VH-OAS  Lockheed  18-56 Lodestar                  (c/n  2538)

                                 

                                      Formerly a USAAF C-60A-5-LO (42-56045) this Lodestar was seconded to the RAAF in August
                                      1943, becoming A67-5 with radio call-sign VHRAE.   It was civilianized in 1947 as VH-GRB (for
                                      Gregory Richmond Board) and operated migrant flights from Italy to Australia .  In 1948 the Board
                                      named his organization New Holland Airways and continued his migrant runs to Southern Europe. By
                                      1950 Board, who was indebted to ANA (among others) filed for bankruptcy and the Lodestar was
                                      acquired by Overland Air Services of Condobolin, NSW and re-registered VH-OAS.  The rare shot
                                      above is from the Peter Anderson collection and was taken at Mascot, circa 1950.     Two years later,
                                      in April of 1952 OAS went into voluntary liquidation and VH-OAS was repatriated back to the US as
                                      N4849V.   For a history of this machine beyond this point go to Ron Cuskelly's 'The Lockheed File' at  
                                                              http://www.adastron.com/lockheed/lodestar/vh-oas.htm