The Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar is a passenger transport aircraft of the World War II era. Wikipedia
Lodestar - Kestrel Publications
last update: 2021-12-21 01:21:44Known Squadron Assignments: ;164 (T)
Ex-USAAF C-60A-1-LO, serial number 42-55873. To USAAF on 29 Oct 1942. To RCAF's Eastern Air Command in 1943. Operated by No. 164 (T) Squadron, at RCAF Station Moncton, NB as 23 Jan 1943 to 1945. Put into storage with 2,512:40 hrs since new with no overhaul. Struck off and sold. To civil register as CF-FQW with unknown owner. Sold to Bancroft Industries on 27 Oct 1949. To H.K. Gilbert on 03 Feb 1950 and US registered as N62H on 12 Apr 1951. To S.J. Groves & Sons Co on 3 Jul 1954. Re-registered as N500W on 13 Jun 1957. To Texas Electric Service Co. on 22 Jun 1962. Re-registered as N33A on 26 Jun 1962. Converted to Howard 250 configuration in Oct 1963. To Knickerbocker Corp on 19 Feb 1971. To First National Aircraft Inc on 17 Sep 1971. To Karol Investment Corp on 24 Jan 1972. To Florida A/W International Inc on 10 Jul 1972. Returned to Karol Investment on 19 Dec 1972. Back to Florida A/W International Inc on 31 Dec 1972. Returned to Karol Investment on 19 Feb 1974. To R.C. Cunningham on 19 Feb 1974. The a/c was seized by US Gov't agents for drug-smuggling on 13 Sep 1976. Sold by GSA to A.D. Mallard on 2 Mar 1977. To Mountainaire Inc. on 26 May 1977. To Atlas Aircraft Corp on 15 Jun 1979. To C. Torres on 22 Mar 1982. Impounded at Nassau in the Bahamas for drugsmuggling in Apr 1984. Still stored there as of 1988. Cancelled from the US registry by May 1989. Fate unknown.Known Squadron Assignments: ;164(T)
Ex-USAAF C-60A-1-LO, serial number 42-55877. To USAAF on 07 Nov 1942. First operated by No. 12 (Comm) Squadron. To RCAF's Eastern Air Command and No. 164 (T) Sqn at RCAF Station Moncton as of 23 Jan 1943. Detached to Rivers Camp, MB, as of 7 May 1943, for paratroop training. This a/c was used for the first paratroop drop in Canada at Rivers on 4 May 1943, with 10 paratroopers. Put into storage with 1,980:00 hrs since new with no overhaul. Struck off and sold. To civil register when sold, as CF-FKV but the registration was not taken up. Sold to unknown US owner registered as N64H. To Executive Aircraft Service Inc in Apr 1954. To D.H.Known Squadron Assignments: ;164(T)
Ex-USAAF C-60A-5-LO, serial number 42-55895. To USAAF on 21 Dec 1942. To RCAF's Western Air Command, with No. 164 (T) Squadron from 26 Jan 1943. Detached to RCAF Station Edmonton as of 12 May 1943, for use on North West Staging Route. Also detached to Camp Rivers, MB for paratroop training use. Later to No. 165 (T) Squadron, RCAF Station Sea Island, BC. Struck off and sold. Registered to unknown owner as CF-FQU. Re-registered in the US as N65H on 12 Apr 1951. To S.W. Richardson as of Apr 1954. To Republic Natural Gas Co. as of 1957. To Houston Aircraft Sales as of Jun 1963. Damaged beyond repair in an accident due to pilot error at Sugar Lane, TX on 1 Aug 1962.Known Squadron Assignments: ;164(T)
Ex-USAAF C-60A-5-LO, serial number 42-55905. To USAAF on 06 Jan 1943. To RCAF's Eastern Air Command as of 26 Jan 1943 and operated by No. 164 (T) Squadron, RCAF Station Moncton, NB. To No. 168 (HT) Squadron, RCAF Station Rockcliffe, ON as of 19 Jan 1945. Struck off and sold. Re-registered as NC9095H. Delivered from Canada to Belgium via Preswick on 25 Mar 1947. Re-registered as OO-GVP to Air Transport SA on 4 Apr 1947. Crashed in 1948 at Wadi Half in the Sudan when the starboard engine failed on t/o. The u/c collapsed upon landing and the a/c was destroyed by an ensuing fire.Known Squadron Assignments: ;168(HT)
