OSHKOSH Wis. — Normally, Andrew Kiest said he finds himself at the controls of corporate planes. This week, he’s in the cockpit of an 80-year-old aircraft that was at the forefront of corporate aviation in decades past.
“We’re sitting in a 1941 Lockheed Lodestar and it was originally developed by Lockheed to be a cargo transport plane for the military,” he said.
The role of the aircraft later expanded to include carrying passengers and executives. This is the first time the Texas-based Mid America Flight Museum is bringing its Lodestar to EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh.
“What makes this airplane so special is this is the beginning of what we call corporate aviation,” Kiest said. “The businesses were able to hop in an airplane and the executives would be able to have their private conversations in the back instead of being stuck in an airliner. They could leave at their own discretion and go wherever they wanted to go. They could go to airports that didn’t have airline service.”
The Lodestar has attracted a lot of eyes this week.
Including the eyes of judges — such as Doug Smith — who were checking out planes in the vintage area late Tuesday morning.
He and a co-judge were looking at a Piper Cub.
“This particular airplane behind me was built in 1939, so a fairly old aircraft. We want to know, 'Does it look like it did when it left the factory?'” he said. “We take into consideration some safety upgrades — we don’t debut for that — but we really want it to represent the way it came from the factor and also the workmanship and craftsmanship. What’s the quality of the airplane and how well is the restoration done?”
Judging gives Smith and his colleagues an opportunity to see restorations up close. Really close.
“I restore airplanes as well, so I get to meet the owners and the craftsmen. We’re kindred spirits and we get to visit and talk and share secrets that we learn from each other,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity, I really enjoy it.”
Kiest said in many ways aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s are themselves flying pieces of Art Deco design.
“During that World War II era, we accelerated so fast on making airplanes better and bringing almost the world together with airplanes,” he said. “To be able to keep giving the credit due to the airplane, that’s what flying the vintage airplanes is all about and being able to share that knowledge.”