A quality freeware on a par with payware: The Lockheed Lodestar

Hope all of you guys are safe and well. I have been away for a while and miss you all. I have downloaded the Milton Shupe Lockheed Lodestar from CalClassics and it was simply amazing. She is smaller and faster than the DC-3 and cruises at around 200 kts. I am totally addicted to this airplane and it is an absolute joy to fly. I am posting a few screenshots (Click on images to enlarge):

The model is very clean and nice

Virtual cockpit is lovely and easy to read.

This is a Confederate Air Force example.

Another beautiful repaint in PanAm/Grace colours.

And finally this one is in BOAC livery on a polished metal skin.

Brief history:

The Lockheed 18 Lodestar was the last twin-engine transport designed by Lockheed. The prototype, a Lockheed 14 Super Electra, lengthened by five feet, flew on September 21, 1939. Designed for the commercial market, Lockheed found domestic sales slow due to previous commitments by airlines to buy the Douglas DC-3. A total of 96 Lodestars were ordered by foreign airlines in Canada, Africa, Brazil, France, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, the UK and Venezuela.

In addition to commercial markets, the Lodestar also flew in the military. The first military orders for the Lodestar came from the US Navy. In 1940, the Navy ordered three variations, an executive transport carrying seven (R50-1), a personnel transport carrying 14, and a paratroop transport carrying 18. In 1941, the US Army Air Corps had 13 Lodestars built and designated them C-57. In addition, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, a number of civilian Lodestars were requisitioned and designated C-56. Between 1942 and 1943, the USAAC acquired 324 C-60As, 18-seat paratroop transports. Some of these aircraft were passed on to the UK (RAF versions were known as the Lodestar I (C-56), Lodestar IA (C-59), and Lodestar II (C-60), and most were operated as medium-range transports). After the war, some Lodestars were converted into executive aircraft while others went to work for small freight operators. Less than 20 Lodestars are still airworthy in the USA today.

The Lockheed Lodestar transport design drew heavily from the company's Hudson bomber and earlier transport designs. Lockheed's Model 18 initially combined a newly lengthened fuselage with the Model 14 wings, tail unit and engines. This was also flown by the US Army Air Corps and US Navy.

Hope you enjoy.

Khalid

I like this aircraft too Khalid, great shots of it by the way.

Col.

I had a play with my Loadstar after seeing your post, then I forgot the pilot's head moves too which is also a nice touch.

I have some more textures for mine, I must have downloaded them ages ago, as you say it is a great little aircraft, seen in a few times in old movies as well.

Col.

Hi Colin,

Thank you for your remarks and compliments. Another nice feature is "Hide/unhide the Yoke - Click spot is the friction knob on the ECU" and when you switch off the battery the pilots disappear. I have added the monitor gauge (seen on the upper left corner of the cockpit shot) from the legendary Manfred Jahn's C-47. In fact this gauge is so useful and convenient that I have added it to half a dozen other twin piston engine props that I use a lot.

In short I love this aircraft.

Khalid

I agree with your appreciation of Milton's Lodestar Khalid. A very nice post indeed! :cool: :)

I did a post back in December featuring the Lodestar.

https://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/showthread.php?327874-Lockheed-Lodestars

Very nice download Khalid, so nice it got my attention, and I ended up downloading off this site's library. What hasn't been said about Milton Shupe's freeware downloads? Always top notch, all to be enjoyed by all of us!

I do have to admit, looks like you are running the new FS 2020 sim, and the pics you provided in your post are excellent. I am still running FSX, and will be until this computer has to be replaced. I am quite satisfied with the years FSX has given me, so I don't expect to be making the leap anytime soon!

Glad to see you have found your way back to the forum. So many of our members have dropped off expectantly, but hey they may come back as you have! Anyway, hope all is well with you and your family! Take care and now, go fly that beautiful bird Uncle Milty and crew has blessed with yet another great aircraft!

Rick :cool::cool:

Great looking old aircraft.

Darryl

Hi Larry,

Wow your post is so impressive and comprehensive. I love the way you took a photo of each livery at locations of historical context, very clever. Yes Milton Shupe is a guru and his work is always praiseworthy. Thank you very much for your kind words.

