Allan Haines Loughead - Later Career

Later Career

In 1930, Loughead formed the Lockheed Brothers Aircraft Corporation in Glendale, California and developed the experimental Olympia Duo-four, a five-place high-wing monoplane with two engines mounted side-by-side in the wood monocoque fuselage nose. It had a plywood-covered wing and wheel pants. The fuselage was covered with a two-piece moulded-under-pressure plywood skin. He made numerous flights in this plane demonstrating its extremely safe single-engine performance. This fourth commercial aircraft venture by Loughead lasted until 1934.

In 1934, Loughead, tired of the many mispronunciations of his name, legally changed it from Loughead to Lockheed.

Lockheed spent the period from 1935 to 1936 as a consultant.

In 1937, Lockheed formed the Alcor Aircraft Corporation in San Francisco and developed the Alcor C-6-1, an 8-place, low-wing plane that also had excellent single-engine performance. Unfortunately, the prototyp C-6-1 was lost over San Francisco Bay. During a 1938 test flight, the Alcor prototype went out of control. A pilot and a passenger bailed out, "leaving the plane to descend in slow circles until it hit the waters of the Golden Gate and sank, as related in the 1957 Lockheed history, "Of Men and Stars." The Alcor company folded in 1939.

"I guess Alcor was the final burnout for Dad," said his son, Allan Jr. "He got only enough money from the insurance to pay off the creditors and close the doors."

Afterwards, Lockheed continued to make design studies of aircraft, such as fighters and bombers, for war use.

In 1941, Lockheed became Vice President of the Berkey & Gay Furniture Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he served as general manager of the Aviation Division and Director of Aircraft Engineering.

In August 1941, U.S. Commerce Secretary Jesse H. Jones appointed Lockheed to the Cargo Plane Committee, which also included Andre Preister, William Bushnell Stout, Luther Harris, and J.W. Crowley. The committee was charged with drawing up basic design recommendations for a cargo plane for the Aviation Division of the Defense Supplies Corporation. The committee's work was completed and accepted in January 1942.

In October 1942, Lockheed became the general manager of the Aircraft Division of Grand Rapids Store Equipment Company, making parts for Navy fighters.

After the war, Allan Lockheed continued his career as a real estate salesman in California, while also occasionally serving as an aviation consultant.

In the mid-1950s, Lockheed Aircraft Corporation asked Allan Lockheed to return as a consultant, mainly to help on the "Of Men and Stars" history being prepared by Lockheed public relations writer Phil Juergens." Lockheed's son John Lockheed said that "Dad was delighted to come back to Lockheed." Allan Lockheed, Jr., said, "It was a tremendous boost to his morale to be able to rejoin the company."

In 1961, Allan Lockheed moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he lived in semi-retirement. However, he continued to do consulting work with the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. Once, when someone asked Lockheed what he did in the early days of aviation, he answered, "I survived!"