Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar

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Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox aircraft

The Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar is an American passenger transport aircraft of the World War II era, developed as part of the Model 10 Electra family, specifically from the Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra.

Design and development

Sales of the 10–14 passenger Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra, which first flew in 1937, had proved disappointing, despite the aircraft's excellent performance. It was more expensive to operate than the larger Douglas DC-3, already in widespread use.Template:Sfn In order to improve the type's economics, Lockheed decided to stretch the aircraft's fuselage by Template:Convert, allowing an extra two rows of seats to be fitted.Template:Sfn

The prototype for the revised airliner, designated Model 18 by Lockheed, was converted from the fourth Model 14, one of a batch which had been returned to the manufacturer by Northwest Airlines after a series of crashes. The modified aircraft first flew in this form on 21 September 1939, another two prototypes being converted from Model 14s, with the first newly built Model 18 flying on 2 February 1940.Template:Sfn

A total of 625 Lodestars of all variants were built.

Operational history

File:LockheedLodestar.jpg
Lockheed Lodestar
File:Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar over Houston,1947-48.jpg
Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar over Houston, 1947 or 1948

The Lodestar received its Type certificate on 30 March 1940, allowing it to enter service with the first customer, Mid-Continent Airlines that month.Template:Sfn As hoped, the extra seats greatly improved the Model 18's economics, reducing its seat-mile costs to a similar level to that of the DC-3, while retaining superior performance. Despite this, sales to US domestic customers were relatively slow as most US airlines were already committed to the DC-3, with only 31 Lodestars going to US airlines.Template:Sfn Overseas sales were a little better, with the biggest airline customers being South African Airways (21), New Zealand National Airways Corporation (13), Trans-Canada Air Lines (12) and BOAC (9); another 29 were bought by the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force. Various Pratt & Whitney and Wright Cyclone powerplants were installed.

When the United States started to build up its military air strength in 1940–41, many American-operated Lodestars were impressed as the C-56. This was followed by the construction of many new-build Lodestars which were flown by the U.S. Army Air Forces as the C-60 and by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps as the R5O. Lend-lease aircraft were used by the RNZAF as transports.

One was purchased in 1942 to serve as Brazilian President Getúlio Vargas' personal aircraft. This aircraft was specially designed for that purpose and had 11 seats.

File:Lockheed 18 Tri N6711 OPA 02.02.81 edited-3.jpg
Howard 250 Lodestar conversion fitted with tri-gear. At Opa Locka Airport near Miami in 1981

After the war many Lodestars were overhauled and returned to civilian service, mostly as executive transports such as Dallas Aero Service's DAS Dalaero conversion, Bill Lear's Learstar (produced by PacAero), and Howard Aero's Howard 250.<ref name="Janes 65 p244">Taylor 1965, p. 244.</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> A few of the latter were converted to tricycle landing gear.

While the surviving New Zealand NZNAC aircraft were sold back overseas in 1951/52, six more were later imported and converted for aerial topdressing.

A single Lodestar served with the Israeli Air Force during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

A number of skydiving operations in the United States used Lodestars during the 1970s and 1980s.

Variants

18-07
Powered by two 875 hp Pratt & Whitney Hornet S1E2-G engines; 25 built plus two prototypes.Template:Sfn
18-08
Powered by two 1,200 hp Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp S1C3-G engines; 33 built.Template:Sfn
18-10
Powered by two 1,200 hp Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp S1C3-G engines; 39 built.Template:Sfn
18-14
Powered by two 1,200 hp Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp S4C4-G engines; four built.Template:Sfn
18-40
Powered by two 1,200 hp Wright Cyclone G-1820-G104A engines; 26 built.Template:Sfn
18-50
Powered by two 1,200hp Wright Cyclone G-1820-G202A engines; 13 built.Template:Sfn
18-56
Powered by two 1,200hp Wright Cyclone GR-1820-G205A, R-1820-40 or R-1820-87 engines.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