Khalid

Hi Rick,

Thank you, Glad you like both the downloaded aircraft and my screenshots. The thing is I am still using FSX and have not (yet) bought MSFS 2020. These shots are all but very FSX. The huge difference in quality stems from a magical, game changing add-on to FSX that is called "Steve's DX10 Fixer + Cloud Shadows." It transfers your FSX into a DirectX10 program and adds cloud shadows onto the ground and sceneries. Steve's fixer takes some configuration and tweaking work but once you're there, its worth every cent and minute invested. I also happen to use REX weather and ORBX products (All global range products and all regions of the world, and a considerable number of airports and other products). This has given me an immersion experience that rivals MSFS 2020, without having to replace my computer or buy expensive cutting edge hardware.

Khalid

Great looking old aircraft.

 

Darryl

Thank you for your lovely words Darryl. Glad you liked it.

Best wishes.

Khalid

All Milton's models are great, I love his A-20 for instance.

Nice presentation

All Milton's models are great, I love his A-20 for instance.

Nice presentation

Do you mean to tell me that the A-20 you repainted many times is a Milton Shupe model?

BTW thanks for the compliment.

@Khalid,

So the Lodestar is not available for FS2020? Your scenery fooled me there for a minute until read your last post. I wish more of these classic birds would be may available for 2020. I had Jan Visser's DC-3 for FS2004 and it was my favorite plane to fly. Now I'm falling in love with PMDG's new DC-6. What a stunningly real experience.

Do you mean to tell me that the A-20 you repainted many times is a Milton Shupe model?

BTW thanks for the compliment.

Indeed it is, as are the B-26 Marauder, the A-26 Invader and many others. OK, other people have worked on them as well, but the basis is always Milton's excellent work.

I don't have FS2020 but I take it you can't add older FS aircraft even without a bit of tweaking, is that correct?

Col.

correct, and some convert better than others, while some don't convert at all.

Here's Miltons A-20 in MSFS, it converted reasonably well

jk9056 by JanKees Blom, on Flickr

@Khalid,

 

So the Lodestar is not available for FS2020? Your scenery fooled me there for a minute until read your last post. I wish more of these classic birds would be may available for 2020. I had Jan Visser's DC-3 for FS2004 and it was my favorite plane to fly. Now I'm falling in love with PMDG's new DC-6. What a stunningly real experience.

Hi Red

I really haven't the foggiest idea what works with MSFS 2020 and haven't researched that issue. I guess once I buy MSFS 2020 (and a matching computer to use it on) I will wade into this.

When you say 'Convert' what is entailed in converting, is the whole model or just the textures or both?

Col.

correct, and some convert better than others, while some don't convert at all.

Here's Miltons A-20 in MSFS, it converted reasonably well

jk9056 by JanKees Blom, on Flickr

Love the wide-angle effect you use a lot in your screenshots

When you say 'Convert' what is entailed in converting, is the whole model or just the textures or both?

 

Col.

I would interested in knowing the details of this process too. Is there an external application used to do this converting? If there was, seems it would have discovered and well-known for for what it does. I have an older DC-4 that I would love to get working in MSFS. Is it an entirely manual process?

R D

I used a program called 'msfslegacyimporter' to convert some older aircraft, and I tweaked some of the textures, especially the windows with 'modelconverterX'. I'm not sure where I found both programs, but I'm sure google can help there.

Some models convert beautifully, without any apparent problems, other don't convert at all, and some are halfway.

Problems are often instruments that do not convert, opaque windows, and outside textures, especially bare metal textures, that lose their shine. A few examples:

the warbirdsim P-51B looks ok from the outside, and everything works fine

jk9252 by JanKees Blom, on Flickr

but the cockpit looks like this:

jk9253 by JanKees Blom, on Flickr

Most of Vertigo's aircraft, like this Curtiss Hawk converted just fine:

jk4801 by JanKees Blom, on Flickr

Flight Replicas B-24 also works fine, but no shine on the metal paints. You can probably fix that with modelconverter, but I never got round to looking into that

jk9957 by JanKees Blom, on Flickr

One of my favorite aircraft, the Grumman Duck also works reasonably well, and looks real good in msfs I think

jk9036 by JanKees Blom, on Flickr

It's a bit touch and go, some work, some don't.

I used a program called 'msfslegacyimporter' to convert some older aircraft, and I tweaked some of the textures, especially the windows with 'modelconverterX'. I'm not sure where I found both programs, but I'm sure google can help there..

Was able to locate the download links for both

MSFS Legacy Importer

https://www.nexusmods.com/microsoftflightsimulator/mods/117

Model Converter X

https://www.scenerydesign.org/modelconverterx/

Thanks for the tip Jan. I am sure those who use MSFS 2020 would love to toy with these.

Khalid

Thanks for those examples Jan. And thanks for the links Khalid. I have a favorite from FS2004 I like to try and convert.

Rick