Country of origin:

United States of America

Description:

Military and commercial transport

Power Plant:

Two 895 kw (1,200 hp) Wright R-1820-G205A nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engines

Specifications:

History:

The Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar, a development of the Model 14 Super Electra transport, was manufactured in a variety of models with a variety of engines, depending on customer requirements. Engines included the 545 kw (730 hp) Pratt & Whitney Hornet S1E-26 (Model 18-07); the 671 kw (900 hp) Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp SC-36 (Model 18-08); the 783 kw (1,050 hp) Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp S4C4-6 (Model 18-14); and the 746 kw (1,000 hp) Wright Cyclone GR-1820-G202A. The variant built in largest numbers was the Model 18-56.

The type was also supplied to the USAAF as the C-56 with Wright R-1820-89 engines (one example), the C-57 with Pratt & Whitney R-1830-53 engines, and the C-57A, C-57B, C-57C, etc. Also, a number of civil Lodestars were impressed into service during the War from US domestic carriers. About 325 examples of this model were supplied to the USAAF under the designation C-60A, these being obtained under the Defence Aid programme for supply to other countries, particularly Great Britain.

Prior to the fall of the Netherlands East Indies, the ML-KNIL operated twenty L18-40-11 Lodestars (c/ns 2101 to 2110 – serials LT9-6 to LT9-15; and c/ns 2120 to 2129 – LT9-16 to LT9-25). Following the Japanese onslaught, eleven of these survived and were used to evacuate personnel to Australia. Once in Australia they were taken over by US forces in March and April 1942. They were designated C-56B-LOs and assigned USAAF serials 42-68347 to 42-68357, most being operated on behalf of the Allied Directorate of Air Transport by Australian airlines, including Qantas, ANA and Guinea Airways in the freight and passenger role, being allocated call signs VHCAA to VHCAK, VHCEC to VHCEH, and VHCXI and VHCXJ.

Aircraft call-sign VHCAC (c/n 2104 – ex LT9-8) crashed at Wards Strip, Port Moresby, NG on 26 November 1943. VHCAF (c/n 2121 – ex LT9-9) operated with Qantas during the War, being handed over to the USAAF in 1944. VHCAH (c/n 2125 – ex LT9-21) operated with ANA until it crashed at Buna, NG on 1 December 1942. VHCAJ (c/n 2128 – ex LT9-24) was operated by Qantas on behalf of the USAAF ADAT from October 1942 until handed to the USAAF in 1944. VHCAK, a C-60 (c/n 2129 – ex LT9-25), operated with Qantas from October 1942 until handed over to the USAAF in 1944. VHCEC (c/n 2192 – ex 42-32172), operated with ANA until handed over to the USAAF in July 1943.

Call sign VHCED (c/n 2193 – ex 42-32173) operated with the RAAF from July 1943 to March 1944 when it was handed over to the USAAF. Call sign VHCEE (c/n 2194 – ex 42-31274) operated with the RAAF and Guinea Airways. It was sold to Aircrafts Pty Ltd in 1946 and became VH-BAG. It was operated by Truth & Sportsman Ltd from December 1946 and crashed at Coolangatta, QLD on 10 March 1949. Call sign VHCEF (c/n 2195 – ex 42-32175) operated with the USAF ADAT as The Texas Wrangler. VHCEH (c/n 2196 – ex 42-32176) was operated by ANA on behalf of the USAAF ADAT until returned in July 1943. VHCEJ (c/n 2198 – ex 42-32178) operated with the RAAF from July 1943 when it was returned to the USAAF in March 1944.

