in Ocarina of Time: "I wanted the player to think 'Maybe Link is a boy or a girl'. If you saw Link as a guy, he'd have more of a feminine touch. Or vice versa, if you related to Link as a girl, it was with more of a masculine aspect". For Twilight Princess, he created a more masculine Link, but later decided to return him to a more gender neutral character. He said that Link is definitely male in Breath of the Wild, but wanted to create a character to which anyone could relate.

Portrayal
Link has been voiced by eight actors in the series and also voiced in other games: Nobuyuki Hiyama in Ocarina of Time as adult Link, Majora's Mask as Fierce Deity Link, Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Melee and Soulcalibur II, Fujiko Takimoto in Ocarina of Time as young Link, Majora's Mask, A Link to the Past and Four Swords, and as Young Link in Hyrule Warriors, Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Sachi Matsumoto in The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, Four Swords Adventures and as Toon Link in Hyrule Warriors, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Akira Sasanuma in Twilight Princess, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Link's Crossbow Training, Yūki Kodaira in Spirit Tracks, Takashi Ōhara in Skyward Sword, Mitsuki Saiga in A Link Between Worlds and Link's Awakening (2019), and Kengo Takanashi in Breath of the Wild, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Tears of the Kingdom. Link was voiced by Yuki Kaji in Hyrule Warriors. In Cadence of Hyrule, he was voiced by Caitlyn Bairstow. In the cutscenes of the CD-i titles Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, he was voiced by Jeffrey Rath. On television, Link was voiced by Jonathan Potts in both The Legend of Zelda animated series and Captain N: The Game Master.

Characteristics
Link is the "Hero of Hyrule", the archetypal hero and protagonist of The Legend of Zelda series. Whenever a great malevolence threatens the Kingdom of Hyrule, typically in the form of Ganon, Link is the counterpart who is destined to fight that evil and restore peace to the people of Hyrule. He begins each game as either a child or young adult who is often lazy and unprepared for battle, but develops his skills and experience over the course of the game as the player upgrades his weapons and health. His story varies from game to game, but typically involves a similar thread of solving dungeon puzzles, saving Princess Zelda and defeating Ganon or some other evil. He displays the characteristic traits of the Hylian race, being of humanoid form with elfin features, including pointed ears. Since the first The Legend of Zelda video game, he has been repeatedly depicted wearing his characteristic green cap and tunic and typically wields a sword and shield. Link's age varies across the series, starting the first game at ten years old and its sequel at 16. In Ocarina of Time, he is initially aged nine and is aged up to 16 after the game's time shift. In The Wind Waker, Toon Link is 12, whereas in Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild, Link is aged 16 or 17 years old.

In the mythology of the series, Link is the reincarnated soul of a hero, chosen by the goddess Hylia to protect the kingdom of Hyrule from Ganon and save Princess Zelda whenever the need arises. He is also the bearer of the Triforce of Courage, one of the three components that combine to form the Triforce, a sacred artefact and symbol of power. The Triforce of Courage symbolises the essence of Link, specifically the courage and curiosity of the player setting out on the adventure. In several Zelda games, Link's main objective is to recover the fragments of the Triforce in order to defeat Ganon.

Although Link can carry an arsenal of weapons, including bows, boomerangs and magic rods, his signature weapon is the Master Sword, a powerful magic sword with the ability to repel evil. Throughout each game, Link is able to obtain various items during his adventures, which the player can then use in gameplay. Many of these objects possess magical properties that bestow specific abilities on Link, such as a magic cape that makes Link invisible when he wears it, or potions that replenish his health. Others have various practical purposes, such as the hookshot, which enables Link to pull items towards him, and bombs for detonating walls. Link has used various musical instruments on his travels, most notably, the Ocarina of Time, which when played is used for teleportation. In Breath of the Wild, Link's key tool is the Sheikah Slate, a handheld tablet featuring various runes that enable him to manipulate the game world. A similar device named the Purah Pad provides Link with a multitude of functions, including a camera, map and telescope, in Tears of the Kingdom.

Relationships
Link's relationships with the other two main characters have been a defining aspect of the series. Ganon, Zelda and Link embody the three pieces of the Triforce, with Ganon representing Power, Zelda representing Wisdom and Link representing Courage. This trinity dictates the enduring relationships of the three characters who are repeatedly reincarnated across the series in an endless battle for good and evil. The nature of Zelda and Link's relationship has been the subject of speculation and remains ambiguous. A romantic relationship was particularly emphasised in an official "romance trailer" for Skyward Sword. In an interview with Game Informer, Aonuma said, "we wanted the player to feel like this is a person who's very important to me, who I need to find. We used that hint of a romance between the two to tug at the heartstrings".

Appearances
The following is a list of times in which Link has appeared, sorted by video game release date.

The Legend of Zelda series
Link made his debut on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in The Legend of Zelda (1986) as an 8-bit 2D character within a flat environment viewed from a top-down perspective. He was depicted as a short, stubby character with brown hair wearing a green cap and tunic. During the game, he meets an old man who offers him a sword and declares "It's dangerous to go alone!". Link must rescue Princess Zelda and the kingdom of Hyrule from the evil wizard Ganon, who has stolen the Triforce of Power. He explores 128 areas of Hyrule and nine dungeons, which contain special items that help him to defeat each dungeon boss; he must defeat them all before fighting Ganon.

Link's second outing, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987), depicted him as a slightly taller 2D sprite wearing a similar green outfit. In the production art, his outfit was largely the same, but he wore brown trousers and longer hair. His shield was decorated with a cross, but this was removed in the games that followed. The game switches between top-down exploration and side-scrolling action sequences. Link's combat capability evolved with the ability to stab up and down with his sword while jumping. Experience points gained by defeating enemies enable his health and attack power to be levelled up. A series of magic spells also grant him special abilities, such as extra defence. To complete the adventure, Link must defeat his doppelgänger Dark Link to awaken sleeping Zelda.

A Link to the Past (1991) recreated Link in a 16-bit colour palette for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, with the unusual characteristic of pink hair. By contrast, the game manual depicts Link as a tall blond character. Link's sprite was designed to appear more expressive, by featuring an animated hat and a face that turns red when pulling objects. The game reverted to a top-down perspective and features items that upgrade Link's moves with extra abilities such as running and swimming. It introduced several recurring elements, including the hookshot and the Master Sword. Link's combat abilities were developed to be more complex, giving him the ability to move diagonally, swing his sword in an arc and perform a spin attack that enables multi-directional attacks. His heart containers, which featured in the first game, were broken into pieces, necessitating the player to locate them and upgrade his health in smaller increments.

The first handheld title in the series, Link's Awakening (1993) on the Game Boy, introduced Link in monochrome until the DX port brought the game to the Game Boy Color. It takes place on Koholint Island after Link is washed ashore and features a combination of mostly top-down adventuring and some side-scrolling action sequences. It was the first overhead game in which Link's move set includes the ability to jump. Link is depicted in an anime art style in the game's cutscenes. The game involves collecting eight musical instruments from eight dungeons to wake the sleeping Wind Fish.

Ocarina of Time (1998), which was released for the Nintendo 64 (N64), was the first 3D game in the Zelda series. Link was depicted with blonde hair and his horse Epona was introduced as a mode of transport. The plot's time shifts allow the player to control Link first as a child and later as a young adult. His green outfit reflects his role in the story as a Kokiri and his shield was updated to display the crest of the kingdom of Hyrule. His abilities were extensively developed to perform a variety of movements, including a swipe, stab, roll, dodge and dive. The game's Z-targeting system enables him to lock on to enemies and circle around them in combat. Through a built-in autojump function, he can also jump from a ledge. During his adventure, he is accompanied by the fairy Navi, who gives him hints about enemies and his surroundings.

Link returned on the N64 with the release of Majora's Mask (2000). Appearing again as a child, he must save the land of Termina from the evil of Majora's Mask, which has drawn the moon into a decaying orbit, threatening to crash into Termina's Clock Town in three days. Link uses the Ocarina of Time to play the Song of Time, which allows him to repeatedly travel back in time to relive the three days until he successfully prevents the disaster. During the game, Link finds various magical masks that transform him into a Goron, Deku Scrub, or Zora, which each grant him special abilities such as gliding, swimming underwater and rolling. In the final boss battle with Majora, Link is transformed into Fierce Deity Link, a dark, adult version of himself with white eyes, before finally reverting to his child form.

In Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, a pair of interconnected games released in 2001 for the Game Boy Color, Link is controlled from a top-down perspective within a flat 2D game world. The two games involve Link being sent on a mission to the foreign lands of Holodrum and Labrynna in order to stop the disruption of the seasons by the General of Darkness, Onox, and the disruption of time by the Sorceress of Shadows, Veran. Link's key tools for uncovering areas and fighting his enemies are the Rod of Seasons and his magic harp.

In 2002, Nintendo published A Link to the Past & Four Swords on the Game Boy Advance. Four Swords was an original title packaged together with the rereleased entry A Link to the Past. Diverging from the traditional single-player approach, Four Swords was based on cooperative gameplay, allowing four players to interact together by connecting four Game Boy Advance systems. In Four Swords, four Links of different colours appear, each of which is controlled by a different player. The four versions of Link must then work together to complete the game's challenges.

The Wind Waker, which was released in 2002 on the GameCube, depicted Link and the game world in a cute childlike graphical style. He appears as a preteen cartoon character with a large head and huge eyes. His facial expressions communicate a range of emotions. The game involves exploring the islands that are dotted around the map to encounter characters and uncover dungeons. Link's key tool is the titular Wind Waker, a magical baton that enables him to manipulate the breeze as he crosses the Great Sea. Nintendo artist Satoru Takizawa explained that the game's sequel was abandoned due to being set on land and Toon Link's proportions not being suitable for horseback riding.

Four Swords Adventures, which was published for the GameCube in 2004, again reinterpreted traditional Zelda gameplay with a multiplayer approach. The plot centres on Link being split into four versions of himself by the Four Sword, resulting in four Links of different colours. He must embark on a quest that involves rescuing seven princesses from an evil sorcerer. The game depicts the Links in a 16-bit top-down perspective and involves each player controlling one of the four Links to explore the game world and defeat enemies in order to complete each level.

The release of The Minish Cap in 2004 on the Game Boy Advance returned the series to a single-player format. Link appears as a child viewed from a top-down perspective and is tasked with saving his friend Princess Zelda. After a mysterious stranger arrives at a festival celebrating the coming of the Picori, he destroys the sacred Picori Blade and turns Zelda to stone. During the game, Link is accompanied by a magical talking cap named Ezlo, who helps him on his quest and teaches him to shrink to the size of the Minish.

Twilight Princess (2006) was released on the GameCube and Wii and offers a darker adventure to previous entries in the series. The game features a more detailed depiction of a teenage Link who appears ready for battle wearing chainmail beneath his tunic. In the early part of the game, he becomes trapped in the Twilight, which transforms him into a wolf. Throughout the game, he is aided by Midna, an imp-like creature, who rides on his back and helps him on his quest. The game uses a variety of animal abilities for progression, such as the ability to follow scents. Twilight Princess aimed to provide a stark contrast to the cartoonish style of The Wind Waker, presenting a game world drained of colour and a story with a more mature tone.

A direct sequel to The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, was released in 2007 for the Nintendo DS. It follows Link as he embarks on a journey to save his friend Tetra. The game was designed to appeal to a wider audience, with 3D cel-shaded graphics and a light-hearted tone. It takes inspiration form the style and tone of The Wind Waker, with Toon Link displaying various humorous expressions. The game made use of the console's touchscreen functionality, which enabled the player to control Link using a stylus instead of the traditional button controls.

Following on from Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks (2009) reintroduced Toon Link to the Nintendo DS. The game is a sequel to its predecessor and has a similar format but replaces sailing by boat with travelling by train. Link must explore four main map pieces, return the power of the spirit tracks using the Spirit Flute, and navigate the Spirit Tower, the main labyrinth hub, aided by the spirit of Zelda. The gameplay also incorporates the mechanic of controlling both Link and Zelda in a series of cooperative puzzles and boss battles.

Skyward Sword was released in 2011 on the Wii and made use of the Wii MotionPlus to swipe Link's sword, control a mechanical beetle, and ride his loftwing through the skies. The plot involves a romantic relationship between Link and Zelda. Beginning in Skyloft, a land floating above the clouds, Link is forced to descend to the surface after Zelda is kidnapped and then travels between the two lands wielding the Goddess Sword, a magical sword that holds a spirit named Fi, who acts as his guide. During his journey, Link imbues the Goddess Sword with three sacred flames and reforges it into the Master Sword. The game introduced Link's stamina meter for climbing surfaces and sprinting, and the ability to craft materials to make new items.

A Link Between Worlds was released in 2013 for the Nintendo 3DS and is a sequel to A Link to the Past. The plot revolves around a sorcerer named Yuga who has the ability to merge into walls and turn people into paintings. Link must foil his plan to revive Ganon. The storyline is set within the same world as A Link to the Past and was designed with a similar art style. Players are able to explore the two separate worlds of Hyrule and Lorule, which are reminiscent of the contrasting worlds of light and dark in A Link to the Past. The game introduced the ability for Link to turn into a painting, allowing him to walk along walls and switch between the two worlds.

Tri Force Heroes (2015) was the second original Zelda entry for the Nintendo 3DS and a departure from the series' tradition, with a focus on a three-player cooperative campaign. Link appears alongside two companions that can be stacked to reach high places, solve puzzles and defeat tall enemies. The storyline revolves around the theme of fashion and is set in the realm of Hytopia, where a witch has cursed Princess Styla to wear an ugly brown body suit. As a result, the Hytopian king calls for adventurers to break the curse. The gameplay departs from the usual Zelda open-world structure and involves completing dungeons and collecting materials to fashion outfits that provide specific abilities.

Breath of the Wild was released on the Nintendo Switch and Wii U in 2017 and reinvented the franchise by creating a massive open world for Link to explore. He has the ability to climb most surfaces, jump from structures and soar across the sky using a paraglider. He was designed to interact with the environment, collect materials for cooking and react to cold and heat. The complex nature of the environment also determined that his preexisting autojump functionality had to be developed into the ability to jump manually. The game introduced significant changes to his design, notably the absence of his signature green outfit. The player can instead dress Link in a variety of outfits and more emphasis is placed on using a bow as a prominent weapon.

Link appears in Tears of the Kingdom, a direct sequel to the previous game released in 2023, which is set in the same version of Hyrule. Link loses his right arm after being attacked by a substance called Gloom and is saved by the spirit Rauru who grafts his own arm onto Link. This new arm plays a major role as the source of his abilities. It was designed to distinguish him from previous iterations, as the theme of "hands" was chosen as a key recurring aspect of the game for creating items as well as cooperating with other characters. Link's abilities include the Recall ability, which rewinds an object's movement, the Fuse ability, which merges objects to create new weapons, the Ultrahand ability, which enables the construction of vehicles, and the Ascend ability, which enables Link to ascend through ceilings. In the main quest line, Link also obtains Autobuild, which gives the ability to rebuild vehicles automatically without needing to manually build with Ultrahand.

The upcoming title Echoes of Wisdom, which is due to be released on 26 September 2024, is the first mainline Zelda game to feature Zelda rather than Link as the player character. The game begins with a sequence in which Link saves Zelda from Ganon but is sucked through a portal into another dimension.

Spin-off games
In 1989, Link appeared in Zelda, which was released in the Game & Watch series of handheld electronic games. The unit features a multi-screen liquid-crystal display (LCD). The lower display renders Link fighting against dungeon monsters, while the upper display features the inventory. The gameplay is simpler than the NES game and replaces Ganon with eight dragons that kidnap Zelda. After battling through a dungeon, Link must defeat a dragon on the upper screen to receive a piece of the Triforce, before freeing Zelda with the eight recovered Triforce pieces. In the same year, The Legend of Zelda Game Watch was released, which was part of the LCD wristwatch product line licensed to and developed by Nelsonic Industries. In addition to its timekeeping function, the unit features gameplay based on the original The Legend of Zelda game but without a storyline. It features Link adventuring through eight dungeons comprising four rooms in each.

He also appears in Zelda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Triforce (Barcode Battler II), which was released by Epoch Co. in 1992 in Japan but not in North America. It was developed for the Barcode Battler II console and involves swiping cards to unlock various characters from A Link to the Past.

Link appears in Link: The Faces of Evil, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon and Zelda's Adventure, The Legend of Zelda CD-i games published by Philips Interactive Media for its Compact Disc-Interactive (CD-i) players. While the games were licensed by Nintendo to use official Zelda characters, they were not produced or supervised by Nintendo. As well as being critically panned, none of these games are recognized by Nintendo as part of the series' official chronology. Unlike the main series, Link has the ability to speak. His personality mirrors his animated series counterpart in which he yearns for adventure and repeatedly attempts to get a kiss from Zelda.

Nintendo released a shooting video game in 2007 for the Wii titled Link's Crossbow Training. It is set within the Zelda universe and features Link as a playable character holding a crossbow. The game revisits the world of Twilight Princess and features the same landmarks and enemies. It involves the use of the Wii remote and nunchuck to create a light gun, which targets enemies with an onscreen reticule.

In the 2014 hack and slash video game Hyrule Warriors another incarnation appears as a Hyrulian soldier-in-training who helps to lead the campaign against the forces of evil. Young Link from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask also appears in the game as a playable character via downloadable content, while Toon Link from The Wind Waker appears as a playable character in Hyrule Warriors Legends, the Nintendo 3DS port of Warriors.

Link is also a playable character in the 2019 Nintendo Switch rhythm game Cadence of Hyrule, a crossover between Crypt of the NecroDancer and The Legend of Zelda series. Players can choose to play as either Link or Zelda and both are required at the end of the game. Link can perform a spin attack and carries a shield, while Zelda uses an ethereal block and a fireball.

In Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, which acts as a prequel to Breath of the Wild and exists within the same game world, Link is accompanied by a roster of characters to fight alongside on the battlefield. The game progresses in the form of various missions that level up Link and his allies.

Other game series
Among SNES games, Link makes a cameo in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest where he is ranked against the player next to Mario and Yoshi. Alongside Samus Aran, he makes a cameo in Super Mario RPG, where they are seen sleeping in separate beds at an inn. Link can be also be found at the start of a challenge course in F1 Race.

He is a playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series and has appeared in every title since the first Super Smash Bros. on the Nintendo 64. In 2008, Toon Link from The Wind Waker appeared in Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii. He was also introduced in 2014 in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Link later returned in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch in various incarnations, including green tunic Link, blue tunic Link from Breath of the Wild, Toon Link and Young Link.

In the GameCube version of Namco's Soulcalibur II, Link is a guest character. Miyamoto did not see a problem with Link appearing in a violent game, as he had already been established as a fighter in the Super Smash Bros. series. As part of the styling of a Zelda-themed game mode, he is featured in the 2006 puzzle video game Tetris DS. In Scribblenauts Unlimited, many Zelda series characters are summonable in the Wii U version, including Link. He is referenced by an archer dressed in green in The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest, a mini game in the 2012 party game Nintendo Land, which involves archery and sword fighting in a cloth style. His costume appears alongside that of Samus in Dynasty Warriors VS for the Nintendo 3DS. Link appears in Sonic Lost World as part of "The Legend of Zelda Zone", where he rides his signature Crimson Loftwing and Sonic wears his green cap and tunic. In the 2013 compilation game NES Remix, players can play remixed portions of NES games, including playing as Link in a level of Donkey Kong.

The Skyward Sword incarnation of Link was introduced as a playable character in Mario Kart 8 riding a motorcycle. In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, his Breath of the Wild incarnation also appears. He is referenced in 2015 downloadable content for Monster Hunter 4 with armor resembling his tunic, Monster Hunter Generations DLC and also Monster Hunter Stories. Incarnations of Link from The Legend of Zelda, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Tri Force Heroes also appear as "Mystery Mushroom" costumes in Super Mario Maker. In 2016, Link appeared in a 3DS game titled My Nintendo Picross - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, a picture-puzzle game made available through the My Nintendo rewards program. The Master Sword and Hylian Shield appear alongside Link's Champion's Tunic from Breath of the Wild as Amiibo-unlocked content in the Nintendo Switch version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. In 2019, Link was added as a playable character in the 2.0.0 update to Super Mario Maker 2, which features the Master Sword power-up changing the Mario characters into Link.

Television series
From 1989 to 1990, The Legend of Zelda animated series aired as a part of DIC's The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!. Thirteen episodes were produced before the cancellation of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show. Based loosely on the first game, the series presents Link as a rude, lovesick teenager. The plot revolves around him living in Hyrule Castle and being recruited to protect the Triforce of Wisdom from Ganon while accompanied by a fairy princess named Spryte. He persistently attempts to kiss Zelda and repeatedly exclaims "Well excuse me, Princess!" when tired with her attitude, a catchphrase that has since become a common gamers' in-joke. With little input from Nintendo, the writers were given the freedom to develop the series. As Link's first voice actor, Potts pictured him as a, "youthful, goofy teenage boy who acts before he thinks".

A similar version of Link and Zelda appear during the second season of Captain N: The Game Master. The storyline involves a character named Kevin being sucked into a TV and entering a game world. He helps Link and Zelda to stop Ganon from reviving to protect the Triforce.

Throughout 2013 and 2014, Link appeared in a series of comedic shorts titled The Legend of Zelda: The Misadventures of Link. The series made its debut on Nintendo Video, a video on demand service for the Nintendo 3DS. The series was based on The Wind Waker HD and aimed to present Link "in a new and hysterical light".

Comics and manga
Following the release of the original game, Wanpaku Comics released a manga book in Japan in September 1986 titled "The Hyrule Fantasy". It follows the basic plot of the game with some additions, including Link and Zelda communicating telepathically. Link appeared in manga-style novels published by Futabasha, including The Legend of Zelda: The Mirage Castle, which was published in Japanese in 1986. A similar book titled The Legend of Zelda: The Triforce of the Gods was released in 1992 with a storyline based on A Link to the Past. In the early 1990s, Valiant Comics published a serial comic based on The Legend of Zelda series. The comic series lasted for only five issues, with a sixth story published as part of the Nintendo Comics System. In this incarnation, Link's appearance was based on the original video game, giving him red hair, instead of his typical blonde or brown hair. The storyline reflects The Legend of Zelda animated television series, which was being aired around the same time. Link and Zelda's relationship is depicted as amorous, with Link attempting to get a kiss from Zelda and Zelda returning Link's affections. A manga adaptation of A Link to the Past was created by Ataru Cagiva in 1995 with the Japanese title Triforce of the Gods. A serial comic was created for Nintendo Power magazine by Japanese manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. It was published in 1992 and later collected in graphic novel form in 1993. The plot is an alternate version of the storyline from A Link to the Past. Several other manga adaptations have been published by Viz Media based on the Zelda video games, including Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, A Link to the Past and The Minish Cap, which were illustrated by Akira Himekawa. The Japanese artist duo also wrote the long-running Twilight Princess manga, which began as a Japanese serialisation in 2016 followed by an English translation in 2017 and has been released as a series of volumes. Nintendo published Link's Hijinks, a translated web comic by Saitaro Komatsu on its Play Nintendo website. The comic had originally appeared in the Japanese manga magazine CoroCoro Comic.

Gamebooks
Nintendo published several gamebooks based on The Legend of Zelda series. As part of the Nintendo Adventure Book series, which was similar to the Choose Your Own Adventure books, two books were published in 1992 titled The Crystal Trap and The Shadow Prince. In The Crystal Trap, the storyline involves Zelda saving Link from the trap, while in The Shadow Prince, Link must save Zelda with the help of a character named Charles. In 2001, two books based on Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages were published by Scholastic, which were written by Craig Wessel and feature Link in a storyline based on the video games.

Merchandise
Since 2014, various amiibo of Link have been released in a variety of incarnations. Three amiibo for the Super Smash Bros. series of Link, Toon Link and Young Link were released in 2014, 2015 and 2019. Various incarnations have been created as amiibo for the Zelda series, including Wolf Link and Midna, 8-bit Link, Ocarina of Time Link, Toon Link from The Wind Waker, incarnations from Majora's Mask, Skyward Sword, Twilight Princess and Link's Awakening, archer and rider figures from Breath of the Wild and the incarnation from Tears of the Kingdom. Guinness World Records reported that as of 1 February 2018, Link is the most prolific Nintendo character released as an amiibo. In addition to appearing on branded merchandise, his image has been reproduced in the form of figurines, plush toys and action figures. In May 2024, several versions of Link were announced in Lego minifigure form for a two-in-one Lego set of The Great Deku Tree, including adult and young Link from Ocarina of Time and Link from Breath of the Wild.

Critical reception
Link has been widely described by critics as one of the greatest or most iconic video game characters of all time. Gabriel Aikins of Polygon noted that he is one of the most recognisable and beloved characters in the gaming industry. Complex described him as one of the "most badass" comic book characters, and emphasised the fond memories that most gamers have of their first encounter with Link and the nostalgia that he creates within the video game community. UGO considered Link to be the top comic book character who needs their own movie: "Get Peter Jackson or Guillermo del Toro to do it, dump a ton of money into it, and we'll all die happy". Link has also proven to be a popular guest character in other video games series. In 2008, IGN chose him as the best bonus character in the Soulcalibur series, while GameDaily considered him the best Smash Bros. character. Link's acquisition of the Master Sword has been described as an "epic" series-defining moment and the sequence in Ocarina of Time was ranked as the most unforgettable moment in gaming by IGN. Matthew Byrd, writing for Den of Geek, said that it represents the transformative moment for both Link and the player when he finally achieves his destiny as hero. Link was chosen as the "hottest video game character" in June 2006 by Out magazine for appearing as "Nintendo's sexy farm-boy-turned-wolf" in Twilight Princess. Critics have commented on his sex appeal, including Jeffrey Parkes of Polygon who likened his Skyward Sword incarnation to a himbo and Kirsten Carey of The Mary Sue who described his official Tears of the Kingdom artwork as "a dangerous thirst trap". Brian Feldman for New York magazine highlighted that Nintendo had finally acknowledged Link's sex appeal through the dialogue of various side characters in Breath of the Wild.

Anthony John Agnello of GamesRadar+, described Link's earliest iteration as lacking in height and expressiveness, but impressively fast and versatile for an RPG hero. He noted that his design was upgraded to a "gloriously personable cartoon character" by the release of A Link to the Past. The cartoon rendition in the 1989 television series was widely criticised, partially due to its obnoxious characterisation of the hero, which Michael Mammano of Den of Geek described as "appalling". The child iteration in Ocarina of Time was fondly remembered by Dominic Preston writing for NME, who noted the clever touches in his character that help players to see the game through a child's eyes and motivate them to explore. Richard George and Audrey Drake of IGN commented that the game was the first to give Link more character depth and used its time shifts to illustrate his growth from youthful innocence to adulthood. Ryan Lambie of Den of Geek described Link's combat abilities in the game as "revolutionary", particularly the Z-targeting system that allowed him to lock on and face his enemies in swordplay, which was afterwards adopted throughout the games industry. According to Lotte Reinbold, writing for The Guardian, his transformations into various creatures in Majora's Mask were "shocking and profound", as the pain he experiences when putting on a mask seems to strip away at his former identity as the Hero of Time. Kate Gray for Nintendo Life highlighted Link's stoicism and altruism in the face of imminent death and opined that the game centres on his sacrifice and resulting loss of innocence and childhood.

When Miyamoto unveiled the cartoon design for Link at E3 2002 for The Wind Waker, it diverged from a more realistic young adult model previously seen battling Ganondorf at the Nintendo Space World Demo in 2000. IGN noted that the crowd did not respond with the same enthusiasm that was seen at the unveiling of Twilight Princess in 2004. Toon Link was presented at a time when the games industry was pushing for grittier heroes. Many fans responded with outrage after seeing Link depicted in a childlike cartoonish style. Aonuma commented that this response was due to gamers fearing change, as the art style was so different from previous games in the series. The reception to Toon Link later improved, leading many players to express a fondness for the character. Jose Otero of IGN commented, "Of all the incarnations of Link in the 3D era of this series, the young, cartoon iteration is the most capable fighter". In his review of The Wind Waker HD, Oli Welsh of Eurogamer said this was his favourite Link, describing him and the game as "energetic, spirited and soulful".

David Meikleham of GamesRadar+ noted that following the controversy around Toon Link, Nintendo had played it safe by unveiling the most graphically realistic version of Link created for Twilight Princess and that this incarnation was warmly received by fans who wanted to see a handsome elfin hero. When a preview trailer depicting Link in the realistic art style was unveiled at E3 2004, the audience reacted with frenzied applause. Griffin McElfroy of Polygon felt that Link's transition into Wolf Link did not provide satisfying combat when compared to the mastery of his sword manoeuvres. Oli Welsh thought that Link's inseparable relationship with Zelda in Spirit Tracks was "adorable" and "heartwarming", as it changed the convention of Link being a lone hero. The relationship between Link and Zelda in Skyward Sword was praised by Susan Arendt of The Escapist for moving away from the traditional narrative of a prophecied hero to a more personal concern of saving his childhood friend. In his review of Skyward Sword HD, Josh West of GamesRadar+ felt that Link looks "a little ridiculous" holding up his sword as he traverses the game environment resulting from Nintendo's decision to centre the game around motion controls, but considered it a small price for the precision of the gameplay. In an IGN review of A Link Between Worlds, Keza Macdonald opined that the game world had less personality than others in the series due to Link being reduced to a blank character, but commented that the nostalgia for A Link to the Past was "emotionally potent".

Jacob Krastenakes of The Verge, questioned Link's role as the player character and opined that he and Zelda could be switched and "he could simply be the other character, who is off doing their own thing". Ben Kuchera of Polygon noted that although Nintendo "can bend the lore and mythology to justify every other goofy idea" they draw the line at a female version of the character. Sara Gitkos for iMore questioned Link's role as the protagonist, noting that the titular character of the series had been sidelined. She commented that Zelda served as Link's prize, although in recent games she is more of a partner, but conceded that this would be difficult to change because Link "doesn't have any character to speak of, but rather is the place holder for us, and we become him".

Link's abilities in Breath of the Wild were lauded, with Matthew Castle of GamesRadar+ calling his flexibility, particularly when climbing cliffs, a "revelation" compared to other game heroes. In his Nintendo Life review of the game, Thomas Whitehead praised his athleticism, particularly the ability to dash, climb and glide, for being essential components for problem solving. Matt Kamen of Wired felt that his vulnerability, caused by starting the game in rags and collecting highly degradable weapons, impacts the gameplay by making the player more cautious. Anticipation was high leading up to the release of Tears of the Kingdom, partially driven by speculation over Link's glowing right arm, which featured prominently in the trailers. This led to various theories about its role and implications in the story. Isaiah Colbert of Kotaku noted the similarities of this scenario to Prince Ashitaka whose right arm is cursed in the 1997 Japanese animated film Princess Mononoke. Link's new abilities granted by his arm were praised by critics. Steve Watts of GameSpot commented that his abilities are the engine driving the game and are a "beautifully implemented evolution" providing opportunities for inventiveness and creativity. Ash Parrish of The Verge said that his combined powers "create infinite possibilities" but noted that he is "tasked with the same old quest: find Zelda".

Analysis
Jonathan Homes, writing for Destructoid, questioned whether Link should be viewed as an individual or a blank slate avatar. He said that Nintendo had successfully created Link as both a specific character and an abstract concept, illustrated by the player choosing the character's name at the start of various games. Describing Link as a "non-character who's [sic] only purpose is to act as doorway for the player into the game world", he opined that through the reincarnation myth and use of multiple timelines, Nintendo had successfully shaped Link into a series of individuals. Den of Geek's Aaron Greenbaum asserted that even though Link does not have voice lines, he is a different character in every incarnation and each game makes it clear that he communicates: "This paradoxical characterization helps players insert themselves into Link's shoes but also gives him a personality, despite not being designed with one". Ryan Lambie of Den of Geek praised him as "the videogame equivalent of Tintin" because he is, "the archetypal young hero, embodying all the optimism, generosity and spirit of adventure a broad fantasy action game requires". He also praised Link as "the ultimate videogame underdog" and "an ordinary yet brave little guy who wants to save the world, in spite of insurmountable odds". Riley McAtee, writing for The Ringer, opined that the spirit of Link is the combination of courage as a defining characteristic and the absence of dialogue, which help to immerse players in the game, making him "the quintessential video game hero". Nick Thorpe of GamesRadar+ considered that the success of Link's character as an archetypal hero is that players identify and grow with him during each game and that his accomplishments are a "shared victory" where the player can achieve great feats that could never be accomplished in reality.

Influence and legacy
As the mascot of The Legend of Zelda series, Link has become a widely recognisable character in pop culture. Damien McFerran of Nintendo Life remarked that the enigmatic nature of his character leaves him open to interpretation and makes him "one of the most drawn and imitated video game icons". In 2011, readers of the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition voted Link as the second best video game character of all time, behind Mario. Since the release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in December 2018, he holds the Guinness World Record as the most ubiquitous action-adventure video game character, having appeared in 40 unique video games, not including rereleases and HD remasters. On 26 October 2018, Guinness World Records named Link as the most critically acclaimed videogame playable character, as he has appeared in six unique entries in GameRankings.com's list of the top 100 all-time best reviewed videogames, with Nintendo's Super Mario and Konami's Solid Snake being his closest competitors.

Critics widely consider Link's adventures to be influential on the video game industry. The original The Legend of Zelda video game influenced the evolution of the action role-playing video game genre, being an early example of open world design and nonlinear gameplay. The series has inspired numerous other game titles to adopt a similar action-adventure gameplay and open world exploration, with these games being commonly referred to as "Zelda clones". In 2005, Link was awarded a star on the Walk of Game along with his creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, noting that "the series has produced the most popular role-playing game titles in history". In 2011, Empire said that "Link has grown into one of the world's most celebrated console heroes, and helped establish RPGs as an international gaming standard". In 2017, Time named Link as one of the most influential video game characters of all time commenting: "Link embodies the selfless hero on a transformative journey, a storytelling trope we've seen in countless titles from Mass Effects Commander Shepard to Halos Master Chief". In 2024, a poll conducted by BAFTA with around 4,000 respondents named Link as the seventh most iconic video-game character of all time.

title: Link (The Legend of Zelda)


text:
Lockheed Model 10 Electra

The Lockheed Model 10 Electra is an American twin-engined, all-metal monoplane airliner developed by the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, which was produced primarily in the 1930s to compete with the Boeing 247 and Douglas DC-2. The type gained considerable fame as one was flown by Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan on their ill-fated around-the-world expedition in 1937.

Design and development

Some of Lockheed's wooden designs, such as the Orion, had been built by Detroit Aircraft Corporation with metal fuselages. However, the Electra was Lockheed's first all-metal and twin-engined design by Lloyd Stearman and Hall Hibbard. The name Electra came from a star in the Pleiades. The prototype made its first flight on February 23, 1934, with Marshall Headle at the controls.

Wind-tunnel work on the Electra was undertaken at the University of Michigan. Much of the work was performed by a student assistant, Clarence Johnson. He suggested two changes be made to the design: changing the single tail to double tails (later a Lockheed trademark), and deleting oversized wing fillets. Both of these suggestions were incorporated into production aircraft. Upon receiving his master's degree, Johnson joined Lockheed as a regular employee, ultimately leading the Skunk Works in developing advanced aircraft such as the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird.

The Lockheed Electra was one of the first commercial passenger aircraft with retractable landing gear to come equipped with mudguards as standard equipment, although aircraft with fixed landing gear commonly had mudguards much earlier than this.

Operational history

After October 1934, when the US government banned single-engined aircraft for use in carrying passengers or in night flying, Lockheed was perfectly placed in the market with its new Model 10 Electra. In addition to deliveries to US-based airlines, several European operators added Electras to their prewar fleets. In Latin America, the first airline to use Electras was Cubana de Aviación, starting in 1935, for its domestic routes.

Besides airline orders, a number of non-commercial civil operators also purchased the new Model 10. In May 1937, H. T. "Dick" Merrill and J. S. Lambie accomplished a round-trip crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. The feat was declared the first round-trip commercial crossing of that ocean by any aircraft. It won them the Harmon Trophy. On the eastbound trip, they carried newsreels of the crash of the Hindenburg, and on the return trip from the United Kingdom, they brought photographs of the coronation of King George VI. Bata Shoes operated the Model 10 to ferry its executives between their European factories.

Probably the most famous use of the Electra was the highly modified Model 10E flown by Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan. In July 1937, they disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean during an attempted round-the-world flight.

Many Electras and their design descendants (the Model 12 Electra Junior and Model 14 Super Electra) were pressed into military service during World War II, for instance the USAAF's C-36. By the end of the war, the Electra design was obsolete, although many smaller airlines and charter services continued to operate Electras into the 1970s.

Electras were popular as private planes for royalty in Asia and Europe. In India, the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir and the Maharaja of Jodhpur both purchased them for their personal use in 1937.

Variants
The Electra was produced in several variants, for both civilian and military customers. Lockheed built a total of 149 Electras.

 * Electra 10-A
 * Powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior SB, 450 hp each; 101 produced.
 * Three built for the U.S. Army Air Corps as Y1C-36, redesignated as C-36 in 1938 and as UC-36 in 1943.
 * Fifteen impressed by the U.S. Army Air Forces as C-36A, redesignated as UC-36A in 1943.
 * One built as XR2O-1 for the U.S. Secretary of the Navy.
 * One built as Y1C-37 for the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, redesignated as C-37 in 1938 and as UC-37 in 1943.

 * Electra 10-B
 * Powered by Wright R-975-E3 Whirlwind, 440 hp each; 18 produced
 * Seven impressed by the U.S. Army Air Forces as C-36C, redesignated as UC-36C in 1943.
 * One built as XR3O-1 for the U.S. Coast Guard for use by the Secretary of the Treasury.

 * Electra 10-C
 * Powered by Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp SC1, 450 hp each; eight produced for Pan American Airways.

 * Electra 10-D
 * Proposed military transport version; none built.

 * Electra 10-E
 * Powered by Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp S3H1, 600 hp each; 15 produced. The version used by Amelia Earhart.
 * Five impressed by the U.S. Army Air Forces as C-36B, redesignated as UC-36B in 1943.

 * XC-35

 * Experimental pressurized research model powered by turbocharged Pratt & Whitney XR-1340-43, 550 hp each. The one production model was tested for the War Department by Lieutenant Benjamin S. Kelsey. For this work, the Army Air Corps was awarded the 1937 Collier Trophy.

 * Lockheed KXL1
 * A single Lockheed Model 10 Electra supplied to the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service for evaluation.

Civil operators

 * Ansett Airways
 * Guinea Airways, an Australian airline serving New Guinea.
 * MacRobertson-Miller Aviation
 * Marshall Airways
 * Qantas Empire Airways
 * 🇧🇷 Brazil
 * Aeronorte
 * Cruzeiro do Sul
 * Panair do Brasil
 * VARIG
 * 🇨🇦 Canada
 * Canadian Airways
 * Trans-Canada Air Lines
 * LAN Chile
 * Compañia Cubana de Aviación
 * Baťa Shoes Corporation
 * 🇲🇽 Mexico
 * Compañía Mexicana de Aviación
 * KLM West Indies Section
 * Union Airways of New Zealand
 * National Airways Corporation
 * Trans-Island Airways
 * 🇵🇦 Panama
 * TASA-Turismo Aereo S.A. operated one aircraft between Panama City (Paitilla) and Chitre circa 1957–1963.
 * LOT Polish Airlines operated ten aircraft between 1936 and 1939.
 * Kingdom of Romania
 * LARES
 * British Airways Ltd. (not to be confused with the present-day British Airways)
 * 🇺🇸 United States
 * Braniff Airways
 * Chicago and Southern Air Lines
 * Continental Air Lines
 * Delta Air Lines
 * Eastern Air Lines
 * Mid-Continent Airlines (formerly Hanford Airlines)
 * Midwest Airways
 * National Airlines
 * Northeast Airlines (formerly Boston-Maine/Central Vermont Airways)
 * Northwest Airlines
 * Pacific Alaska Airways, which became the Alaska division of Pan American Airways
 * Provincetown-Boston Airlines
 * Wisconsin Central Airlines
 * 🇻🇪 Venezuela
 * Aerotecnica S.A. ATSA
 * Línea Aeropostal Venezolana
 * undefined
 * Aeroput
 * Pacific Alaska Airways, which became the Alaska division of Pan American Airways
 * Provincetown-Boston Airlines
 * Wisconsin Central Airlines
 * 🇻🇪 Venezuela
 * Aerotecnica S.A. ATSA
 * Línea Aeropostal Venezolana
 * undefined
 * Aeroput

Military operators

 * Argentine Air Force
 * Brazilian Air Force
 * 🇨🇦 Canada
 * Royal Canadian Air Force
 * Honduran Air Force
 * Nicaragua Air Force pre 1979
 * 🇪🇸 Spain
 * Spanish Republican Air Force
 * Empire of Japan
 * Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service
 * Royal Air Force
 * 🇺🇸 United States
 * United States Army Air Corps/Army Air Forces
 * United States Navy
 * United States Coast Guard
 * 🇻🇪 Venezuela
 * Venezuelan Air Force
 * United States Army Air Corps/Army Air Forces
 * United States Navy
 * United States Coast Guard
 * 🇻🇪 Venezuela
 * Venezuelan Air Force

Surviving aircraft

 * 1011 – Electra 10A on static display at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.
 * 1015 – Electra 10E on static display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.
 * 1026 – Electra 10A on display at the Oakland Aviation Museum in Oakland, California.
 * 1037 – Electra 10A on static display at the Science Museum in London.
 * 1042 Muriel – Electra 10E on static display at the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum at Amelia Earhart Airport in Atchison, Kansas. Delivered to Atchison in August 2016, it was previously owned by Grace McGuire, who had planned on using it to recreate Amelia Earhart's around-the-world flight.
 * 1052 – Electra 10A on static display at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Originally an XR2O-1 used for transporting high ranking staff by the U.S. Navy, it is now painted in Northwest Airlines colors. At one point it was intended to use this machine for a recreation of the Earhart flight but it was not carried out.
 * 1091 – Electra 10A airworthy with Ivo Lukačovič at Točná Airport in Točná, Prague. Registered previously as OK-CTB (now N241M), it was one of two owned by Bata Shoe Co. in Prague, Czechoslovakia before WWII. At the outbreak of WWII it was evacuated to England, and onward to Canada where it served with the RCAF. After a succession of US owners, it was eventually reacquired by Bata Shoe, and fully restored by Wichita Air Services in Newton, Kansas. Wearing its original colors and registration marks, it was ferried back to Prague in May 2015.
 * 1112 – Electra 10A on static display at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa, Ontario. Originally purchased by Trans-Canada Air Lines as their first new aircraft, it was transferred to the RCAF in 1939, with whom it served for most of World War II. After the war it was operated by a number of private owners. It survived into the 1960s when Ann Pellegreno between June 7 and July 10, 1967, flew the aircraft on a round-the-world flight to commemorate Amelia Earhart's last flight in 1937. After being acquired by Air Canada, it was restored in 1968 and donated to the museum.
 * 1116 – Electra 10A airworthy at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was one of a second batch of three Electras delivered to Trans-Canada Airlines. Found in Florida in the early 1980s by a vacationing Air Canada employee, it was returned to Winnipeg for restoration. In 1987 it flew across Canada in honor of the 50th anniversary of Air Canada – who owns and operates the aircraft.
 * 1130 – Electra 10A on static display at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida.
 * 1138 – Electra 10A on static display at the Museum of Transport and Technology in Auckland.
 * 1145 - Electra 10A airworthy with Rob Mackley at Auckland, New Zealand registered as ZK-AFD. Aircraft ex LAN Chile, previously registered CC226 'Diego de Almagro', CC-LGN-507, CC-CLG-0005, CC-CLEA-231 and N10310.
 * 3105 – XC-35 in storage at the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility of the National Air and Space Museum in Suitland, Maryland. It was used for testing pressurization.

