Caribou's Dads pics # 3

 Lockheed Lodestar c/n 18-2490 was built for the USAAF as 42-56017 and was intended for the RNZAF in June of 1943 but was loaned to Union Airways of NZ Ltd and registered as ZK-AHU on 15-08-1944. It was given the name Karoro.

It was stolen by a 19 year old apprentice aircraft engineer, who has been turned down for pilot training by the RNZAF. During an attempted take off from Mangere it struck a dummy aircraft and crashed into trees and caught fire.

The aircraft remains were returned to the RNZAF and it was struck off charge without being allocated an RNZAF serial number.

Above is the Lockheed 414-56 Hudson IIIA ZK-AHY c/n 414-6702. 

Built for the US military and given the serial number of 41-37213. It was intended for the Royal Air Force and had been allocated the serial of FH412.

This was not taken up as the aircraft was redirected to the RNZAF.
It was shipped to NZ aboard the SS Hororata and taken on charge on 17-06-1942 and allocated the serial NZ2079.

In December 1943 it went to Rukuhia for conversion to a C-63 transport aircraft.

It was transferred to Union Airways of NZ Ltd in July of 1945 as a crew trainer and gained its NZ Cof A on 06-08-1945.
Withdrawn from Union Airways operation on 09-12-1946 it was returned to the RNZAF on 18-12-1946. It was finally sold by tender on 09-05-1949 to Mr Asplin.

(FWIW the SS Hororata was torpedoed in the North Atlantic on 05-04-1943) and sank the following day.

Lockheed 18 Lodestar ZK-AIQ c/n 18-2554 was built for the US Military and allocated the serial number 42-56061. It was transferred to the RNZAF and shipped to NZ aboard the Fort George arriving in December of 1943.After assembly at Hobsonville it was allocated the RNZAF serial of NZ3512 on 08-12-1943.

It was sold to Union Airways of NZ Ltd and became ZK-AIQ on 08-11-1945 and named Kotuku. On 11-04-1946 it was damaged when it taxied into a ditch at Mangere.

 It transferred over to the New Zealand National Airways Corporation on its formation on 01-04-1947.

It was sold overseas on 24-11-1951 to Costine and Co of Boston USA and ferried to the USA as N55K and then transferred to the Kelly Springfield Tire Company at Cumberland in Maryland on 19-12-1952 and was re-registered as N55KS around 1966. Another registration change to N644KS took place and it appears to have been cancelled on 15-04-1971.