Ex-USAAF C-60A-5-LO, serial number 42-55926. To USAAF on 06 Jan 1943. Transferred to the RCAF and operated by No. 168 (HT) Squadron, RCAF Station Rockcliffe, ON, as of 5 Mar 1943. Nicknamed "Muggs" while with this squadron. Operated by No. 164 (T) Squadron, RCAF Station Moncton, NB, c.1943. To WAC as of 19 Jan 1944 and with No. 165 (T) Squadron, RCAF Station Sea Island, BC, during this period. Allotted to 6 RD for conversion to paratroop transport as of 8 Mar 1945. Put into storage with 1,117:35 hrs since new with no overhaul. Struck off and sold. Registered as CF-FKW to World Wide Aviation. Ferried from Canada to Paris via Iceland and Preswick on 6 Jun 1947. Used by Fairchild Engineering / Photometer Co. through to Apr 1955. Registration was cancelled in Jun 1962. To Society Anonyme as of 15 Jun 1962 registered as FBKBY. The a/c was then damaged beyond repair when the a/c hit trees near Compiegne, France on 22 Jun 1962 causing the port engine to fail. The a/c was safely recovered but was never repaired and was later scrapped in 1969.Known Squadron Assignments: ;165(T)
Ex-USAAF C-60A-5-LO, serial number 42-55927. To USAAF on 06 Jan 1943. To WAC as of 25 Nov 1943 and assigned to No. 165 (T) Sqn. Loaned to No. 168 (HT) Sqn for initial training and operations of that unit. Returned to No. 165(T) Sqn. Allotted to 6 RD for conversion to paratroop transport as of 8 Mar 1945. Converted back to passenger configuration and put into storage as of 12 Sep 1945. Struck off and sold. To civil register as CF-FUL but the registration was not taken up. Re-registered in the US as N5545N to National Homes Corp. The a/c crashed and burned in a field near Lafayette, IN in bad weather on 7 Oct 1951. The pilot and passengers perished.Known Squadron Assignments: ;164
Ex-USAAF C-60A-5-LO, serial number 42-55940. To USAAF on 01 Mar 1943. To RCAF and operated by No. 164 (T) Squadron at RCAF Station Moncton, NB as of 30 Apr 1943. #557 departed Moncton, NB, at 23:45 hrs on 7 May 1943 on a cargo flight to Gander, NF. At 0313 hrs on 08 May, the a/c contacted the Aerodrome Control Officer at Gander to request landing clearance. The aircraft was given landing clearance by the aerodrome control officer, and was told to check their wheels down. The messages were acknowledged by 557. At this time the ceiling was practically unlimited. The a/c was heard to pass over the airfield shortly thereafter, but the ceiling had unexpectedly fallen to 700 feet. This fly over was apparently done on instruments. #557 radioed to indicate they had missed the field and were trying again. The a/c then acknowledged being given the ceiling height and barometric pressure by the station. The a/c broke through the 600 ft. ceiling, and was advised to circle and approach runway #27. The a/c approached, but seemed to be lined up with the wrong runway and was advised to circle again and attempt runway 27. On the second attempt, the a/c still did not turn enough and was again told to attempt again. The a/c was instructed to make a right turn over the field, but, at this point, #557 was in a steep bank and went into a stall, losing altitude until it crashed and exploded in flames. It crashed approximately two miles east of RCAF Station Gander at 0340 hrs on 8 May 1943. Fire trucks and ambulances were dispatched to the scene but all of the crew onboard were killed. The 164 Sqn pilot crew for this flight were WO2's H. Svendsen and C.H. Allen and the wireless operator was Leading Aircraftman A.G. Sewell.Known Squadron Assignments: ;164(T)