US Army Lodestars

C-56
Powered by 1,200 hp Wright 1820-89 engines, one Model 18-50 for evaluation.<ref name="Serials77">Andrade 1979, pp. 77–78.</ref>
C-56A
One impressed Model 18-07 with two Pratt & Whitney R-1690-54 engines.<ref name="Serials77" />
C-56B
Thirteen impressed Model 18-40s with two Wright 1820-97 engines.<ref name="Serials77" />
C-56C
Twelve impressed Model 18-07.<ref name="Serials77" />
C-56D
Seven impressed Model 18-08.<ref name="Serials77" />
C-56E
Two Model 18-40s impressed in 1943.<ref name="Serials77" />
C-57
As Model 18-14 powered by two 1,200 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830-53 engines.<ref name="Serials77" />
C-57A
Allocated for impressed aircraft, not used.<ref name="Serials77" />
C-57B
Based on Model 18-08 fitted for trooping; seven aircraft built.<ref name="Serials77" />
C-57C
Repowered C-60A with Pratt & Whitney R-1830-51 engines; three aircraft converted.<ref name="Serials77" />
C-57D
Repowered C-57C with Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 engines; one aircraft converted.<ref name="Serials77" />
C-59
Based on Model 18-07 powered by Pratt & Whitney R-1690-25 Hornet engines; 10 aircraft built, transferred to Royal Air Force as Lodestar IA.
C-60
Model 18-56 powered by Wright R-1820-87 engines; 36 aircraft built, some transferred to RAF as Lodestar II.
C-60A
As the C-60 but fitted out as a paratroop transport powered by Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engines; 325 aircraft built.<ref name="Serials77" />
XC-60B
One C-60A fitted with experimental de-icing equipment.<ref name="Serials77" />
C-60C
Proposed 21-seat troop transport aircraft, never built.
C-66
Powered by Wright R-1820-87 engines; one aircraft built, 11-passenger interior for transfer to the Brazilian Air Force.<ref name="Serials77" />
C-104
Original designation for C-60C

US Navy Lodestars

XR5O-1
One Model 18-07 acquired for evaluation powered by 1,200 hp (895 kW) Wright R-1820-40 engines.<ref name="Serials77" />
R5O-1
Staff transport powered by 1,200 hp (895 kW) Wright R-1820-97 engines; three aircraft built, two for the USN and one for the United States Coast Guard (USCG).<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
R5O-2
Navy version of the C-59 powered by 850 hp (634 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1690-25 engines; one aircraft built.
R5O-3
Powered by 1,200 hp (895 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1830-34A engines. Originally 4-seater VIP transports; three aircraft built.
R5O-4
Powered by 1,200 hp (895 kW) Wright R-1820-40 engines. Impressed. 7-seater staff transports; 12 aircraft built. The USCG acquired four in late 1942.<ref name=":0" />
R5O-5
Navy version of the C-60 powered by 1,200 hp (895 kW) Wright R-1820-40 engines. Similar to the R5O-4 but had 14-seats; 38 aircraft built and three former NEIAF aircraft.<ref name="Serials77" /> Three were acquired by the USCG in late 1942.<ref name=":0" />
R5O-6
Navy version of the C-60A for the US Marine Corps, equipped with 18 paratroop seats; 35 built.<ref name="Serials77" />

Operators

File:NAC ZK-AJM.JPG
A Lodestar of National Airways Corporation in 1947.

Civil operators

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File:IWM-CNA3627 Lockheed 18 205212526.jpg
BOAC Lockheed 18, Ankara, ca. 1942
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  • BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) - Purchased nine, new-build, Model 18-07s supplemented by 29 second hand aircraft (Model 18-07, 18–10, 18–40, 18-50 C-59, C60 and C60A).Template:Sfn)
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File:Lockheed 18 National Air Lines (5028200559).jpg
National Airlines Lockheed 18
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Military operators

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File:Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South-east Europe, 1942-1945. CNA1110.jpg
SAAF Lodestar 18 ambulance aircraft, at Catania, Sicily circa 1944
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File:Lockheed R5O-1 (4461059329).jpg
Lockheed R5O-1, staff transport for the Secretary of the Navy. At San Francisco on August 4, 1941.
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Accidents and incidents

On the 28th of March 1941 a South African Airways Lockheed Lodestar, on a flight from Windhoek to Cape Town flew into a cliff next to the sea near Baboon Point close to Elands Bay, in thick mist, with total loss of life of all on board (pilot and six passengers). Notable amongst the passengers was Rear Admiral GW Hallifax, who was the first director of the South African Seaward Defence Force, the forerunner of the South African Navy. Some parts of the wreckage are on display at the Elands Bay Museum.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 5 January 1948, a South African Airways Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar (registration ZS-ASW) touched down at Palmietfontein too far along the runway for it to stop before running off the end. The undercarriage was ripped off and the hull damaged beyond repair. There were light injuries to passengers but no fatalities.<ref> 

"Civil Aircraft Register – South Africa". Golden Years of Aviation. Archived from the original on 7 January 2009. "Accident Junkers W.34fi ZS-AEC". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2009.</ref>

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Between 1941 and 1944, the Panair do Brasil airline suffered 4 accidents involving the Lodestar which resulted in a total of 57 fatalities.<ref name="Lodestar">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In January 1943, Lockheed Lodestar Mk.II EW986,<ref name="EW986">Template:Cite web</ref> c/n 2154, in the service of the Royal Air Force, overshot and crashed 3 km south of Heliopolis, Egypt. At least 12 crew members and passengers died in the crash.<ref name="EW986" /> A cause of the accident was not determined. Among those killed were Air Vice-Marshal Wilfred Ashton McClaughry, CB, DSO, MC, DFC and Lady Rosalinde Tedder née MacLardy, wife of Marshal of the Royal Air Force Arthur William Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder, GCB.<ref name="EW986" />

