Lockheed C-60A "Lodestar"

The C-60 is a twin-engine transport based on the Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar. During WWII 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 amilitary version of the Model 18 in May 1941. Depending upon engine and interior configurations, these transports were given C-56, C-57, C-59 or C-60 basic type designations. Lockheed built more C-60As (325) for the AAF 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. During WWII, Robins AFB performed depot repairs and parts support to the C-60 fleet. The Museum's C-60 was delivered to the AAF in January 1943 and used by various units in the United States until it was declared surplus and sold in February 1945. It was acquired for the Museum through an exchange and flown to the Museum in 1990.