Ex-USAAF C-60A-5-LO, serial number 42-55942. To USAAF on 05 Mar 1943. To RCAF's Eastern Air Command as of 17 Mar 1943 with No. 164 (T) Sqn. To WAC as of 14 May 1943; detached to Camp Rivers, MB for paratroop training use. Back to EAC as of 10 Dec 43 when loaned to No. 168 (HT) Sqn for initial training and operations of that unit. Returned to No. 165(T) Sqn as of 1 Sep 1944. Operated while in WAC by No. 165 (T) Squadron, RCAF Station Sea Island, BC, precise dates unknown. Put into storage at Vulcan, AB as 12 Jun 1946. Struck off and sold. Sold to Bancroft Industries but with no Cdn registration. To H.K. Gilbert on 27 Oct 1949 and US registered as N66H on 03 Feb 1950. To Aero Corp on 24 Aug 1950 and converted to cargo configuration by Sep 1950. To Corn Belt Hatcheries Inc as of 07 Oct 1950. To A.L. Dougherty Overseas Inc on 29 Nov 1952. Converted back to pax configuration on 29 May 1953. To A&J Groves & Sons on 9 Sep 1955. To Robbins Aviation Corp. on 28 Aug 1956. Used in FAA landing gear test in 1960. To Robbins Executive Aircraft Corp. on 27 Jul 1961. To Howard Aero Inc on 23 Aug 1961. To Delaware Air Charter and Leasing Corp in Sep 1961 after being converted to Howard 250 configuration. To Business Aircraft Corp. in Jan 1966. To US Stoneware Corp and re-registered as N64C on 1 Mar 1966. Converted to BACC Howard 250 "tri-gear" configuration as of 7 May 1966. Returned to US Stoneware Corp. To Norton Co. as of 1 Jan 1969. Re-registered as N364C on 17 Nov 1976. To Southland Drilling Co Inc as of 29 Sep 1977. Re-registered as N400N on 25 Apr 1979. To Hanson Energy Co as of 6 Dec 1979. Re-registered as N400NY on 27 Feb 1980. To Taurus Corp on 4 Mar 1980. To Nicole Corp on 21 Aug 1984. Crashed near Redbird, TX on 7 Dec 1987 enroute from Waco to Addison while making an emergency landing on one engine. The airframe was written-off.Known Squadron Assignments: ;164(T)
Ex-USAAF C-60A-5-LO, serial number 42-56011. To USAAF on 11 Jun 1943. To RCAF and operated by No. 164 (T) Sqn as of 9 Jul 1943 at RCAF Station Moncton, NB. As of 7 Dec 1943, loaned to No. 168 (HT) Sqn for initial training and operations of that unit. Returned to No. 164(T) Sqn in EAC on 29 Feb 1944. To WAC as 1 Sep 1944 and operated by No. 165 (T) Squadron, RCAF Station Sea Island, BC. To NWAC as of 5 Jan 1946. To storage as of 2 Dec 1946 with 1,479:15 hours since new and no overhaul. Struck off and sold. Sold to Bancroft Industries butKnown Squadron Assignments: ;165(T)
Ex-USAAF C-60A-5-LO, serial number 42-56013. To USAAF on 12 Jun 1943. To RCAF's WAC as 9 Jul 1943 and operated by No. 165 (T) Squadron, RCAF Station Sea Island, BC. To stored reserve as of 16 Oct 1945. Also detached to Camp Rivers, MB for paratroop training use. To NWAC as of 21 Dec 1945. Back to storage as of 23 May 1946. Struck off and sold, to civil register as CF-FQV to an unknown owner. Sold and exported as ZS-BZD. Flown to Paris as 19 Jun 1948 and stored until 2 Jan 1949. Transferred to Israeli Ministry of Defence and registered as 4X-ACL as of 26 May 1949. Crashed and was written-off near Paris, France on 15 Aug 1949, presumably on a delivery flight to ElsamKnown Squadron Assignments:
