George Mazzeo

THE LOCKHEED LODESTAR This is a Lockheed Lodestar similar to the one flown by Duke Kellogg and his copilot Edwina "Eddie" Watt while Chasing Dragons . The  Lockheed 18  Lodestar was the last twin-engine transport designed by Lockheed. The prototype, a Lockheed 14 Super Electra lengthened by five feet, flew on the 21st of September, 1939. Designed for the commercial market, Lockheed found domestic sales slow due to previous commitments by airlines to buy the DC-3. A total of 96 were ordered by foreign airlines in Canada, Africa, Brazil, France, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, the UK and Venezuela. The first military orders for the Lodestar came from the US Navy. In 1940, the Navy ordered three variants, an executive transport carrying seven, a personnel transport carrying 14, and a paratroop transport carrying 18. In 1941, the US Army Air Corps had 13 Lodestars built and designated them the C-57 . In addition, after the attack on Pearl Harbor,...

If you have any interest in commercial aviation and haven't read this book, do yourself a favor and run out and get yourself a copy. This masterpiece of aviation lore is part memoir, part historical journal and part philosophical treatise. The early days of commercial aviation were marred by many fatal accidents. The author's accounts of these disasters are interesting in their own right...we're all fascinated with the why of an accident... but nuts and bolts are not the major theme of this book. That is a larger issue: Why does one pilot survive and another does not? Sure, some accidents can be traced to pilot error, but others seem to be a matter of luck. Pilot A was there, pilot B was not. One survives and one does not. Why? The book postulates that there is no rational answer to this. It is random...fate. This masterful work is both interesting and thought provoking. It is one of my favorites.  Five props!