Lockheed L-18 Lodestar

Infobox Aircraft
name = Lodestar
type = Passenger transport
manufacturer = Lockheed Corporation

---

caption = C-60A Lodestar
designer =
first flight = September 21, 1939
introduced = March 30, 1940
retired =
status =
primary user = US Army Air Corps
more users =
produced =
number built = 625
unit cost =
developed from = Lockheed L-14 Super Electra
variants with their own articles = Lockheed Ventura

The Lockheed 18 Lodestar was an American passenger transport aircraft of the Second World War era.

Design and development

The prototype of Lockheed 18, which first flew in 1939, was constructed from one of a batch of Lockheed L-14 Super Electras which had been returned to the manufacturer by Northwest Airlines after a series of crashes of L-14s. The fuselage was lengthened by 5 feet (1.5 m), enabling the fitting of two more rows of seats and hopefully making the aircraft more economical to operate. However, most US airlines were by then committed to purchasing the Douglas DC-3, and Lockheed found the Lodestar difficult to sell at home.

A total of 625 Lodestars of all variants were built.

Operational history

Overseas sales were a little better, with 29 bought by the government of the Netherlands East Indies. South African Airways (21), Trans-Canada Air Lines (12) and BOAC (9) were the biggest airline customers. Various Pratt & Whitney and Wright Cyclone powerplants were installed.

When the United States started to build up its military air strength in 1940-41, American operated and part-built Lodestars were impressed for Army or Navy services under various designations. Lend-lease aircraft were used by the RNZAF as transports.

After the war Lodestars 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 even converted to tricycle undercarriage.

Many of the New Zealand aircraft were later used for aerial topdressing.

urvivors

Around 10-15 are still airworthy in the USA alone.

Variants

US Army Lodestars

;C-56:Powered by 760 hp Wright R-1820 engines, 1 aircraft built.;C-56A / C-56B / C-56C / C-56D / C-56E:Powered by Pratt & Whitney R-1690 engines. Total 25 aircraft built.;C-57A:Powered by Pratt & Whitney R-1830 engines, 1 aircraft built.;C-57B:Troop ship version powered by Pratt & Whitney R-1830 engines, 7 aircraft built.;C-57C:Repowered C-60A with Pratt & Whitney R-1830-51 engines, 3 aircraft built.;C-57D:Repowered C-57A with Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 engines, 1 aircraft built.;C-59:Powered by Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet engines, 10 aircraft built. Transferred to RAF as Lodestar IA. ;C-60:Powered by Wright R-1820-87 engines, 36 aircraft built. Transferred to RAF as Lodestar II.;C-60A:Powered by Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engines, 125 aircraft built. Ordered by the Army as troop-carriers.;XC-60B:C-60A with experimental de-icing equipment, 1 aircraft built.;C-60C:Proposed 21-seat troop transport aircraft, never built.;C-66::Powered by Wright R-1820-87 engines. 1 aircraft built, transferred to Brazilian Air Force.

US Navy Lodestars

;XR5O-1:Powered by 1,200 hp (895 kW) Wright R-1820-40 engines, 1 aircraft built.;R5O-1:Powered by 1,200 hp (895 kW) Wright R-1820-97 engines. 3 aircraft built, one was transferred to the United States Coast Guard.;R5O-2:Powered by 850 hp (634 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1690-25 engines, 1 aircraft built.;R5O-3:Powered by 1,200 hp (895 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1830-34A engines. Originally 4-seater VIP transports, 2 aircraft built.;R5O-4:Powered by 1,200 hp (895 kW) Wright R-1820-40 engines. Impressed. 7-seater staff transports, 12 aircraft built.;R5O-5:Powered by 1,200 hp (895 kW) Wright R-1820-40 engines. Similar to the R5O-4 but had 14-seats. 14 aircraft built.;R5O-6:35 USAAF C-60A-5-LOs transferred to the USN (US Marine Corps), equipped with 18 paratroop seats.

Operators

Military operators

;AUS
*Royal Australian Air Force;BRA
*Brazilian Air Force;flag|Canada|1921
*Royal Canadian Air Force;NLD
*Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force;NZL
*Royal New Zealand Air Force
**No. 40 Squadron RNZAF
**No. 41 Squadron RNZAF;NOR
*Norwegian Air Force;flag|South Africa|1928
*South African Air Force;UK
*Royal Air Force;flag|United States|1912
*US Army Air Corps
*United States Navy
*US Marine Corps
*United States Coast Guard

Civil operators

;flag|Canada|1921
*Trans-Canada Air Lines (12);FIN
*Kar-Air;NZL
*Union Airways of New Zealand (1945-1947)
*National Airways Corporation (post 1947);flag|South Africa|1928
*South African Airways (21);UK
*BOAC (9);POR
*Aero Portuguesa
*DETA Mozambique Airlines

pecifications (C-60)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=Fact|date=September 2008
crew=Three
capacity= 14 passengers
payload main=
payload alt=
length main= 49 ft 10 in
length alt= 15.2 m
span main= 65 ft 6 in
span alt= 20 m
height main= 11 ft 10 in
height alt= 3.6 m
area main= 551 ft²
area alt= 51.2 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 12,000 lb
empty weight alt= 5,440 kg
loaded weight main= 17,500 lb
loaded weight alt= 7,940 kg
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=
engine (prop)= Pratt & Whitney Hornet S1C3-G
type of prop=
number of props=2
power main= 1,050 hp
power alt= 780 kW
power original=
max speed main=265 mph
max speed alt= 426 km/h
max speed more=at 13,300 ft (4,050 m)
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main= 1,700 miles
range alt= 2,740 km
ceiling main= 25,400 ft
ceiling alt= 7,740 m
climb rate main= 1,600 ft/min
climb rate alt= 490 m/min
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
armament=none
avionics=

ee also

aircontent
related=
*Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra
*Lockheed Ventura
*Howard 500
similar aircraft=
lists=
*List of airliners
*List of Lockheed aircraft
*List of military aircraft of the United States
*List of military aircraft of the United States (naval)
*List of Royal New Zealand Air Force Aircraft
see also=

References

;Notes;Bibliography