Lodestar at Louisville Bowman Field

[Andy Marden]

An unmarked Lodestar sits out on the west side of Louisville Bowman Field, near the old terminal.
Anyone know which one it is please?
Best wishes,
Andy Marden

[RareBear]

Andy,

Mike Henniger's site, AERIAL VISUALS, lists the Lockheed as a Model L-18-08, construction number 2359, tail number N119J.

Its registered to Casablanca Airlines, in Wayland, Mass. Its registration expires on June 30, 2011.

Regards,

Walt McKinney

[Andy Marden]

Thanks Walt,
Andy

[soko121]

anyone have pictures?, i understand it is (or was) an original P&W 1830 powered Lodestar. that would be very cool so see, not sure there are any others operating
Simon

[mrhenniger]

There is precious little I have been able to find on this airframe. This is all that I have...
Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - Lockheed L-18-08, c/n 18-2359, c/r N119J

If anyone can add anything, just follow this link then click on the icon for the editor.

Also, if anyone does have some photos, it would be great to have a shot uploaded to help fill out the lean airframe dossier...
Aerial Visuals - Airframe Photo Upload - Lockheed L-18-08, c/n 18-2359, c/r N119J

Mike

[Garth]

I think I have some pictures somewhere, I'll see if I can dig them out over the next couple days.

That Lodestar has been there, same exact parking spot, for at least the last 10 years.

[SaxMan]

If you do a search, you will find a thread I started on this topic back in June, when I was visiting my wife's Aunt and Uncle in Louisville, that may have some more information regarding the Lodestar

[mrhenniger]

You are correct! I found it here...
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=36754&p=367496&hilit=Bowman#p367496

This was mentioned...

...it was a drug courier aircraft that landed there without clearance, dropped the drugs off for the waiting mules and was immediately abandoned by the crew. Not sure how much veracity there is to that, but it's clearly a valuable aircraft that's just sitting there intact but also derelict and has been for at least 16 years (first time I saw it was 1994).

Interesting. I checked Joe Baugher's lists and could not find a tie-up between the construction number and a military variant, although there are gaps in Joe's lists. This airframe may be purely civilian, although I thought all production at the time went one branch of the military or another.

Mike

[shrike]

There were a number of airliners impressed as C-57 or C-60A's that would have been assigned a number more or less at random.

I have a copy of the Lockheed documentation for doing such a thing too.

[RareBear]

The aircraft's FAA registration lists the model as an L-18-08, which would indicate to me it was built as a civilian aircraft. If it were built as a military plane, the registration would have listed its military designation.

Walt

[mrhenniger]

The aircraft's FAA registration lists the model as an L-18-08, which would indicate to me it was built as a civilian aircraft. If it were built as a military plane, the registration would have listed its military designation.

Walt

This is not a consistent method. For example, recently I have noticed that a large number of L-birds are registered with their civilian model designation rather than the military one. I think it comes down to model configuration the aircraft is restored to when the certificate of airworthiness is granted. Perhaps someone here more familiar with the process can comment?

Mike

[shrike]

There would be a Type Certificate Data Sheet (TCDS) and Service Bulletin issued giving changes in equipment, rigging et cetera to bring an ex-military aircraft into compliance with the civilian Aircraft Type Certificate and allowing the aircraft to be registered in the normal category. Once brought into compliance and properly inspected, an Airworthiness Certificate could be issued which would show the appropriate factory designation.
Of course this would only be true if there was a Aircraft Type Certificate to refer to. If there never was an ATC, then you might be stuck in restricted or experimental categories. Most of the L-birds were conversions of preexisting civvie models so that one is easy.

[GARY HILTON]

This is what Peter Marson has in his book "The Lockheed Twins"
Built as 18-2359...a model 18-10-01 for Chile as CC-230..transferred to USAAF as C-57..to Lockheed Aircraft Corp..to United Acft. Corp. Pratt & Whitney Div. as NC30030. Converted to 18-08, and delivered 28 Feb 43.
Damaged in accident 9 Apl 43, new port wing installed and re-delivered 5 May 43.
Acft went thru several divisions within United Acft. Converted back to 18-10 and reg changed to N30030.
Donated to State of Connecticut Aeronautic Div 19 Jan 65...to Carolina Acft Corp. 4 Aug 65 to Florida Acft Leasing 12 Aug 65.
Registered as N119J 31 Mar 66
Parker and Ransom Acft Sales 28 Apl 66
Repo'd by First Nat. Bank of Baytown, Tx 13 June 67
Omni Investments 29 Nov 67
Carolina Acft. 18 Jan 68
Stephen Richards 19 Jan 68
Red Baron Sports Club 27 Aug 70
Repo N Carolina State Bank 12 Mar 71
Art Persky dba Persky A/S 2 Sept 73 & Central American A/W & F/S 2 Sept 73
Reg cancelled Jan 73 (1974???) and restored 23 May 80
Audrey McPherson 20 Apl 85
Casablanca A/L 11 Oct 85
Parked derelict Bowman Field, Louisville, Ky since Mid 80's

So for a very brief time, she was an Army bird, if not in name only.
G

[Pathfinder]

I was in Louisville over the weekend and took a Saturday morning jaunt over to Bowman.

She is a mess. Engines gone and hubs to the asphalt. Two views here...I can send more to anyone who might want them.





I found only one data plate...that on the starboard wing flap...but it did not appear to have been embossed with any data. The other plates were rusted out and not readable. No tail numbers, N-number or anything else to identify this bird.



Great prop n wing details on the old tower...


Dave

[K5DH]

(radio speaker crackles)
"WIX to Gary Hilton. . . WIX to Gary Hilton. . . Abandoned Lockheed needs to be rescued. . . Abandoned Lockheed needs to be rescued. . . Location Kentucky. . . Location Kentucky. . . Over. . ."
(speaker goes silent)