Ex-USAAF C-60A-5-LO, serial number 42-55996. To USAAF on 22 Jun 1943. To RCAF and operated by unknown unit in Eastern Air Command in 1943. Stuck off and sold. To civil register as NC29218 with World Wide Aviation Agencies & Sales Ltd in Feb 1947. Delivered to Europe via Prestwick as of 18 Feb 1947. Re-registered as OO-OLY to Air Transport SA on 8 May 1947. Auctioned off after the financial collapse of the company on 24 Mar 1950 and later broken for spares.Known Squadron Assignments: ;165(T)
Ex-USAAF C-60A-5-LO, serial number 42-55997. To USAAF on 19 Jun 1943. To RCAF and operated by No. 165 (T) Squadron at RCAF Station Sea Island, BC in 1943. Coded as "K". To stored reserve as of 16 Oct 1945. To NWAC as of 21 Dec 1945. Back to storage as of 23 May 1946. Struck off and sold. To US civil register as N1245V with Brown Paper Mill Co. Inc in Apr 1954. To US Steel Corp operated by Columbia-Geneva Steel Co with the name "San Francisco" as of Nov 1954. Crashed approximately 5 miles north of Tyrone, PA on 20 Dec 1956 when both engines failed while the a/c was en route from Pittsburgh to New York City. The pilot and two passengers perished.Known Squadron Assignments:
Ex-USAAF C-60A-5-LO, serial number 42-56012. To USAAF on 12 Jun 1943. To RCAF and first assigned to No. 3 TC. Operated by No. 12 Comm Sqn in Rockcliffe with No. 1 Air Command as of 15 Jan 1945. Written off after an accident on 17 Jan 1945. The a/c bounced repeatedly upon landing and on the second bounce, the pilot initiated a "go round" and opened the throttles. At this point, the starboard engine failed causing the a/c to swerve to the right and crash. There were 2 pilots and seven passengers on board. Only one passenger was slightly injured. The airframe was transferred to No. 6 RD as of 26 Feb 1945 for Cat "A" write-offKnown Squadron Assignments: ;164(T)
Ex-USAAF C-60A-5-LO, serial number 43-16435. To USAAF on 6 Oct 1943. To RCAF and briefly operated by No. 168 (HT) Squadron, RCAF Station Rockcliffe, ON, as of Oct 1943. By 31 Dec 1943 on strength of and operated by No. 164 (T) Sqn, RCAF Station Moncton, NB for 1944 to 1945. To stored reserve as of 24 Oct 1945. Struck off and sold. To US civil register as N63H with Rowan Oil Co. as of Apr 1950. Modified as an executive a/c by Executive Aircraft Services in Apr 1950. To Sangamo Electric Co. and re-registered as N9303Z on 2 Feb 1962. To Harold E. Wendt in Jul 1964. To Acceptors Inc in Jan 1965. Damaged at Oakland, CA on the start of a ferry flight to New Zealand on 8 Jan 1965. On a second attempt at take-off with 3,140 lbs overload the a/cKnown Squadron Assignments: ;164(T)
Ex-USAAF C-60A-5-LO, serial number 43-16436. To USAAF on 7 Oct 1943. To RCAF and briefly operated by No. 168 (HT) Squadron, RCAF Station Rockcliffe, ON, as of Oct 1943. By 31 Dec 1943 on strength of and operated by No. 164 (T) Sqn, RCAF Station Moncton, NB for most of 1944 to 1945. But also with No. 165 (T) Squadron, RCAF Station Sea Island, BC, during this period. Struck and sold. To US civil register as NC9982H with E.C. Abbot / A.E. Greenamyer and converted to civilian airliner configuration with 14 airline seats. To Hunter C. Moody on 5 Feb 1949. To Penn Central Industries Inc on 1 Sep 1949. Later re-registered as N9982H. Converted to executive interior as of 11 Feb 1950 and to Universal Aviation Services as of 18 Jan 1952. To New York Aviation Corp in Jan 1952. To Westinghouse