US LOCKHEED TWINS - 1970s

A selection of my photographs in USA in the late 1970s of the Lockheed twin engined transports and ex-military patrol bombers


Lockheed 10A Electra N3749 in USAAC markings, at Confederate Air Force airshow, Harlingen, Texas October 1977

Lockheed 12A Electra Junior N17399 was parked at Chino, California in September 1979
Then the Lockheed 18 Lodestars (virtually all ex WWII military disposals):

N51140 retired at Miami Airport in October 1977 was as close to a standard L.18 Lodestar as I saw.
All others were highly-modified executive transports from the 1950s, such as Learstars, Howard 250s

Honolulu September 1979.  N163R was a Lockheed 18 Lodestar rebuilt as a Pacaero Learstar 131.
Owner Pacific Wings Inc used it on a contract to supply Palmyra Island, 1,100 miles north of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.
Honolulu September 1977. N350A was a Lodestar rebuilt by PacAero Engineering in California as a Pacaero Learstar 1A
It was also used on the Honolulu-Palmyra Island supply contract by its owner Pacific Wings Inc

From the sun of Hawaii to the smog of Long Beach near Los Angeles. However a bright sight in September 1977 was this
L.18 Lodestar N710BK which has had the complete Howard 250 conversion program by Howard Aero at San Antonio, Texas
N1940S seen at Mesa, Arizona in October 1979 was a Dallas Aero Service Dallaero Lodestar conversion


There were many executive modifications for Lodestars. N69SN at Opa Locka, Florida October 1979 was a Gulf Oil Co Gulfstar
N250D had many Howard 250 mods, but not enough for the FAA to change the type to Howard 250. Opa Locka October 1979

Another Lodestar at Opa Locka in October 1979 was N202H, which had Dallas Aero Service Dallaero modifications

N7001 retained its basic Lodestar airframe except for the Learstar elongated nose modification. Ontario, California, September 1979


Command Aviation's N116CA was a PacAero Learstar II, seen at Anchorage, Alaska in September 1979.

N1040G at Fort Lauderdale, Florida in October 1977 was a Lear Inc Learstar Mk.I

N33604 at Fort Lauderdale in October 1977

N1508 at Fort Lauderdale October 1977 was waiting for a new paint job. It retains the original wings and cockpit windows
but has various modifications, including Learstar nose and rear fuselage saddle to raise the tailplane to improve performance


N669 has various executive mods. In October 1977 it was at Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, where it was impounded on a drug run.
Sadly, the veteran Lockheed twins were popular for illegal activities because of their low price and good performance

The ultimate Lodestar executive conversion was the Trigear Howard 250.  N400N was at Harlingen, Texas in October 1977
Lockheed PV-1 Venturas (all ex military disposals in US, Canada and South Africa):

Many military disposals PV-1 Venturas were rebuilt in USA during the 1950s as executive transports, known as "boardroom bombers".
N963B at Fort Lauderdale in October 1977 was a Howard Super Ventura, rebuilt by Howard Aero at San Antonio, Texas

N910V at Fort Lauderdale in October 1979 was another Howard Super Ventura

Another Howard Super Ventura at Fort Lauderdale in October 1979 was the much-travelled N9060.
It visited London-Heathrow in June 1958 carrying Howard Hughes as passenger

N52ES at Ft Lauderdale in October 1979 was a Howard 400 Pressurised Ventura

N159U at Ft Lauderdale in October 1979 had been rebuilt by Spartan Aero as an executive Spartan Ventura.  By the 1970s it was
one of seven PV-1s with fuselage hoppers used by Clarks Aerial Service in Texas, "Seeding Spreading and Dusting Specialists".
This hard life shows, but it was saved by a warbird dealer and restored as a wartime RAAF Ventura

Here's N159U, now registered VH-SFF, on arrival at RAAF Point Cook in Australia after an adventurous Pacific delivery flight to
the RAAF Museum. The authentic paintwork represented RAAF No.13 Squadron's Ventura A59-67 coded SF-F

Finally, the Lockheed PV-2 Harpoons (all ex US Navy military disposals):


These four pictures show part of the Aircraft Specialties Inc's fleet of sprayer Harpoons, at home base Mesa, Arizona in October 1979

This aircraft is now in Italy, being restored to represent a post-war Italian Air Force PV-2




The coloured noses were said to be for identification during multi-aircraft formation spraying of insecticides to eradicate budworm
in Canadian forests, and fire-ant infestations in the US southern states


I acknowledge and thank Peter Marson for his superb big yellow book "The Lockheed Twins", published by Air Britain 2001

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