---

The BIG name player in the Lodestar conversion game was Durrell Unger Howard, better known as Dee Howard, who had worked in San Antonio, Texas with Braniff, Western and Slick Airways before forming Howard Aero Inc in 1947. Work on Lodestars was mainly overhauls and checks in the 1950s. Gradually more Lodestars were worked upon adding more and more STCs for such items as the fibre glass nose extension, picture windows, removal of the Lodestar's wing trailing edge "bat wings" (flap track runners) revised engine nacel and tail to fuselage streamlining "saddle". As modification became greater and grew in complexity the aircraft was transformed further and further away from a Lodestar. Dee Howard started to give his converted Lodestars the marketing designation Howard 250 this coming from the cruising speed of 250mph (402 kmph) The Howard 250 had an increased mtow, elevator and rudder boost tabs as well as structural reinforcements. These aircraft could carry as many as 12 passengers in boardroom type luxury at speeds up to 310mph (498 kmph) - 11mph (17.7 kmph) less than the Lear's max. The 16" x 60" (40.64 cm x 152.4 cm) picture windows popular at the time, also doubling as emergency exits, gave a light airy feel to the interior, the tapered nose cone contained radar and extra baggage space - many were ordered by the large corporations of the time such as Studebaker-Packard Corp., Thiokol Chemical, Celanese Corp., W R Grace & Co., Storer Broadcasting Co., and Essex Wire Corp. The first aircraft flew on 3rd April 1961, in July Howard Aero reserved six registrations in the N250-- series in preparation for production and deliveries. This first production model flew in December 1961.

The majority of the 250s as with the Learstar were tail draggers, enabling easy access to the cabin. Three BAC (Howard Aero became Business Aircraft Corp. in 1963 following the merger with Alamo Aero Service) 250s were converted to tri-gear by having nose gear added and the main gear moved to the rear of the wing spar, airstairs were added for easy access, the plane sat high on the tarmac with the looks and feel of a 'Baby Constellation'. The tri-gear conversion was peculiar to the 250 and today only two of the three converted exist, one being advertised for sale a few years ago for $350,000 while the other is currently (October 2003) sitting at Chino, California awaiting a buyer with Planes of Fame. Asking price is $150,000 see: www.courtesyaircraft.com

Lear and Howard carried out the bulk of the major Lodestar conversion/rebuild work in the 1950s and early '60s, however as mentioned earlier there were numerous other companies involved in this lucrative market but for most of them their market share was small or their ideas never gained momentum.

As mentioned earlier, the number of companies offering executive conversions from minor to major of the Lodestar run in to the teens, some modifications go by almost unnoticed within FAA records while others like the Learstar or Howard 250 are well documented and easy to trace. If one thinks that the FAA had problems documenting all the different STCs, models, names, variants, marques then imagine the plight of 'Reggie Spotter' in the 1950s and '60s. Howard offered a mix and match solution to Lodestar owners, any numbers of mods could be carried out to a Lodestar as an alternative to a 'full' Howard 250 conversion depending upon the owner's budget and requirements.

The life of a corporate pilot was not as relaxed as one might expect perhaps, for example Celanese Corp. operated two Howard 250s in the 1960s with the flight crews spending ten days in Corpus Christie flying for their chemical division, then ten days in Charlotte flying for the film and fibre division, finally they'd spend ten days flying trip requirements for their corporate HQ in New York. Then the cycle would be repeated. Flights were of corporate executives and customers to various factory locations in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Today there are few original executive Lodestar variants remaining and even fewer in an operable condition. In the '70s the aircraft's speed and reasonable pay load made them a favourite of the drug smuggling community, others ended up as parachutist's platforms, package and parcel haulers or expensive and extensive restoration projects, and of course, many were just left to fall into a state of dilapidation at fields dotted around the USA.

Some fortunate aircraft live on: Howard 250 N250JR (c/n 2232) is regularly seen at air shows in the USA painted in US Navy markings, owned by P-51 owner Wiley Saunders Jr. Also a regular at airshows is N6371C (c/n 2598) another Howard 250 which is now flying again in Boulder Colorado and undergoing a paint change to US Navy PV 1 (sic) colours complete with D Day stripes she flies with the CAF Mile High Wing. The Learstar was not such a strong survivor mainly due to the fact that drug- and contiband runners operated their aircraft in such extreme conditions. A near Learstar in airworthy condition, is N631LS (c/n 2404) based at New Orleans with off-shore oil support company Taylor Energy**. The plane is in good company with a Howard 250 N250X undergoing a rebuild as well as other Lockheed twins N234P (c/n 5336) a Ventura/Howard 350 and N5831Y (c/n 500-110) Howard 500 all owned by Taylor.

**= Since writing this article at the end of the last cenury this aircraft has moved on, it is now based in Coolidge, AZ and is owned by Sam Brunetto. And was offered for sale on ebay in March 2003 for USD150,000. See Learstar photos pages for some great shots taken in 2004 by Nicolai Musante

Known Howard 250 a/c:
C/n	Reg		Date of conv.		Notes
2025	N250W		5.65 				a)
2096	N344Q		5.62
2111	N1515P		1.62
2131	N1811		Late 50s
2173	N250Q		3-5.62
2178	N177L		6.65 				a)
2210	N250U		1963
2222	N42013		4.65
2232	N510RA		2-10.61
2258	N30TW		Early 60s
2263	N33A		10.63
2282	N250L		10.62
2283	N504W		1960
2309	N789CC	*	12.59				*Top of page
2315	N250N		3.64
2332	N277T		1960
2333	N315F		Late 50s/Early 60s
2347	N40DC		9.63
2379	N66H		5.66 				a)
2397	N64E		3-4.59
2398	N20S		4.62
2408	N250Z		1.63
2454	N1515T		10.62
2457	N211W		1.60
2465	CF-TDG		1962
2481	N603H		6.66
2484	N6711		2-3.66 				a)
2519	N508S		7.61.
2538	N101S		12.59
2547	N1230		10.59
2548	N338		3.57 and 6.60
2550	N756		Early 60s
2571	N605V		Early 60s
2588	N339		Early 60s
2589	N666M		1963
2596	N9982H		8.65
2597	N7931A		Circa 1.60
2598	N68H		8-9.61
6608	N230B		1961. 				b)