Warbird Information Exchange

I was wondering if any of the Lockheed 14 Super Electras are still in existence. Perhaps even flying? Also known, of course, as the Hudson, or A-29, AT-18, etc.

There is a very well restored Hudson flying in Australia. I have seen the airplane myself, and I think that it's the only unmodified 14 series Lockheed that is currently flying worldwide. I hope I'm wrong and someone will tell me of another flyer. There are several airframes in project form.

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Fly low. Fly slow, Fly safe.

The New England Air Museum had a real Lockheed 14 that had been flown in back in the late 1960's. It was traded in the 1980's to a museum in Canada.
Not sure which one.
Jerry

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

I have heard that Kermit Weeks had a Model 14 in his inactive storage. I am not sure what the status is of that aircraft.

http://1000aircraftphotos.com/Transports/AT-18.htm

When I was a kid a fellow that worked with my Dad had a Hudson for a while at Sussex Airport in New Jersey. Probably in the late 60's. All I remember was that the guy had to move it every couple of weeks because it would sink in the asphalt ramp. It was fitted out as a corporate bird. As I remember it was old and worn out back then. It may have come out of Florida at the time. No idea which bird that was and what happened to it.

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Bill Goebel
aka TPFD

Vintage Aircraft Services
Aircraft restoration and rebuilding
Rhome, TX

http://www.vintageaircraftservices.net

I sold the Lockheed14 to Kermit Weeks; he has the only one. I searched the world and I am convinced CF-TCO was the only surviving passenger liner. There was one registered in Miami and was probably in Cuba, but that was a dead end; I advertised in a South American aviation magazine. I was offered a Lodestar in Argentina, no -14s. One was seen in Mozambec in the 1970s, I can't imagine much left after their civil war. I tracked down a couple of Australian crashes, nothing worth going after. An interesting WW2 Dutch crash way out in Northern Territory had been run over by brush fire on at least three occasions. I tried to find out what ever happened to the Polish ones that the Soviet Union got in WW2, but getting any imformation from there was impossible. I looked for the first three Lodestars which are modified -14s, no trace in the registry.
Finally I acquired the one at the NE Air Museum; see Perter Marson's Twin Tail Lockheeds book; it is Serial #1500. The project was too big for me, at the time I was in the middle of a -12 project; hence, it was sold to Kermit Weeks.
That has been my experience, so after a comprehensive search of every serial number, I gained and lost the only one. (Unless there is one in Russia somewhere, which I doubt)
I tried very hard to get it to a Canadian Museum as it was an original "TC" Trans Canada airplane, but could get much interest until it had gone to Mr. Weeks

My Mom just brought over a bunch of my Dad's pictures recently. Lo and behold there is a picture of the Lockheed at Sussex. Looks like it's not a stock Hudson. Howard 250?



Hey, I was about 6 or 7. What did I know? My Dad said it was a Hudson. It was the first "corporate" plane I had ever been in. I just remember the inside smelling like old socks....

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Bill Goebel
aka TPFD

Vintage Aircraft Services
Aircraft restoration and rebuilding
Rhome, TX

http://www.vintageaircraftservices.net

Is this considered a 14? I dont know

this is an original drawing that was in a lockheed sales brochure for the ventura.

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"WHAT ME WORRY?"

The Ventura is a grandchild of the 14. The -14 was stretched 18" and had some aerodynamic changes mostly on the tail to become the Loadstar, the Lockheed18. The Ventura is a highly modified 18; fuselage, engine changes , etc. the -14 was directly modified into the Hudson.
Also; the Corporate photo from Bill is probably a modified Loadstar, a Lear or Howard, there were many other small production companies turning surplus Loadstars into these things. I can look up the exact company if you want.
However there were 5 Canadian Hudsons turned into Loadstars and then at least one was modified into a Corporate airplane, it still survives in California.

I think perhaps Bill's photo is a Lockheed PV-1 Ventura.

Looks like it could be Howard 250 s/n 2571 (N605V), a converted Lodestar... but I have yet to see an original photo of 2571 to compare it to, so it's just a hunch.

Thanks for posting it!
Ryan

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Ryan Keough
Stow, MA

All these conversion descriptions confuse the heck out of me. I have a LOT of old negatives & photos of Lockheeds, and went looking for 14s. Who knows which negs are "accurately" described, considering all the various conversions that were so close in design? Perhaps Pinot12 proobably could tell them apart.
For the Lockheed 14 file I have negs "labeled" with RCAF; AX682 267 Sqn, ex-NC17398; CFIZN; X17382; PJ-AIT; G-AGCJ; G-AGCO; G-AGJH; N350S; N716AG; VH-SMM; VP-YWY; 9J-RBM. There are also 34 Lodestar negs and 50 Ventura negs. Certainly a couple of Lodestars in the 14 file, and marked as such....
Then, in the photo files, there are 60 marked Lodestar; 100 marked Ventura; and approx 200 Hudsons, plus some 10 & 12 stuff. so I got lost pretty quick on those.

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hundreds of images of aero art, memorabilia, photos and artifacts at;
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anyone wanna buy an original drawing of a Ventura?

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"WHAT ME WORRY?"

thanks for posting the picture. Im laughing about the old sock smell. funny what sticks in your head from childhood. Great stuff.

Yup, I remember there was a bunch of stuff laying in the cabin (probably spare bits). When I got to the cockpit I asked the guy how to get in the nose. He said that the airplane had that area removed. As a 10 year old, even back then, I figured, "what a gyp..."

I had built the Airfix Hudson model and had a devil of a time putting those front windows in due to the classic Airfix poor parts fit. After finding out about no front compartment I figured "Geez, no nose compartment and no turret, Hey, I'm outta here..."

My Dad kept his plane at Ramapo (gone) and then Warwick. Before that he kept them at Caprock (now the bottom of Lake Tappan).

Glory days!....

_________________
Bill Goebel
aka TPFD

Vintage Aircraft Services
Aircraft restoration and rebuilding
Rhome, TX

http://www.vintageaircraftservices.net

I'm guessing this is an 18?

_________________
"WHAT ME WORRY?"