| ALBERT I. LODWICK PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION (P700), 1938-1955 |
SERIES II: LODWICK AIRCRAFT INDUSTRIES, 1946-1954 |
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Biographical Sketch |
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Scope and Content Note |
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Lodwick School of Aeronautics |
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Howard Hughes |
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Personal Photos |
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War Consultant |
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Negatives |
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(converting a C-47 to civilian use at Lodwick Aircraft Industries)
After the Lodwick School of Aeronautics closed in 1945, Lodwick established Lodwick Aircraft Industries, which operated on the same site as the former school. The company was incorporated in February 1946 with the stated intention of converting military surplus aircraft to civilian use and selling aviation parts and equipment. Almost immediately the company entered into a contract with the War Assets Administration to sell war surplus aviation parts and equipment.
Initially, Lodwick Aircraft Industries fared well. It obtained a number of contracts to convert military aircraft to civilian use and it was successful in the sale of surplus parts. By 1950, however, the number of military aircraft available for conversion had dwindled and most of the surplus parts remaining in the company inventory were obsolete, with no market other than as scrap metal. The company steadily lost money through the early 1950's and ceased operations in 1954.
The bulk of the photographs in this series were probably taken by a contract or staff photographer and were intended for use in company promotional activities. Included are photos of aircraft interiors before and after conversion, photos of the exterior of aircraft converted by the company, photos of a military C-47 in the process of conversion, and photos of surplus aviation parts in warehouses or sitting in crates on the tarmac. It was the unmarketable inventory depicted in these photographs that was a major contributor to the company's demise.
The photographs are arranged alphabetically by subject.
| BOX | FOLDER | FOLDER TITLE | | 3 | 1 | Aircraft Interiors After Renovation | | | 2 | Aircraft Interiors After Renovation | | | 3 | Aircraft Interiors Before Renovation | | | 4 | Alaska Airlines Aircraft Converted by Lodwick Aircraft Industries | | | 5 | B-25 Converted to Civilian Use for General James Doolittle | | | 6 | C-47 Converted to Civilian Use for U. S. Ambassador W. D. Pawley | | | 7 | Converting a C-47 for Civilian Use | | | 8 | Lodwick, Albert and Staff. See also: Series I and Series III-VI | | | 9 | Peruvian Military Officers Arrive to Pick up a Converted Aircraft | | | 10 | War Surplus Aviation Equipment and Supplies | | 4 | 11 | War Surplus Aviation Equipment and Supplies | | | 12 | War Surplus Aviation Equipment and Supplies | | | 13 | Work Crews | | | 14 | Miscellaneous |
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