In popular culture
In 2024 Public Service Broadcasting released the first single from their latest album, an album that is themed on Amelia Earhart’s achievements. The single “Electra” is a musical tribute to the design and importance of the aircraft.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Lockheed Model 10 Electra


text:
Average Joe (2003 TV series)

Average Joe is an American reality television show broadcast on the NBC beginning in 2003. There were a total of four seasons, the first two following the original show premise, and the last two bringing back contestants from prior seasons.

Premise
Instead of attempting to make a "dream couple" between two extremely attractive people, Average Joe tried to get 16 to 18 ordinary men to win the heart of a beauty queen. The men were what the producers considered to be average in appearance, with many being overweight or underweight and nerdy, or awkward in their behavior and personalities.

Prior to the show's start, the beauty queen was not aware she was to be dating "average" men. She was instead led to believe her show was going to feature only handsome suitors. (The second series, taped before the first one aired, also contained this element, thus avoiding the problem associated with the second season of Joe Millionaire.) Halfway through the show, several handsome suitors appear and compete against the average Joes.

Throughout the show the beauty went on various dates with the men, both in groups and individually (at her choice). When the attractive suitors show up, there were also competitions between the rival groups of men. At the end of every episode the beauty votes to send a certain number (usually four) of the men home. In the end, she must pick only one to go on an intimate vacation with.

Average Joe
The first two Average Joe series were intended to be somewhat of a mockery of traditional set-up shows such as The Bachelor and Joe Millionaire. The show was marketed to have an implied moral subtext, namely that beauty was only skin deep, and that personality could ultimately triumph over looks. However, the first two seasons ended in a way that seemed to prove the opposite. In Average Joe, Melana Scantlin chose Jason Peoples, one of the attractive suitors, over Adam Mesh, the last remaining Average Joe. Kathy Griffin was the host.

Average Joe: Hawaii
In the second season, Average Joe: Hawaii, Larissa Meek chose attractive Gil Hyatt over Average Joe Brian Worth. A few days later, on a "honeymoon" between Hyatt and Meek, Larissa revealed she had once dated Fabio, which caused Gil to leave her in disgust. Meek now owns a website design and art company registered and situated in Fort Lauderdale, which is Hyatt's hometown. They are not a couple any longer, according to Meek's blog. She said "we gave it our best but decided to part ways."

Average Joe: Adam Returns
The third season, Average Joe: Adam Returns, featured the return of rejected contestant Adam Mesh, this time as the object of the affections of 19 female contestants. The women in this situation were a mixture of fairly attractive and average, with the busload of "babes" arriving later sent home immediately by Adam. In the final episode, Adam chose saleswoman Samantha Trenk over schoolteacher Rachel Goetz.

Average Joe: The Joes Strike Back
The fourth season entitled Average Joe: The Joes Strike Back started airing on June 28, 2005. The name references The Empire Strikes Back. In this season, one rejected Joe from each week received a complete makeover and the opportunity at another chance with the show's beauty Anna Chudoba. In the end, Anna chose Average Joe Nathan Griffin over model/bartender Rocky Fain, breaking the "Joes" losing streak. A contestant on Average Joe: Hawaii, Alfred "Fredo" LaPonza, along with two other men, sued NBC claiming the network used ideas of theirs on the show. Matt Hoffman, who later appeared on Big Brother 12 (U.S.), was a contestant on Average Joe: The Joes Strike Back, and was eliminated on the first episode of the season.

Syndication and other spinoffs
GSN had acquired the first two seasons in 2004. Episodes were also aired on the Fox Reality Channel.

A role-reversal version of the show, with a series of ordinary women who were to compete for the love of a very handsome man, to be entitled "Plain Jane", was announced as being in the works, but such a show never materialized. The title was eventually used for another reality series with a different concept.

International adaptations
A local version of Average Joe has been made in France based on the original US format. Licensing of the format is handled by NBCUniversal.

title: Average Joe (2003 TV series)


text:
Lockheed L-188 Electra

The Lockheed L-188 Electra is an American turboprop airliner built by Lockheed. First flown in 1957, it was the first large turboprop airliner built in the United States. Initial sales were good, but after two fatal crashes that led to expensive modifications to fix a design defect, no more were ordered. With its fairly high power-to-weight ratio, huge propellers and very short wings (resulting in the majority of the wingspan being enveloped in propwash), large Fowler flaps which significantly increased effective wing area when extended, and four-engined design, the airplane had airfield performance capabilities unmatched by many jet transport aircraft even today—particularly on short runways and high altitude airfields. Jet airliners soon supplanted turboprops for many purposes, and many Electras were modified as freighters. Some Electras are still being used in various roles into the 21st century. The airframe was also used as the basis for the Lockheed P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft.

Development
By mid-20th century, Lockheed had established a strong position in commercial airliner production with its piston-engined Constellation series. Further development brought turboprop engines to the Constellation airframe with the Lockheed L-1249 Super Constellation.

In 1951, Lockheed was approached by Capital Airlines to develop a new turboprop airliner, which was designated the YC-130, but no other carriers had any interest, so the design was dropped. Subsequently, Capital Airlines went on to order 60 British Vickers Viscounts. In 1954, as a result of American Airlines' interest in developing a twin-engined aircraft, the idea resurfaced and the company offered a twin-engined design now designated the CL-303. This newer design was a high-wing type and would allow for 60 to 70 passengers. This design was also shelved for lack of interest from other carriers.

The following year, American Airlines revised its requirement to a four-engine design for 75 passengers with 2000 mi range. Lockheed proposed a new design, the CL-310 with a low wing and four Rolls-Royce Darts or Napier Elands. The CL-310 design met the American Airlines requirements, but failed to meet those of another interested carrier, Eastern Air Lines. Its requirements were for a longer range, a minimum cruising speed of 350 mph, and increased seating capacity to the 85-to-90-passenger level. Lockheed redesigned the CL-310 to use the Allison 501-D13 turboprop engine, a civilian version of the T56 developed for the Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport. The airframe was stretched to allow for more seats and handle the increased performance. This design was launched as the Model 188 with an order for 35 by American Airlines on June 8, 1955. This was followed by Eastern Air Lines with an order for 40 on September 27, 1955. The first aircraft took 26 months to complete, and by that time Lockheed had orders for 129. The prototype, a Model 188A, first flew on December 6, 1957, two months ahead of schedule. Lockheed was awarded a type certificate by the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) on 22 August 1958. The first delivery – to Eastern Air Lines – was on October 8, 1958, but it did not enter service until January 12, 1959. In 1957, the United States Navy issued a requirement for an advanced maritime patrol aircraft. Lockheed proposed a development of the Electra that was later placed into production as the P-3 Orion, which had much greater success – the Orion has been in continual front-line service for more than 50 years.

Design
The Model 188 Electra is a low-wing cantilever monoplane powered by four wing-mounted Allison 501-D13 turboprops. It has a retractable tricycle landing gear and a conventional tail. It has a cockpit crew of three and can carry 66 to 80 passengers in a mixed-class arrangement, although 98 could be carried in a high-density layout. The first variant was the Model 188A, followed by the longer-range 188C with room for 1000 USgal more fuel and maximum take-off weight 15000 KG / 33069 lbs.

Civilian operations
American Airlines was the launch customer. Eastern Air Lines, Braniff Airways, and Northwest Airlines followed. The Electra suffered a troubled start. Passengers of early aircraft complained of noise in the cabin forward of the wings, caused by propeller resonance. Lockheed redesigned the engine nacelles, tilting the engines upwards 3°. The changes were incorporated on the production line by mid-1959 or as modification kits for the aircraft already built, and resulted in improved performance and a better ride for passengers.

Three aircraft were lost in fatal accidents between February 1959 and March 1960. After the third crash, the FAA limited the Electra's speed until the cause could be determined. After an extensive investigation, two of the crashes (in September 1959 and March 1960) were found to be caused by an engine-mount problem. The mounting of the gearbox cracked, and the reduced rigidity enabled a phenomenon called "whirl mode flutter" (analogous to the precession of a child's Spinning Top as it slows down, an interaction of propellers with airflow) that affected the outboard engine nacelles. When the oscillation was transmitted to the wings and the flutter frequency decreased to a point where it was resonant with the outer wing panels (at the same frequency, or harmonically related ones), violent up-and-down oscillation increased until the wings would tear off.

The company implemented an expensive modification program (the Lockheed Electra Achievement Program, LEAP) in which the engine mounts and the wing structures supporting the mounts were strengthened, and some of the wing skins were replaced with thicker material. All Electras were modified by the factory at Lockheed's expense, with the modifications taking 20 days for each aircraft. The changes were incorporated in later aircraft as they were built. However, the damage had been done, and the public lost confidence in the type. This and the smaller jets that were being introduced eventually relegated Electras to the smallest airlines. Production ended in 1961 after 170 had been built. Losses to Lockheed have been estimated as high as $57 million, not counting an additional $55 million in lawsuits. Electras continued to carry passengers into the 1990s, but most now in use are freighters.

