The Lockheed Ventura served as a front line bomber in Europe, North Africa,
and the Pacific as well as military transport during WWII. The USAAF, USN,
RNAF, RAAF and RAF all operated the type as did the RCAF and SAAF (postwar).
The scope and complexity of these war time operations are beyond the remit
of this site, though I do have extensive details of ALL Venturas no matter
what their 'uniform' was. Please contact me with any particular queries
you may have [Michael Zoeller].
After the war hundreds of planes filled military storage depots while others
carried on with Commonwealth airforces. Large numbers were scrapped some
went to other airforces such as the French and Brasilian. But many were
to get a new lease of life in civvie street. Military operation both during
and after the war are beyond the remit of thses web pages. However I would
like to share details of some of the civilian conversions carried out in
the 1950s and early 60s.
By far the biggest converter of Venturas to civilian use was Howard Aero...
Dee Howard/Howard Aero
Perhaps the star of the Lockheed conversions was Mr. Durrell Unger Howard
better known as Dee Howard. Starting his working life as an auto mechanic
he progressed to aviation with a job at Braniff at San Antonio, Texas. After
a brief stint at Western Airlines in California he returned to San Antonio
to work with Braniff during the War. In 1946 he joined the famed Slick Airways.
When Slick moved to California, Howard stayed in San Antonio and in 1947
Howard Aero Inc. was formed, initially operating out of Howard's car trunk
using a hand tool box! One of the first people hired was Ed Swearingen,
and at the start they worked on anything and everything that flew. Their
big break came in 1952 when one of their customers, a wealthy Mexican businessman,
suggested that they build an executive transport capable of flying from
Mexico City to New York, primarily for use by the Mexican president. The
plane chosen to do this was the Lockheed PV-1 Ventura. Why the Ventura?
Well it was originally derived from the pre-war airliner the Lodestar therefore
already had an ample cabin and easy boarding. This was an advantage over
the snug and noisy former bomb-bays, sometimes reached by narrow ladders
on some of the previously mentioned ex bombers. The Ventura bomber had not
enjoyed popularity with RAF pilots in the early stages of the war but had
gained favour with the US Navy in the Pacific. Until recently it had been
in service with the RCAF and was still in service with the SAAF, hundreds
of surplus 'planes were available along with large stocks of spare parts.
The Mexican president's plane was a quick, basic conversion. a PV.1 with
sealed bomb-bay doors and a few windows cut into the fuselage sides. As
time progressed a number of Venturas were acquired from the RCAF via third
parties by Howard Aero, some for as little as $200. These aircraft had been
stored at Vulcan, Alberta, most minus engines and some lying on their bellies
without under-carriages. These sorry sights were taken into a hanger where
engines were fitted along with an undercarriage where necessary and were
flown in a somewhat shabby state to San Antonio where the engines and undercarriage
were removed, shipped back to Vulcan and fitted to the next lucky aircraft!
The result, after a near total rebuild, was the Howard Super
Ventura built in 1955 by the recently formed Manufacturing Division
of Howard Aero.
Another major player was:
Spartan Aircraft Co.
The Ventura was not the sole domain of Howard however. Spartan Aircraft
Co. in Tulsa Oklahoma, were also cutting and re-styling Lockheed metal.
Spartan initially was a manufacturer of training aircraft in the 1930s,
post war it became a modification centre specialising in Lodestars and Venturas.
It's first civil conversion of the Ventura was for Dresser Industries in
1948 using the only Ventura declared war surplus by the US. By the end of
1952 Spartan and its contempories had converted 15 PV.1s. Spartan subsequently
acquired ex-RCAF aircraft flew them in their dilapidated post-storage state
to Tulsa where they'd emerge a few months later civilianised and ready for
further work and costing in the region of $150,000. Spartan's Ventura modifications
included electrically operated elevator trim tabs, the same as used on the
Constellation making the pilots' job easier. With 'cleaned-up' wings, a
new nose and tail cone plus other mechanical and aerodynamic improvements,
it is claimed that the top speed of a Spartan Ventura could exceed 350mph
compared to the usual maximum speed of 315mph.
PV1 Military Statistics: