LOCKHEED C - 60 "LODESTAR" ROYAL NEW ZEALAND AIR FORCE 1944

Description

The C-60 is a twin-engine transport based on the Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar. During World War II, the Army Air Forces used the aircraft for training and for transporting personnel and freight. First flown in 1940, the Model 18 was originally designed as a successor to the Lockheed Model 14 and the earlier Model 10 Electra. The Army began ordering military versions of the Model 18 in May 1941. Depending upon engines and interior configuration, these transports were given C-56, C-57, C-59 or C-60 basic type designations. Lockheed built more C-60As for the AAF (325) than any other version of the military Lodestar. After the war, many military Lodestars were declared surplus and sold to private operators for use as cargo or executive transports. The C-60A on display was flown to the museum in 1981. Here a Royal New Zealand Air Force plane. (Scale : 1/72e)