The Lodestar saw service with the RAAF during World War II.  Due to a critical shortage of transport aircraft, ten C-60s were obtained from the USAAC and ferried to Australia, having been fitted with long-range fuel tanks for the flight. Serial numbered A67-1 (c/n 2508 – ex 42-56035); A67-2 (c/n 2535 – ex 42-56043); A67-3 (c/n 2536 – ex 42-56044); A67-4 (c/n 2537 – ex 42-56044); A67-5 (c/n 2538 – ex 42-56045); A67-6 (c/n 2610 – ex 43-16450); A67-7 (c/n 2611 – ex 43-16451); A67-8 (c/n 2612 – ex 43-16452); A67-9 (c/n 2614 – ex 43-16454) and A67-10 (c/n 2613 – ex 43-16453), they were flown by No 37 Squadron from Laverton, VIC on transport duties and were allocated call signs VHRAA to VHRAJ. One (A67-6) crashed at Merauke, NG on 26 January 1945.  After the War the survivors were sold to civil operators, a few ending up with the New Zealand National Airlines Commission.

The type soldiered on with civil operators, including South Coast Airways Pty Ltd, Guinea Airways Ltd, New Holland Airways, Gibbes Sepik Airways, Godden Air Transport, Air Cargo Ltd, Fawcett Aviation, TAA and Qantas. New Holland Airways used VH-GRB, this aircraft later serving with Overland Air Services Pty Ltd of Condoblin, NSW VH-OAS (c/n 2538 – ex A67-5, 42-56045) from 1950 to July 1953 when it was exported to the US as N4849V.

Aircraft registered include: VH-FAD (c/n 2090 – ex G-AGBU) operated with South Coast Airways, and Fawcett Aviation, before going to Fieldair Ltd at Whetumarama as ZK-BJM in 1955. In 1960 it went to Airland (NZ) Ltd and was scrapped at Gisborne in 1964. VH-ARZ (c/n 2102) operated with the USAAF ADAT as VHCAA. It was obtained by Aircrafts Pty Ltd in 1946 and went to NZNAC, New Zealand as ZK-ANA Kawatere in November 1946. In 1951 it went to Costine & Co and was exported to the US as N4632V. VH-ARY (c/n 2104 – ex VHCAC, LT9-9) operated during the War years with Guinea Airways, later going to Aircrafts Pty Ltd. It went to NZNAC in New Zealand as ZK-ALZ Korire but was destroyed by fire at Palmerston North on 10 February 1947.

VH-FAC (c/n 2553 – ex 42-56060) operated with Air Cargo Pty Ltd, Gibbes Sepik Airways and Fawcett Aviation before it went to New Zealand as ZK-BMC where it operated with Fieldair Ltd as Makutonga in July 1956 but crashed near Upper Bideford on 20 October 1957. VH-BFZ (c/n 2611 – e A67-7, 43-16451) was registered in September 1947 and operated with Godden Air Transport and Service Airways Inc before going to Israel, where it eventually crashed.

In addition to these, other ex-RAAF and ex-NEIAF aircraft that were taken to New Zealand were: A67-1 (c/n 2508 – ex c/s VHRAC, 42-56035) which became ZK-AOP with NZNAC as Koropio, being exported to the US as N4646V; A67-3 (c/n 2536 – ex c/s VHRAD, 42-56043) to NZNAC as ZK-AOT Korohia being exported to the US as N4634V; A67-4 (c/n 2537 – ex 42-56044) to NZNAC as ZK-AOS Kea being  exported to the US as N60000 in 1951; A67-9 (c/n 2614 – ex c/s VHRAI, 43-16454) to NZNAC as ZK-APU Korimaka later going to Pago Airlines as N633; and A67-6 (c/n 2610 – ex c/s VHRAF, 43,16450) crashed when in RAAF service at Merauke, Dutch New Guinea on 26 January 1945.

VH-FAB (c/n 2603 – ex 43-16443) operated with Air Cargo Pty Ltd from 1950 to 1952 when it was exported as F-OALK.

Trans Australia Airlines aircraft were: VH-TAY (Lindsay – c/n 2613 – ex A67-10, c/s VHRAJ, 43-16453) exported in 1953 to the US as N5080V and VH-TAZ (c/n 2612 – ex A67-8, c/s VHRAH, 43-16452) exported to the US as N4848V. A67-2 (c/n 42-56042) was to operate with the Department of Civil Aviation as VH-CAA but the registration was not taken up and it was scrapped at Parafield, SA in 1952.

