ZK-BVE with its stubby fuselage, drab yellow paint and unrestored state is the least appealing of the MOTAT aviation collection. Now a topdressing aircraft it has a history and story line that ranks it up with the Solent and the Lancaster as a MOTAT star.
The aircraft was built in 1940 by Lockheed, one of four Series 18 models purchased by United Airlines in the early days of American commercial aviation. She operated from October 1940 as the City of Fresno on the Los Angeles – San Francisco service.
It was taken over by the US Government in May 1941 for transfer to the British RAF under the World War II Lend Lease programme to assist the British war effort. This was a time when the Douglas DC-3 became the dominant commercial airliner and United purchased no more Lockheeds.
The aircraft operated in Africa under BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) registration as G-AGCN Lake Victoria based in Cairo, Egypt from Sept 1941 to November 1947.
During this time in 1941 – 1942 the aircraft would have been involved flying supplies into Malta then under siege by the Italian and Nazi German air forces and navies. Air Vice Marshal Park, the New Zealander the MOTAT Aviation Museum is dedicated to. He commanded the RAF in Malta at that time, defeating the Luftwaffe in 1942, and preventing the island being captured.
Postwar from 1948 to 1957 the aircraft flew with European and American operators. In 1957 it was ferried to Sydney and converted to a top-dressing aircraft. Purchased by Fieldair in 1957 it came to New Zealand and registered as ZK-BVE.
In 1961, Fieldair, James Aviation, and Rural Aviation combined to form Airland NZ Ltd, based in Palmerston North. In December 1968 it was damaged in a wheels-up landing and its registration cancelled.
In 1971 it was acquired by MOTAT and brought to the Sir Keith Park Memorial Airfield in Western Springs – two old heroes re-united.
International aviation is a major and dynamic industry. In the old MOTAT Aviation Museum format when the Solent was accessible to visitors there were a stream of cabin crew from foreign airlines coming to have a look at the inflight catering facilities of the Solent. The stewards personally cooked the meals on a small stove in a galley and clambered over a main spar to get to the flight deck. The modern crew visitors invariably got the giggles at the primitive conditions of first class flying in the 1950’s.
In due course when the Lockheed is on show it will be of great interest to the United Airlines crews visiting Auckland to visit one of their airlines first passenger aircraft from 80/90 years ago. Probably a lot more giggles.
By Bill Rayner
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