Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar


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. In order to improve the type's economics, Lockheed decided to stretch the aircraft's fuselage by, allowing an extra two rows of seats to be fitted.
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.
A total of 625 Lodestars of all variants were built.

Operational history

The Lodestar received its Type certificate on 30 March 1940, allowing it to enter service with the first customer, Mid-Continent Airlines that month. 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. Overseas sales were a little better, with the biggest airline customers being South African Airways, New Zealand National Airways Corporation, Trans-Canada Air Lines and BOAC ; 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|thumb|right|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, and Howard Aero's Howard 250. 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
;18-08
;18-10
;18-14
;18-40
;18-50
;18-56

US Army Lodestars

;C-56
;C-56A
;C-56B
;C-56C
;C-56D
;C-56E
;C-57
;C-57A
;C-57B
;C-57C
;C-57D
;C-59
;C-60
;C-60A
;XC-60B
;C-60C
;C-66
;C-104

US Navy Lodestars

;XR5O-1
;R5O-1
;R5O-2
;R5O-3
;R5O-4
;R5O-5
;R5O-6

Operators

Civil operators

  • Trans-Australia Airlines - two, operated 1952–1953.
  • SABENA
  • Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano
  • Linhas Aéreas Wright
  • NAB – Navegação Aérea Brasileira
  • Panair do Brasil - 6 Model 18-10s delivered new.
  • SAVAG - Two Model 18-10s bought from Panair do Brasil.
  • Transportes Aéreos Universal
  • Viação Aérea Bahiana
  • Trans-Canada Air Lines - 12 Model 18-10s delivered new.)
  • Yukon Southern Air Transport - Two Model 18-10s delivered new.)
  • Canadian Pacific Air Lines
  • Línea Aérea Nacional
  • CINTA Chilean Airlines
  • Karhumäki Airways
  • Air Afrique
  • Air France - Three Model 18-07s delivered new.
  • Aero Africaine
  • TACA Airways System
;,, and
  • East African Airways - Received six ex-BOAC Model 18-07s in 1948.
  • Union Airways of New Zealand
  • National Airways Corporation
  • Aero Portuguesa
  • DETA Mozambique Airways
  • Caribbean-Atlantic Airlines
  • South African Airways Purchased 29 Model 18-08s from new.
  • Commercial Air Services operated two aircraft.
  • Linjeflyg
  • British West Indian Airways
  • BOAC - Purchased nine, new-build, Model 18-07s supplemented by 29 second hand aircraft
  • Continental Air Lines - Two Model 18-08s and three 18-10s delivered new.
  • Mid-Continent Airlines - Three Model 18-07s and one Model 18-10 delivered new.
  • National Airlines - Three Model 18-50s delivered new.
  • Pan American Airways - Six Model 18-10s delivered new.
  • United Air Lines - Four Model 18-10s delivered new.
  • Inland Air Lines - One Model 18-08 delivered new.
  • Western Air Lines
  • Alaska Star Airlines
  • Tennessee Valley Authority - one for internal use
  • Línea Aeropostal Venezolana

    Military operators

  • Royal Australian Air Force
  • Brazilian Air Force
  • Royal Canadian Air Force
  • *No. 164 Squadron RCAF
  • *No. 165 Squadron RCAF
  • Colombian Air Force
;
File:Lockheed R5O-1.jpg|thumb|Lockheed R5O-1, staff transport for the Secretary of the Navy. At San Francisco on August 4, 1941.
  • Royal Air Force
  • United States Army Air Corps
  • United States Navy
  • United States Marine Corps
  • United States Coast Guard

    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. 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.
On 5 January 1948, a South African Airways Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar 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.
Between 1941 and 1944, the Panair do Brasil airline suffered 4 accidents involving the Lodestar which resulted in a total of 57 fatalities.
In January 1943, Lockheed Lodestar Mk.II EW986, 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. 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.
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.
On 10 April 1953, a Caribbean International Airways operated Lockheed Lodestar 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.

Surviving aircraft