VH-TAZ Stockdale


Type: L-18-56-23 Lodestar C-60A-5-LO
MSN: 18-2612
Previous Identities: 43-16452
A67-8
VHRAH (callsign)
VH-CAC
Subsequent Identities: N4848V
N14L

History:

43-16452
 
12NOV43 Delivered to the United States Army Air Force as C-60A-5-LO serial 43-16452. (Source: 2)
13NOV43 Delivered ex Lockheed. (Source: 3)
13NOV43 Arrived Long Beach. (Source: 3). Fitted with long range tanks at Long Beach. (Source: 2)
01DEC43 Departed Long Beach. (Source: 3)
A67-8
VHRAH
 
16DEC43
Received at 3AD Amberley ex USAAF as 43-16452. To be renumbered A67-8 and 37SQN to arrange immediate collection. (Source: 1)
  Allocated callsign VHRAH. (Source: 1)
21DEC43
Received at 37SQN Laverton ex 3AD. (Source: 1)
23MAR45
Allotted 1CU ex 37SQN. To be fitted with 4 seats ex Hudson A16-120. (Source: 1)
28MAR45
Above allotment cancelled. (Source: 1)
14MAY45
Allotted 1CU ex 37SQN. (Source: 1)
28MAY45
Issued and received 1CU ex 37SQN. (Source: 1)
11JUN45
Grounded at 1CU as per RAAF signal. (Source: 1)
07JUL45
Allotted 7AD, Tocumwal ex 1CU for inspection and possible tank repairs. (Source: 1)
09AUG45
Received at 7AD ex 1CU. (Source: 1)
16JAN46
Work to cease. Aircraft to be stored Cat D. (Source: 1)
05FEB46
Received at 7AD Storage ex 7AD. (Source: 1)
01OCT46
To be stored Cat D. (Source: 1)
19MAR47
Sold through Commonwealth Disposals Commission for £2,500 to the Department of Civil Aviation, Melbourne. (Source: 1)
18SEP47
Allotted to Department of Aircraft Production at Parafield ex Care and Maintenance Unit (prev 7AD), Tocumwal. (Source: 1)
26SEP47
Issued to purchaser. (Source: 1)
OCT47
Trucked from Tocumwal to Parafield in convoy with A67-2 and A67-10 for overhaul by the Dept of Aircraft Production. (Source: 2)
VH-CAC
 
20JUL50 Registered to the Department of Civil Aviation as VH-CAC. (Source: 5)
Leased to Trans-Australia Airlines. Used on the Townsville-Innisfail-Cairns run. Likely also used on the Sydney-Newcastle route.
26APR51 Departed Essendon for Townsville and Cairns. (Source: 4)
27APR51 Arrived Cairns. (Source: 4)
22FEB52 Sold to TAA as VH-CAC.
  Doug Fawcett claims in his autobiography that he overhauled three Lodestars for TAA. (Source: 6)
See: Doug Fawcett's Lodestars
VH-TAZ
 
26FEB52 Re-registered VH-TAZ to TAA. (Source: 5)
Named Stockdale.
05MAY53 Withdrawn from service. (Source: 2)
27MAR53 Sold to Earl Bacon Corp via B.W.Cowan.
N4848V
 
10MAY53 Departed Australia on delivery to the Earl Bacon Corp as N4848V. (Source: 2)
NX4848V
 
APR54 Registered NX4848V to William P. Lear. (Source: 2)
54 Converted to executive configuration as a Learstar. (Source: 2)
10MAY54 First flown as a Learstar. (Source: 2)
N14L
 
AUG54 By this date the aircraft was re-registered N14L. (Source: 2)
25APR55 To Learcraft Conversions Inc. (Source: 2)
27APR55 Learstar conversion completed. (Source: 2)
28APR55 To Chance-Vought Aircraft Inc. (Source: 2)
16AUG61 Transferred to Ling-Temco-Vought Inc. (Source: 2)
02JAN65 Company renamed LTV Aerospace Corp. (Source: 2)
01JAN69 Returned to Ling-Temco-Vought Inc. (Source: 2)
12NOV71 To Tom Steele. (Source: 2)
11JAN72 To Aero Enterprise Corp. (Source: 2)
10MAY72 To Robrose Sales of Florida Inc. (Source: 2)
MAY72 To United Aviation Inc. (Source: 2)
08OCT73 To Richard D Johnson. (Source: 2)
OCT73 To Onyx Aviation Inc. (Source: 2)
MAY74 To Allen Edward Corp, Denver CO. (Source: 2)
AUG74 Last reported at Winter Haven, Florida. (Source: 2)
31OCT75 Cancelled from the US Register following a crash of which no details are known. (Source: 2)
  Parts from this aircraft were used on MSN 2454 (no Australian history). (Source: 2)
   
   
For more information on TAA Lodestar operations out of Cairns see the page for VH-TAY.

 

SOURCES
1
RAAF Form E/E.88 Airframe Record Card
2
Peter J. Marson, The Lockheed Twins, Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 2001.
3
MAC Air Case 200. NAA via Gordon Birkett
4
Log book of Capt R.R. Hickey via Gordon Reid
5
Tony Arbon, AustAirData.
6
Fawcett, Doug, Pilots & Propellers - a lifetime in aviation, Crawford House, 1998.



Issue Date Remarks
12 13JUL22
Added a reference to the aircraft being overhauled by Doug Fawcett.
11 29JUN22
Further details from Source: 1.
10 19AUG16
Major update from sources shown.
9 18AUG16
Added an image of N14L thanks to Geoff Goodall.
Added two images of VH-CAC thanks to Geoff Goodall. Image 1 Image 2
8 03APR16
Refreshed page layout with no change to data.
7 24JUN06
Added delivery details thanks to Gordon Birkett.
6 05FEB06
Added detail of the ferry flight from Essendon to Cairns drawn from the log book of Captain R.R. Hickey supplied by Gordon Reid.
5 29AUG04
Added an image of VH-TAZ in TAA colours thanks to Gary Killion and Geoff Goodall.
4 13FEB04
Added two images of this aircraft as the Learstar prototype thanks to Gary Killion. Also added an image as A67-8 thanks to Phil Vabre of the CAHS.
3 16APR99
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