Things better today than they were 50 years ago
It was take a cut lunch and yer water bottle to work then
02JUL37 US Export CofA E-2870 issued.
04JUL37 Completed at Lockheed, Burbank as L-10B with Wright Whirlwind engines.
09AUG37 Arrived at Victoria Dock, Melbourne as deck cargo on the S.S. "Mirrabooka" on delivery to Ansett Airways.
13AUG37 Registration application from Ansett Airways Ltd.
16AUG37 Test flown at Essendon.
26AUG37 Added to the Australian Register as VH-UZO. On the same day, the aeroplane was test flown by Lockheed test pilot, Moyle Stephens who gave dual instruction to Ansett pilots including R.M. Ansett.
30AUG37 First survey flight Melbourne-Mildura-Broken Hill by Captains V. Cerche and H.F. Boston.
MAR42 Participated in the evacuation of Broome, WA and Darwin NT after Japanese air raids.
JUN42 Leased to the USAAF for 3 years. Operated mainly Melbourne-Cairns and Melbourne-Darwin averaging 20 hours daily.
12SEP42 Forced landing near Seymour, VIC due propeller failure.
05OCT42 Taxied into a refuelling unit at Townsville and damaged.
OCT42 Based at Mascot, Sydney on USASOS charter Sydney-Townsville.
12OCT42 Forced landing at Rockhampton, QLD due oil leak.
17OCT42 Forced landing at Rockhampton, QLD due oil problems.
18OCT42 Two forced landings at Rockhampton due oil problems. Engine changed.
21NOV42 Forced landing at Archerfield, QLD due to engine failure.
06FEB43 Forced landing at Old Bar, NSW due oil pressure.
09FEB43 Forced landing at Townsville due oil pressure.
07MAR43 Severely damaged during wheels up forced landing at Somerset Dam near Brisbane, QLD. Prop blade broke off in flight and engine broke loose from mounts.
30MAR43 Aircraft en route to Essendon by sea.
29JUN43 CofA renewed after test flight at Essendon after major rebuild.
09JUL43 Forced landing at Mascot due rough running engine.
12JUL43 Struck refuelling unit at Townsville damaging propeller.
13AUG43 Forced landing at Rockhampton due rough running engine.
21AUG43 Forced landing at Mascot due rough running engine.
22NOV43 Forced landing at Mascot due rev drop on starboard engine.
17DEC43 Forced landing at Townsville due engine trouble.
20DEC43 Forced landing at Mascot due oil pressure.
27JAN44 Forced landing at Archerfield due oil pressure.
30JAN44 Forced landing at Mascot due fuel pressure.
06MAR44 Forced landing at Casino, NSW due engine failure.
09APR44 Forced landing at Archerfield due instrument failure.
10APR44 Forced landing at Archerfield due engine trouble.
20APR44 Forced landing at Rockhampton due engine trouble.
23APR44 Forced landing at Rockhampton due engine trouble.
27OCT44 Trailing HF aerial struck by lightning while on charter flight Sydney-Melbourne-Sydney. Explosion inside the cabin opened the escape hatch. Forced landing at Holbrook, NSW.
04NOV44 Forced landing Rockhampton, returned after departure due rough running starboard engine. Landed at 1411 local. Cpt. Charles Gatenby, F/O Charles Eather.
05NOV44 Forced landing Coffs Harbour due rough running starboard engine. Given ground run then continued flight to Sydney but subsequently force landed at Kempsey with similar problem. The spark plugs in the starboard engine were cleaned and the engine ground run. Cpt. Charles Gatenby, F/O Charles Eather.
08NOV44 Forced landing at Woy Woy, NSW due noise on cabin roof. Found to be rubber packing from cockpit escape hatch.
14NOV44 Forced landing at Mascot due rough running starboard engine.
28NOV44 Forced landing at Mascot due oil pressure in port engine.
03DEC44 Forced landing at Mangalore, VIC due engine trouble.
14DEC44 Badly damaged in forced landing near Tumut, NSW. Trucked to Essendon for repairs.
07APR45 CofA renewed after test flight at Essendon.
01SEP45 An overnight wind storm at Parafield blew Lodestar VHCAC into VH-UZO damaging a wing of VH-UZO. VHCAC had been parked with brakes on but no chocks. (NAA via G. Goodall)
45 Returned to commercial service with Ansett Airways.
24AUG49 CofA expired and not renewed.
01MAR50 CofA renewed until 03MAR50 to allow test flights at Essendon prior to sale.
01MAR50 VH-UZO was demonstrated to Adastra at Essendon. Adastra were considering purchasing the aircraft from Ansett Airways but a sale did not eventuate.
05JAN51 Sold to South Coast Airways Pty Ltd, Wollongong, NSW as VH-UZO. To be used on services between Sydney and Cowra.
03FEB51 CofA renewed.
15MAR51 Undercarriage collapsed prior takeoff at Wollongong.
11MAY51 Test flown after repairs and CofA renewed.
07AUG53 Sold to Christey's Motors Pty Ltd, Sydney as VH-CMA.
05DEC55 Sold to Carsair Air Service (PNG) Pty Ltd.
15OCT58 Sold to Western Air Navigation Pty Ltd, Charleville QLD as VH-WAO.
27JUL60 Sold to C.H. Degotardi Air Services Pty Ltd, Sydney as VH-CHD. Based at Bankstown, Sydney and used mainly to fly potential customers to inspect real estate. Named "Miss Real Estate".
06DEC62 Sold to Marshall Airways Pty Ltd, Bankstown, NSW as VH-ASM. Used for general charter and aerial ambulance work.
23JUL67 Emergency landing at Bankstown with smoking engine and suspect undercarriage. Believed to be last flight for Marshall Airways.
27OCT67 Struck off Register as withdrawn from use.
VH-UZO - The Lockheed File