Several airlines in the US flew Electras, but the only European airline to order the type from Lockheed was KLM, which used 12 between September 1959 and January 1969 in Europe and east to Saigon and Kuala Lumpur. In the South Pacific, Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL) and its successor Air New Zealand flew the Electra on trans-Tasman flights. In Australia Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) and Ansett each operated three Electras on trunk routes between the Australian mainland state capital cities, and later to Port Moresby, from 1959 until 1971. Ansett had its three Electras converted to freighters in 1970–71 and continued to fly them until 1984. Qantas also operated four Electras on its routes to Hong Kong and Japan, to New Caledonia, and to New Guinea (until the New Guinea route was handed to Ansett and TAA); then later across the Indian Ocean to South Africa, and across the Tasman in competition with TEAL after that airline became 100% New Zealand-owned. The divestiture of TEAL's 50%-Australian shareholding was itself prompted by the Electra order, as TEAL wanted jet aircraft, but was forced by the Australian government to order Electras in order to standardise with Qantas. Three Qantas Electras were retired in the mid-1960s and the fourth in 1971.

Some Electras were sold to South American airlines, where the Electra had highly successful operations, such as those of Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano and Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas; in both cases, the Electra ensured the airlines' international operations before they started using jets. Most notably, Brazilian flag carrier airline Varig operated flawlessly a fleet of 14 Electras on the extremely busy Rio de Janeiro-São Paulo shuttle service (the so-called Ponte Aérea – or "Air Bridge" in Portuguese) for 30 years, completing over half a million flights on the route before the type was replaced by Boeing 737-300 and Fokker 100 jets in 1992. The Electra became so iconic on that route that its retirement caused a commotion in Brazil, with extensive press coverage and many special tributes.

During the mid-1970s, several secondhand Electras were bought by travel clubs, including Nomads, Adventurers and Shillelaghs. Others were retired from passenger service into air-cargo use, 40 being modified by a subsidiary of Lockheed from 1968 with one or two large doors in the left side of the fuselage and a reinforced cabin floor. Air California and Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) were still operating Electras for scheduled passenger service during the late 1970s primarily into the Lake Tahoe Airport located in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, as this airfield had banned scheduled jet aircraft flights at the time.

Military use
In 1973, the Argentine Navy bought three Electras equipped with cargo doors. These were used during the "Dirty War" to toss political prisoners into the Rio de La Plata in the infamous death flights. The Electras were also used for transport duties during the Falklands War in 1982.

In 1983, after the retirement of its last SP-2H Neptune, the Argentine Navy bought further civilian Electra airframes, modified several for maritime patrol, and widely used them until their replacement by P-3s in 1994. One of the Argentine Navy's Electras, known locally as L-188E Electron, is preserved at the Argentine Naval Aviation Museum (Museo de la Aviación Naval) at Bahía Blanca.

Variants

 * Initial production version
 * Initial production version

 * L-188AF (All Freight version)
 * Unofficial designation for freighter conversions of L-188A carried out under a supplementary type certificate.

 * L-188PF (Passenger-Freight version)
 * Unofficial designation for freighter conversions of L-188A carried out under a supplementary type certificate.

 * Long-range version with increased fuel capacity (6,940 USgal fuel capacity from 5,450 USgal on L-188A) and a higher operating gross weight (Maximum takeoff weight is 116,000 lb compared to 113,000 lb of the "A" version).
 * Long-range version with increased fuel capacity (6,940 USgal fuel capacity from 5,450 USgal on L-188A) and a higher operating gross weight (Maximum takeoff weight is 116,000 lb compared to 113,000 lb of the "A" version).

 * L-188CF
 * Unofficial designation for freighter conversion of L-188C carried out under a supplementary type certificate.

 * YP-3A Orion
 * One Orion aerodynamic test bed, fuselage shortened by 7 ft.

Current operators
By July 2018, only two Electras in the world were transporting passengers, both with Buffalo Airways. Thirteen other aircraft remained in service as air tankers and cargo aircraft including nine with Air Spray (aerial firefighting) and four with Buffalo Airways (cargo/bulk fuel and aerial firefighting). As of 2024, no passenger flights are taken on Electras, with Air Spray and Buffalo Airways still operating 13 cargo and firefighting planes.

Former civilian operators

 * Australia
 * Ansett Airlines
 * Qantas
 * Trans Australia Airlines
 * Austria
 * Amerer Air
 * Bolivia
 * Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano
 * Brazil
 * Varig
 * Canada
 * Conair Group
 * International Jetair
 * Northwest Territorial Airways
 * Nordair 1972–1987 (Canadian Airlines 1987–1989 ) - 4 operated for Transport Canada Ice Reconnaissance service 1970s–1989
 * Colombia
 * SAM Colombia
 * Aerocondor Colombia
 * Aerocosta
 * Republic of the Congo
 * Trans Service Airlift
 * Costa Rica
 * Aero Servicios Puntarenas SA (APSA)
 * Lacsa
 * Ecuador
 * Ecuatoriana de Aviación
 * Transportes Aereos Nacionales Ecuatorianos (TAME)
 * El Salvador
 * TACA International Airlines
 * Guyana
 * Guyana Airways
 * Honduras
 * SAHSA
 * Transportes Aereos Nacionales (TAN Airlines)
 * Hong Kong
 * Cathay Pacific Airways

 * Indonesia
 * Garuda Indonesia Airlines
 * Mandala Airlines
 * Ireland
 * Hunting Cargo Airlines
 * Laos
 * Royal Air Lao
 * Mexico
 * Banco de México (corporate aircraft)
 * Mex-Jet Cargo (all cargo freighter version)
 * Netherlands
 * KLM
 * Martinair
 * Netherlands Antilles
 * Air ALM (all cargo freighter version )
 * Norway
 * Fred. Olsen Airtransport
 * Nordic Air
 * New Zealand
 * Air New Zealand
 * TEAL
 * Panama
 * Copa Airlines
 * Paraguay
 * Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas
 * Peru
 * Líneas Aéreas Nacionales SA
 * Philippines
 * Air Manila International
 * Sweden
 * Falcon Air
 * West Air Sweden
 * Taiwan
 * Winner Airways (one L-188A leased from Eastern Air Lines for two months in 1970)

 * United Kingdom
 * Air Bridge Carriers
 * Atlantic Airlines
 * Channel Express
 * United States
 * Air California
 * Air Florida
 * Air Southwest
 * American Airlines
 * American Flyers Airline
 * Braniff International Airways
 * Denver Ports of Call
 * Eastern Air Lines
 * Evergreen International Airlines
 * Federal Aviation Administration
 * Fairbanks Air Service
 * Great Northern Airlines
 * Gulf Air Transport
 * Hawaiian Airlines (all cargo freighter versions)
 * Holiday Airlines
 * Intermountain Airlines
 * Johnson International Airlines
 * McCulloch International Airlines
 * NASA
 * National Airlines
 * National Center for Atmospheric Research
 * Northwest Airlines
 * Overseas National Airways
 * Pacific Southwest Airlines
 * Reeve Aleutian Airways (passenger/cargo "Combi" versions)
 * Renown Aviation
 * Saturn Airways
 * Shillelagh Travel Club
 * Southeast Airlines
 * Trans International Airlines, later became Transamerica Airlines
 * TPI International Airways
 * Western Airlines
 * Zantop International Airlines
 * Zaire
 * Karibu Airways
 * Trans Service Airlift

Military operators

 * Argentina
 * Argentine Naval Aviation
 * Bolivia
 * Bolivian Air Force – 1 from 1973, still in use in 1987.
 * Ecuador
 * TAME
 * Honduras
 * Honduran Air Force – one 188A from 1979
 * Mexico
 * Mexican Air Force – one 188A from 1978 to 1987.
 * Panama
 * Panamanian Air Force – One 188C from 1973 to 1984.

Orders

 * Model 188A
 * Eastern Air Lines ordered 40 188As which were delivered between November 1958 and August 1959, the last five as 188Cs.
 * American Airlines ordered 35 188As which were delivered between November 1958 and March 1960.
 * National Airlines ordered 14 188As which were delivered between April 1959 and January 1961.
 * Ansett-ANA ordered three 188As which were delivered to Australia in February 1959, April 1959 and February 1960.
 * Braniff ordered nine 188As which were delivered between April 1959 and January 1960.
 * Western Airlines ordered 12 188As which were delivered between May 1959 and February 1961.
 * Cathay Pacific ordered two 188As which were delivered in 1959.
 * Trans Australia Airlines ordered three 188As which were delivered to Australia between June 1959 and August 1960.
 * General Motors ordered one 188A which was delivered in July 1958.