Air Brake as of 1 Oct 1953. Converted to Howard 250 configuration as of 30 Aug 1965. To Omni Investment Corp as of 21 Jul 1967. To Kingsport Press Inc as of 15 Sep 1967 and re- egistered as N252R. Re-registered as N252K on 23 Jan 1969. To Ralph Stotts on 3 Aug 1970. To Robert Larson on 1 Feb 1971. To Herbert E. Guynn on 25 Jun 1976. To Jack Anderson on 1 Feb 1980. To Gulf Coast Construction Co. Inc. on 1 May 1980. To A & A Holding Co. Inc as of 19 Jan 1981. To Chano Inc as of 19 Jul 1983. To Southwest Airlift as of 3 Apr 1984. Repaired as of 25 Jan 1985 after a wheels-up landing. Crashed and was written-off on 28 Aug 1986 near Texarkana, AR.Known Squadron Assignments: ;164(T)
Ex-USAAF C-60A-5-LO, serial number 43-16440. To USAAF on 7 Oct 1943. To RCAF and operated by No. 164 (T) Squadron, RCAF Station Moncton, from 31 Dec 1943 to 1945. Cat "C" damage after a fire was started on 13 Jan 1945 in the rear bulkhead of baggage compartment #2 as a result of a fuel leak from the fuel priming pump. Extensive damage to wiring, control cables, bulkhead and skin structure required repairs in Moncton, NB. Also with No. 165 (T) Squadron, RCAF Station Sea Island, BC, at some point during this period. Struck and sold. To US civil register as NC1251V (later N1251V) with Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp as of Apr 1954. Reregistered as N901JL on 20 Jan 1962. To Ohio State University as of Jul 1965. To Air Transport Inc and re-registered as N901F on 14 Sep 1965. To Astro Aero Carpet as of Jan 1967. To Data Enterprises Inc as of Oct 1969. Registration was cancelled in Jan 71 but restored by Entertainment Express Inc in Jul 1973. The registration was cancelled again in Jul 1978 and the a/c was in storage at Cartersville, GA as of May 1979. Fate unknown.Known Squadron Assignments:
Ex USAAF C-60A-5-LO, serial number 43-16438. Operated by No. 12 (Comm) Squadron, RCAF Station Rockcliffe, Ontario by fall of 1945. Transported A/M Cunnigham and party from New York to Ottawa in October 1945. Highly polished exterior, and carried Air Marshall's pennant on nose. Flown to Burbank, California in March 1956 for fuel tank modifications and repairs. Carried Chief of Air Staff from Rockcliffe on western tour October 1946. Arrived at Winnipeg 12 October 1946, to Calgary 13 October 1946. Carried VIPs on hunting trip, Winnipeg to Dauphin, Manitoba later that month. When surplused sold from Lockheed as N68H. Converted by Howard Aero Corp to a Howard 250, registered N250LC. Sold to Ingram Co. as N637E in 1967. In 1968 reregistered as N6371C. In 1981 donated to Confederate Air Force. Crashed 3 October, 2004 during takeoff at Midland IAP, TX enroute to Boulder, CO and sustained major damage. One of five occupants sustained minor injuries.Known Squadron Assignments: ;165(T)
Ex-USAAF C-60A-5-LO, serial number 43-16439. To USAAF on 5 Oct 1943. To RCAF and operated by No. 165 (T) Squadron, at RCAF Station Sea Island, BC, from 10 Dec 1943 to 16 Oct 1945. Photograph, date unknown, shows code "J" being carried. Struck off and sold. Registered as ZS-BSE to unknown owner. Ferried to Paris, France as of 21 Jun 1948 and stored until Jan 1949. Sold to Israeli Ministry of Defence for IDFAF; registered as 4X-ACM on 4 Jul 1949. Fate unknown.Known Squadron Assignments: ;267
#267 Squadron. WO.s Irwin, W.H. Plant, and eleven of the crew, not Canadians, were all killed when their Lodestar aircraft crashed at Bilbeis East.