THE LOCKHEED - IMAGES OF AMERICA

In the early 1900s, Malcolm and Allan Haines Loughead, two young aviation-minded brothers in San Francisco, started what was to become one of the biggest aviation corporations in the world. Their Alco Hydro-Aeroplane Company, begun in a garage in San Francisco in 1912, failed but it was succeeded by the Loughead Aircraft Manufacturing Company, later Lockheed Aircraft Company. Unique single-shell, wooden monocoque construction put the speedy, high-winged Vega and Orion cabin planes well ahead of their competitors' fabric-covered biplane designs and, arguably, they were the fastest and finest monoplanes of the period 1927-34.

Lockheed produced twin-engined transports which, in turn, led to the military Hudson.and Ventura bombers and, moving to fighters, the XP-38 twin-engined interceptor became famous as the Lightning. The company grew and by the end of the war had turned out 19,077 aircraft to become the fifth largest US aircraft producer. Markets diversified, particularly in civil and military propeller-turbine and jet transports. America's first production jet fighter, P-80, was developed and the 'Skunk Works' produced the U-2 and SR- 71A spy planes, the F-104 Starfighter and F-117A Stealth fighter.

Marietta, Georgia, built Boeing B-47s, C-130 Hercules and Jet-Star aircraft. In 1961 the Division was re-organized as the Lockheed-Georgia Company. Ten years on Lockheed was winning large orders for its L-1011 airliner, but when engine supplier Rolls Royce went into receivership, production of TriStars ceased temporarily. Without Government help Lockheed itself would have followed it into bankruptcy. With the formation of the Lockheed Corporation in 1977 a new era was heralded and the fortunes of the company were boosted. Stealth technology gave a new lease of life for the U-2 and one wonders what the the young Loughead brothers would have made of the sight of F-117As, the first US Air Force combat planes to strike targets in 1991, in action at the start of the Gulf War.