N7001_1987-04ca_MUC_1600_TKC - a photo on Flickriver

N7001_1987-04ca_MUC_1600_TKC

Photo from the Theo Kastner collection, kindly provided by him for inclusion on this page.

München-Riem
ca. April 1987

N7001
Lockheed 18-56 Lodestar
18-2427
Justerini & Brooks / Patrick Fourticq and Henri Pescarolo

One of the few Lockheed 18 Lodestars/Learstars that ever visited Riem (the only other one I know of was Helmut Horten’s D-CABO ca. 1960).

Before its round-the-world trip from 17 to 21 June 1987, N7001 apparently did a number of promotional flights around Europe. This seems to have included a flight to Munich and this photo was taken on that occasion. Patrick Fourticq is looking at the photographer.

The crew on the round-the-world flight comprised Patrick Fourticq (Air France pilot), Henri Percarolo (racing driver), Hubert Auriol and Arthur Powell: Crew

Information from airhistory.net - thanks to Bob Garrard:
Delivered to the USAAF in 1943 as C-60A 42-55966. Seen here with a Learstar nose, but was never fully converted. Other regns include NC7000 and N7000. Arrived at Brussels, Belgium in May 1998 for restoration, still there by 2008. (Stored at Saint-Ghislain, France, from January 2023, see information below.)

Registration details for this airframe:
rzjets.net/aircraft/

Account of N7001‘s round-the-world flight:
In July 10, 1938 Howard Hughes and his crew departed Floyd Bennett Field, Long Island New York and flew round-the-world in a Lockheed 14 Lodestar. After circling the globe covering 14,672 miles in three days, nineteen hours, fourteen minutes and ten seconds, they returned to NY. Hughes 1938 round-the-world flight had taken just over 91 hours and established a record to be beaten sometime in the future.

In 1984 racing driver, Henri Pescarolo and Air France pilot, Patrick Fourticq landed their Piper Malibu in Paris France after a flight from New York, setting a speed record of 14 hours 2 minutes for a single-engined aircraft across the North Atlantic. Breaking speed records wet their appetite for more sensational flights.

In June, 1987 Patrick Fourticq with his crew, Henri Pescarolo, Hubert Auriol and Arthur Powell took up the challenge to beat Hughes and flew into the record books making a similar circumnavigation in 88 hours and 48 minutes. The book, The Great Challenge (Le Grand Challenge) by Jean Yves Montagu, details this audacious challenge flight.

The Lockheed 18 Lodestar (N7001) that Fourticq captained was basically a lengthened version of the Lockheed 14. This Lodestar had been scraped in an aircraft grave-yard in the Bahamas being used as a giant chicken-coop. It was purchased by Justerini & Brooks and transported to Fort Lauderdale FL. Don Haynes Aviation, a certified "Airframe and Power-plant" outfit accepted the challenge to make the aircraft airworthy for its ferry-flight to France. Professional Flight Engineer and certified Airframe & Power-plant Mechanic, Art Powell headed up the efforts to bring the Lodestar back to operational life. Art's extensive aircraft/engine knowledge and ability earned him an invitation to become one of the crew on the upcoming round-the-world flight attempt. The aircraft was ferried to France where Art joined Fourticq and the others. For the next eight months the Lodestar was fully restored and prepared for its round-the-world flight by Art and his crew of French mechanics. The aircraft remained US registered.

Patrick Fourticq selected his crew. Henri Pescarolo (race car speed record holder & pilot) and Hubert Auriol (motorcycle speed record holder & pilot) together with Art Powell (engineer & pilot) would make the round-the-world flight attempt. Justerini & Brooks named the Lodestar, "Spirit of J&B."

The flight departed the Paris Air Show on June 17, 1987. It was intended to follow the flight path of Howard Hughes in 1938. Before the intended departure, Russian Aviation authorities withdrew authorization for them to pass through Russia. Russia's refusal for such overflight was based on a recent incident where a German lad landed a Cessna-172 in Moscow's Red Square. Accordingly, Fourticq and his crew modified their flight path avoiding Russian air space. Their flight path took them to Svalbard Norway, over the north pole to Fairbanks AK, to Vancouver British Columbia Canada, Los Angeles CA, Miami FL, New York NY, Gander Newfoundland, returning to the Paris Air Show on June 21, 1987. While in New York 35,000 ping-pong balls were loaded in the belly of the aircraft in case of an ocean-ditching over the Atlantic as this was also done by Howard Hughes. The Lockheed 18 Lodestar circumnavigation covered 14,587 miles in 88H 48M beating Hughes' 1938 Lockheed 14 Lodestar flight.

Several in-flight technical problems (a compass failure, a fuel leak and an oil leak) were overcome with equipment changes and quick-response ingenuity. All four of the men took turns flying the aircraft and/or performed navigational functions during the 3 1/2 day trip.
"Nous battons Hughes" - We beat Hughes!

Source: www.wingnet.org/rtw/RTW007S.HTM

Information from hangarflying.eu:
The Lockheed 18-56-23/C-60A-5-LO Lodestar (construction number 2427 confirmed by identification plate, ex 42-55966, NC7000, N7000, N7001) was given to the Sabena Old Timers Foundation by Patrick Fourticq, an Air France airline pilot and flight operations specialist of the Paris-Dakar rally. The aircraft, built in December 1945, was used for a tour around the world in 1987, among others. This was to commemorate a similar flight performed by Howard Hughes in July 1938. It had been stored since 1990 in Creil (Oise, France.) After being purchased by the Sabena Old Timers, it was transported by road to Zaventem on May 20, 1998. The association lacks the means to make the aircraft flyable again, too many structural modifications are needed. For now, the aircraft is still dismantled in the hangar at Brussels Airport. The Sabena Old Timers has recently sold the Lockheed Lodestar, the aircraft will be transferred to Saint-Ghislain.
Source: www.hangarflying.eu/2018/05/sabena-old-timers/

Information from ebsg.aero including photos:
After having been worked on for years, the job being ampler than expected, the plane was bought by a private owner in 2016 and transported by an exceptional convoy to EBSG on January 5 and 6, 2023. The Lodestar arrived at Saint-Ghislain (EBSG) on 6 January 2023 and apparently has been stored there in a hangar since then.
Source: ebsg.aero/fr/news/lockheed-l18-lodestar-arrival-ebsg

N7001 with Sundorph Aeronautical Corporation at CLE in April 1970:
www.airhistory.net/photo/33319/N7001

N7001 at ONT in September 1979:
www.airhistory.net/photo/267155/N7001

N7001 at GVA in August 1987 (following its round-the-world flight):
www.flickr.com/photos/134062278@N02/37068887175

N7001 stored in Sabena Old Timers‘ shed 159 at BRU ca. 2018:
www.hangarflying.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/201805_SOT...

N7001 arriving at Saint-Ghislain (EBSG) on 6 January 2023:
ebsg.aero/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2023-01...

Scan from Kodachrome slide.

Taken on: April 1, 1987

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Sets appears in: • Munich-Riem photographers: Theodor Kastner • Munich-Riem visitors: 1986-87 more » • Munich-Riem visitors: Lockheed 18 Lodestar/Learstar « less

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