Original photo caption:
U.S. ARMY AIR FORCES C-60 - U.S. NAVY AND COAST GUARD R-50
Designed originally for fast airline schedules, the Lockheed Lodestar's high performance and dependability make it ideal for rapid military transportation. It is used not only by the US Army Air Forces, Navy and Coast Guard, but also by British Overseas Airways on military routes.
"The Lodestar is used for several reasons," states an officer of the AAF Training Command, "We like it as a (glider) tow plane because it can get more speed with the same horsepower. Furthermore, we also take power pilots who have completed their work with advanced trainers and prepare them for subsequent work on heavier two-engine and four-engine aircraft. The C-60 (Lodestar) is an excellent intermediate ship to bridge the gap between the advanced trainers and the big four-engine jobs to come."
In addition to being flown by many familiar airlines within the United States, modern Lockheed transports have been purchased by thirty-one foreign airlines in Alaska, Algeria, Australia, Belgian Congo, Bolivia, Brazil, British West Indies, Canada, Central America, Chile, Cuba, East Africa, England, France, Honduras, the Netherlands, Netherlands East Indies, New Zealand, Poland, Rumania, South Africa, Venezuela, and Yugoslavia. The latest addition to this distinguished roster is Alaska Airlines, which now operates Lodestars on its far-north routes as a natural outgrowth of the success it achieved with earlier Lockheed Models."