 * Model 188C
 * Northwest Orient Airlines ordered 18 188Cs which were delivered between July 1959 and June 1961.
 * Pacific Southwest Airlines ordered three 188Cs which were delivered in November and December 1959.
 * Capital Airlines ordered five 188Cs but later cancelled the order. The five aircraft were sold to other operators.
 * Qantas ordered four 188Cs which were delivered between October and December 1959.
 * KLM ordered 12 188Cs which were delivered between September 1959 and December 1960.
 * Tasman Empire Airways ordered three 188Cs which were delivered in October and December 1959.
 * Garuda ordered three 188Cs which were delivered in January 1961.

Aircraft on display

 * s/no. 1003 ex NASA N428NA. This was the first P-3 Orion prototype. It was converted from an existing L188 Electra airframe into the YP3V-1/YP-3A Orion. It was later converted into the NP-3A by United States Naval Research Laboratory, then used by NASA for the Earth Resources Observation Program. Preserved at the National Naval Aviation Museum, Forrest Sherman Field, Pensacola, Florida.
 * s/no. 1025 ex Varig PP-VJM; preserved at the Museu Aeroespacial in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
 * s/no. 1125 TAM69, in TAM – Transporte Aéreo Militar colors at the Bolivia Aeronautical Museum, El Alto, La Paz, Bolivia.
 * ex Argentine Navy 6-P-104, converted to L-188EW WAVE, retired in 1996; on display at the Museo de la Aviación Naval, Bahia Blanca, Argentina.
 * ex Argentine Navy 6-P-106, converted to L-188E Electron, retired in 1996; on display at the Museo de la Aviación Naval, Comandante Espora Air Naval Base, Bahia Blanca.

Accidents and incidents
Of the total of 170 Electras built, as of June 2011, 58 have been written off because of crashes and other accidents.

 * February 3, 1959: American Airlines Flight 320 en route from Chicago to New York City's LaGuardia Airport crashed on approach, 65 of 73 on board died.
 * September 29, 1959: Braniff International Airways Flight 542 crashed near Buffalo, Texas, en route to Dallas, Texas from Houston, Texas. All 29 passengers and five crew members died in the crash. The Civil Aeronautics Board blamed the crash on the "whirl-mode" prop theory and in-flight separation of a wing from the aircraft.
 * March 17, 1960: Northwest Orient Flight 710, en route from Chicago to Miami, Florida, broke apart in flight over Perry County, Indiana, in the second "whirl-mode" crash. All 63 people on board died (57 passengers and six crew members).
 * September 14, 1960: An Electra operated as American Airlines Flight 361 caught its landing gear on a dike while landing at LaGuardia Airport. The aircraft came to rest upside down. There were no fatalities among the 76 occupants (70 passengers, six crew).
 * October 4, 1960: Eastern Air Lines Flight 375 crashed on takeoff from Boston, Massachusetts's Logan International Airport; 62 of 72 on board died. The crash was eventually determined to be the result of bird ingestion into three of the four engines.
 * June 12, 1961: KLM Flight 823 crashed short of the runway on approach to Cairo; 20 of the 36 on board died.
 * September 17, 1961: Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 706 crashed on takeoff from Chicago-O'Hare International Airport; all 37 on board died. The crash was eventually determined to be the result of mechanical failure in the aileron primary control system due to the improper replacement of the aileron boost assembly.
 * March 27, 1965: While on a training flight, a Tasman Empire Airways L-188 crashed while landing at Whenuapai airport in Auckland, New Zealand. Although the aircraft was completely destroyed, all occupants escaped with only one minor injury.
 * April 22, 1966: American Flyers Airline Flight 280/D crashed into a hill on approach to Ardmore Municipal Airport in Oklahoma; all five crew and 78 of the 93 passengers on board died.
 * February 16, 1967: Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 708 crashed while attempting to land at Manado-Sam Ratulangi Airport. A total of 22 of 92 passengers and crew on board died. The crash was eventually determined to be the result of an awkward landing technique resulting in an excessive rate of sink on touchdown. Marginal weather at the time of landing was a contributing factor.
 * May 3, 1968: Braniff International Airways Flight 352, en route from Houston to Dallas, disintegrated over Dawson, Texas. All 80 passengers and five crew members died. This was the deadliest aviation disaster in Texas at the time. The National Transportation Safety Board found the probable cause to be overstressing of the structure beyond its ultimate strength during attempted recovery from unusual aircraft attitude produced by turbulence of a thunderstorm.
 * August 9, 1970: LANSA Flight 502 crashed shortly after takeoff from Quispiquilla Airport near Cusco, Peru; 99 of the 100 people on board, plus two people on the ground, died. The co-pilot was the only survivor.
 * December 24, 1971: LANSA Flight 508, en route from Lima to Pucallpa, Peru, entered an area of strong turbulence and lightning and disintegrated in midair due to structural failure following a lightning strike and fire. Of the 92 people on board, 91 died. One passenger, Juliane Koepcke, survived when trees cushioned her fall into the rainforest.
 * August 27, 1973: A Lockheed L-188A Electra passenger plane (HK-777) operated by Aerocondor was destroyed when it flew into the side of the Cerro el Cable mountain shortly after takeoff from Bogotá-Eldorado Airport (BOG), Colombia. All 36 passengers and six crew members died.
 * October 30, 1974: On approach to Rea Point Airfield on Melville Island, Northwest Territories (now Nunavut), Canada, Panarctic Oils Flight 416 crashed into the ice-covered sea some 3 km south of its destination after the pilot-in-command abruptly increased the rate of descent in apparent disorientation. All 30 passengers and two of the four crew members, including the pilot-in-command, died.
 * June 4, 1976: Air Manila Flight 702, an L-188A (RP-C1061), crashed just after takeoff from the Guam Naval Air Station; the 45 occupants and one person on the ground died.
 * On November 18, 1979, L-188 (N859U), operating a flight for the US military (Logair 3N18) from Hill Air Force Base, crashed near Salt Lake City airport, Utah.  While climbing between 12,000 and 13,000 ft, all electrical power was lost; the crew requested an immediate descent. The aircraft attained a high airspeed and a high rate of descent and the aircraft disintegrated in flight; all three crew members died. The NTSB investigation stated the probable cause was a progressive failure of the aircraft electrical system leading to the disabling or erratic performance of flight critical flight instruments and lighting. As a result, the crew became disoriented and lost control of the aircraft. The crew's efforts to regain control of the aircraft imposed loads which exceeded the design limits and caused it to break up in flight.
 * January 8, 1981, a SAHSA L-188A in Guatemala City, killing all six crew members on board.
 * On 8 June 1983, Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8's number-four propeller separated from the aircraft and tore a hole in the fuselage over the Pacific Ocean causing a rapid decompression and loss of control. The pilots managed to land the aircraft safely at Anchorage, Alaska and all 15 passengers and crew survived. Since the propeller fell into the sea and was never recovered, the cause of the separation is unknown.
 * May 30, 1984, Zantop International Airlines Flight 931, a Lockheed L-188AF Electra (N5523) flying regularly scheduled cargo service from Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) to Detroit-Willow Run Airport (YIP), crashed at Chalkhill, Pennsylvania; all three crew members and the sole passenger died. While cruising at FL220, at approximately 01:44 AM, the aircraft entered an unusual attitude shortly after a course change. During efforts to recover the aircraft the pilots imposed loads on the airframe that exceeded the aircraft's design limits and it broke apart at altitude. NTSB reported that in-flight problems with the aircraft's gyros likely provided conflicting attitude data to the flight crew at the time of the upset and this, combined with a lack of visual cues, were contributing causes of the accident.
 * January 21, 1985: Chartered Galaxy Airlines Flight 203 crashed after takeoff from Reno-Cannon International Airport en route to Minneapolis–St Paul Minnesota; 70 of the 71 people on board died.
 * September 12, 1988: A Tame Ecuador L-188A Electra, registration HC-AZY, crashed near Lago Agrio Airport shortly after takeoff; six crew and one passenger died.
 * September 4, 1989: A Tame Ecuador L-188C Electra, registration HC-AZJ, crash-landed at Taura AFB with no fatalities.
 * December 18, 1995: An overloaded 188C of Trans Service Airlift crashed near Cahungula, Angola, with the loss of 141 of the 144 occupants. This is the deadliest aviation disaster involving the Lockheed L-188 Electra.
 * February 8, 1999: An Air Karibu L-188 (9Q-CDI) after takeoff from N'djili Airport killing all seven crew members. The aircraft had been overloaded, and the flight engineer was serving as a co-pilot because no other co-pilots were present. A ground mechanic took the flight engineer's place.
 * July 16, 2003: An Air Spray Lockheed L-188 Electra (Tanker #86 C-GFQA) crashed and was destroyed near Cranbrook, British Columbia shortly after delivering the retardant load. Tanker 86 was seen to turn right initially, then entered a turn to the left. At 1221 MST, the Electra struck the terrain on the side of a steep ridge at about 3900 feet above sea level. The aircraft exploded on impact and the two pilots died. An intense post-crash fire consumed much of the wreckage and started a forest fire at the crash site and the surrounding area.

title: Lockheed L-188 Electra