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In 1949, a Lockheed Lodestar in airline service in Australia crashed immediately after takeoff. All 21 occupants died in the crash or the ensuing conflagration. The cause of the accident was determined to be that the center of gravity was behind the rear limit. It is also likely the elevator trim tab was set for landing rather than takeoff.<ref>Job, Macarthur. "Horror at Coolangatta." Template:Webarchive Flight Safety Australia, via casa.gov.au, November–December 1999, p. 47. Retrieved: 5 December 2011.</ref>

On 10 April 1953, a Caribbean International Airways operated Lockheed Lodestar (registration VP-JBC) with airline owner, Royal Air Force officer and aviator Owen Roberts, as its pilot in command, suffered engine failure during takeoff from Palisadoes Airport. The plane then entered a banking turn and went down in the Caribbean Sea near Lime Cay. All but one of the 14 occupants were killed in the crash, including Roberts, and leaving Roberts’ brother-in-law, Edward Remington Hobbs, as sole survivor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 20 December 1956, Alden G. Roach, president of the Consolidated Western Steel and the Columbia-Geneva-Steel Divisions of U.S. Steel, pilot and co-pilot crash near Tyrone, Pennsylvania, Model 18-56, N 1245V, U.S. Steel owned company plane. Causes unknown.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 22 March 1958, Mike Todd's private plane Lucky Liz, named after his wife Elizabeth Taylor, crashed near Grants, New Mexico. The plane, a twin-engine Lockheed Lodestar, suffered engine failure while being flown overloaded, in icing conditions at too-high an altitude for the loading. The plane went out of control and crashed, killing all four on board.<ref name="CABreport">Template:Cite web</ref>

On 4 September 1962, a Lockheed 18-56-24 Lodestar operated by the Ashland Oil and Refining Company crashed near Lake Milton, Ohio. The flight was in-route to Ashland Regional Airport (KDWU) from Buffalo Airport, NY. Eleven passengers and two crew-members were killed. Investigation determined the crash a result of a malfunction of the electric elevator trim tab, which caused the loss of the plane's right wing during flight.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 21 August 1983, a Lockheed L-18 LEARStar operated by Landry Aviation, Inc. crashed near Silvana, Washington. The flight was a planned parachute drop carrying two pilots and 22 parachutists. Nine parachutists and two crew-members were killed while 13 were able to parachute to safety after the pilots lost control and entered a vertical descent from 12,500 feet. Investigation determined the crash a result of a failure of the operator and pilot-in-command to assure proper load distribution during the parachute drop.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Surviving aircraft

Brazil

Canada

Finland

New Zealand

  • c/n 18-2020 – C-60 on static display at the Museum of Transport & Technology, Auckland. It was built for United Airlines in October 1940 and registered as NC25630. It was impressed into United States Army Air Forces with the serial number 42-53504. In September 1941 it was transferred to the Royal Air Force as AX756. Next, it was operated as G-AGCN by the British Overseas Airways Corporation in East Africa. After serving with the Spanish Air Force, it was sold back to the United States where it was registered as N9933F. Sold again to FieldAir in either 1957 or 1958 it was converted to an aerial topdresser and given the registration ZK-BVE. It was damaged in a wheels up landing in 1969.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="KAI">Template:Cite web</ref>
  • c/n 18-2152 – C-60 under restoration with the Gisborne Aviation Preservation Society in Gisborne. It was previously operated by the Royal Air Force as EW984 and Spanish Air Force. Sold to civilian ownership, it was first registered in the United States as N9930F in 1955. It was converted to an aerial topdresser by Fieldair in 1957 and registered as ZK-BUV. It was a gate guardian at Gisborne Airport from 1973 to 1998.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="KAI" />
  • c/n 18-2388 – L18-56 on static display at the National Transport & Toy Museum in Wānaka.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="KAI" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Norway

South Africa

Sweden

United States

Uruguay

Specifications (C-60A-5)

3-view line drawing of the Lockheed R5O-3 Lodestar
3-view line drawing of the Lockheed R5O-3 Lodestar

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See also

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Notes

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Bibliography

  • Andrade, John. U.S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serial, since 1909. Hersham, Surrey, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1979. Template:ISBN.
  • Template:Cite book.
  • Stanaway, John C. Vega Ventura: The Operational Story of Lockheed's Lucky Star. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2000. Template:ISBN.
  • Template:Cite magazine
  • Taylor, John W. R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1965-66. London: Sampson Low, Marston, 1965.

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