In the early 1990s an American registered privately owned Lodestar was flown to Australia as a warbird and became VH-XUS (c/n 2388 – ex N56LH, XA-SAX, N17615, 42-55951 – Flew the Coop), being flown to a number of aviation events on the east coast before being exported to New Zealand. It has done very little flying since then and remained in the open at Wanaka airport on the South Island for a period before being placed in a museum hangar alongside an Antonov AN-2. In addition a couple of fuselages remain in Australia in private collections.

The Lodestar also saw service with the RNZAF, with a total of nine C-60s being obtained and operated from 1943 to 1947 with the serials NZ3507 to NZ3515, seeing service in the transport role. They arrived by sea and commenced service with No 40 Squadron at Whenuapai, operating high-speed mail and personnel transport services. One (NZ3510) operated in the VIP role and was used to convey the Chief of Air Staff to Japan for the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945 on board the US Navy Battleship USS Missouri. Not counting USAAC Lodestars which operated throughout Australia and New Zealand during World War II, at least 27 are known to have operated in civil and military service in this region. In addition, in 1943-44 a C-60 Lodestar named Princess Margriet was operated by Dutch forces and was probably on loan from the USAAF.

The Lodestar was flown extensively by civil operators in New Zealand. In 1943 Union Airways, later NZNAC, was supplied with a Lodestar to supplement the Lockheed 10s on trunk routes across the country. Fitted out for passenger services it became ZK-AHR in October 1943 but this was later in 1944 changed to ZK-AHU Karoro (c/n 2490). However, on 13 May 1945 an apprentice engineer attempted to fly it to Australia but crashed on take-off at Mangere, hitting trees, and the aircraft was destroyed by fire.

This Company also used other Lodestars, including ZK-ANA Kawatere (c/n 2102 – ex LT9-7) which later went to the US as N4632V; ZK-ALZ Korire (c/n 2104 – ex VH-ARY, LT9-9) which was destroyed by fire at Palmerston North on 10 February 1947; ZK-AOP Koropio (c/n 2508 – ex A67-1, 42-56035); ZK-AOT Korohia (c/n 2536 – ex A67-3, 42-56043); ZK-AOS Kea (c/n 2536 – ex A67-40, 42-56044); and ZK-APU Korimako (c/n 2614 – ex A67-9, 43-16454).  Of the Lodestars that saw service in New Zealand, eleven were sold to Costne & Co of Boston, Massachusetts, being flown to the United States.

Fieldair Ltd used the type for top-dressing operations. ZK-BMC (c/n 2553 – ex VH-FAC, 42-56060 – Makutonga) was lost when it crashed near Upper Bideford on 20 October 1957. ZK-BJM (c/n 2090 – ex VH-FAD, G-AGBU – Whetumarama) also operated with Fieldair, from 1955, later going to Airland (NZ) Ltd in 1960, being scrapped at Gisborne in 1964.

One Lodestar Model 18 40-01, ZK-BVE (c/n 2020), is displayed at the MOTAT Museum in Auckland. Built for United Airlines as NC25630, it was impressed into service by the USAAF and allocated to the RAF in September 1941 as AX756. It was then loaned to BOAC as G-AGCN “Lake Victoria” and operated in East Africa. It was subsequently sold to the Spanish Air Force, and later returned to the USA as N9933F.  In 1958 it was obtained by Fieldair Ltd and ferried to New Zealand via Bankstown, NSW, where it was converted for agricultural operations. A hydraulic failure necessitated a wheels-up landing at Palmerston North in 1969, forcing its retirement. It was eventually restored for display.

In addition, ZK-BUV (c/n 2152 – ex N9930F, EW984, 41-29631), which was displayed on a pole with the undercarriage retracted at Gisborne in 1972, was in 1999 removed and a team of enthusiasts began the long slow task of restoring it to airworthiness.

Another Lodestar was to be imported for a collector in Queensland who operated warbird aircraft from Wirraway Station. This aircraft was airworthy and prepared to be imported but, following the demise of the collector, was sold in the United States.