One very interesting type which is thought to have been headed for Australia was the unique Rausch Super 18 "Hudstar" which was principally a Hudson with a Lodestar rear fuselage and tail group grafted on. It is believed that this aircraft was the "Lodestar" which had been entered by Rausch Aviation (USA) in the 1953 London to Christchurch air race. However, the entry was evidently withdrawn before the race commenced. The conversion was based on AT-18 Hudson NC33367 (msn 7463) with the rear fuselage of Lodestar N94538 (msn 2095). The resultant aircraft was 25.5 inches longer than a standard Lodestar. The Hudstar flew for the first time on 8th October 1952 as NX367. It was destroyed in a fatal crash in 1977.

[Picture 1: Ron Cuskelly Collection]
[Picture 2: Barry Admans via Queensland Air Museum]
[Picture 3: Ron Cuskelly Collection]

Built as a Lockheed 18-56 Lodestar with the MSN 2500, the aircraft was delivered to the USAAF as a C-60A serial 42-56027 on 25JUN43. Postwar the aircraft was passed on to several civil operators under the registrations NC88744, N88744 and N14M. Between 26OCT56 and 14FEB57 the aircraft was converted to an executive aircraft by Bill Lear (later famous for the LearJet). Now known as a Learstar II the aircraft was sold to American Can Company on 03DEC57 as N14M. After being flown by several corporate operators as N1414, N505S and N5056, the aircraft was acquired by Merryl D. Schulke, an orthodontist of Orlando, Florida on 29MAR73 as N5056. Fitted out inside as a mobile home and named Air Challenger, the aircraft was used to take the Schulke family on a round-world trip. Known sectors were: Fiji-Auckland on 06APR74, Auckland-Christchurch on 11APR74, Auckland-Melbourne on 04APR74 and Shannon-Blackbushe-Munich on 15AUG74. Schulke sold the aircraft on 22NOV74 and it was subsequently impounded on several occasions for drug smuggling. When last heard of, the aircraft was registered CP-2046 and stored impounded at El Trompillo, Bolivia where it was most likely broken up.

(Source: Marson, Peter J., The Lockheed Twins, Air-Britain, 2001)

[Picture 1: Nigel Daw]
[Picture 2 & 3: Roger McDonald]

The first F-22A Raptors to visit Australia were displayed at the Australian International Airshow at Avalon on 1-6 March 2011 but the aircraft did not fly during the airshow because of the lack of an authorised display pilot. Raptor attendances at the Avalon airshow are summarised in the following table.

On 10FEB17 a squadron of twelve F-22A deployed to Tindal, NT for combined exercises. Three of these aircraft later positioned to Avalon for the biennial airshow. Raptors also deployed to RAAF Amberley for Exercise Talisman Sabre in July 2019.

[Picture: Robert Frola]

The first F-35Bs to visit Australia arrived in Sydney onboard the USS Wasp on 18JUN19. It was reported that the ship carried at least ten USMC F-35B. The USS Wasp later participated in Exercise Talisman Sabre off the Queensland coast. Aircraft photographed were:

Other serials reported by observers in Sydney were: 168309, 169164 and 169412 (13/VK).

[Pictures: Eric Allen]