Pearl L. (Allan) Lockheed’s story ties neatly into the larger evolution of aviation in Southern California and the Antelope Valley’s rise as an aerospace center. Here’s a fuller picture of that 1930s connection:
Allan Haines Loughead, who later respelled his name as “Lockheed” to simplify pronunciation, co-founded the original Lockheed Aircraft Company with his brother Malcolm in 1916 in Santa Barbara. Their first successful aircraft, the Model G seaplane, led to several innovative designs before the company went dormant in the 1920s due to financial hardship. In 1926, investor Fred Keeler and engineer Jack Northrop revived the brand as the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in Hollywood, and by the early 1930s its headquarters had moved to Burbank.
During this period, Lockheed’s engineers were testing high-performance designs that demanded broad, open airfields far from populated areas. The Antelope Valley—with its dry climate, smooth alkali flats, and absence of air traffic—offered perfect conditions. Company pilots, mechanics, and test crews used open tracts near Lancaster and Muroc Dry Lake for proving flights, performance trials, and long-distance endurance runs. Aircraft such as the Lockheed Vega, made famous by pilots like Wiley Post and Amelia Earhart, were occasionally tested in these desert settings to assess handling and engine reliability under extreme heat and dust conditions.
These early desert test flights did more than validate aircraft—they demonstrated the region’s unmatched utility for flight experimentation. Word of the valley’s favorable flying conditions spread quickly through the Southern California aviation community, influencing later government and industry decisions. By the late 1930s, Muroc Dry Lake had been adopted by the Army Air Corps as a training and test site, the foundation of what became Edwards Air Force Base. Lockheed’s early desert work thus helped pave the way—both literally and figuratively—for the Antelope Valley’s transformation into America’s aerospace heartland.
Would you like me to include a short timeline of Lockheed’s Antelope Valley involvement leading up to World War II?
Timeline – Pearl L. (Allan) Lockheed and the Antelope Valley
1916 – Allan and Malcolm Loughead establish the Loughead Aircraft Manufacturing Company in Santa Barbara. They produce innovative seaplanes but struggle financially after World War I.
1926 – The Lockheed Aircraft Corporation is formed in Hollywood by a group of investors who revive the Loughead name and employ engineer Jack Northrop. The company quickly earns a reputation for strong, streamlined aircraft.
1927 – The first Lockheed Vega is built in a small shop in Hollywood. Designed for speed and endurance, it became one of the most successful aircraft of its time.
Late 1920s – Test flights begin taking advantage of Southern California’s wide, dry basins. Open areas north of Los Angeles, including the Antelope Valley, are occasionally used for long-range testing due to their flat terrain and low population density.
1930 – Lockheed relocates to Burbank, expanding production of the Vega, Air Express, and Orion aircraft. Pilots testing these aircraft frequently utilize the high desert for performance runs and navigation trials.
Early 1930s – As aircraft speeds increase and test safety becomes a growing concern, engineers and pilots continue to explore isolated desert fields near Lancaster and Muroc Dry Lake for proving flights. These flights help identify the area’s potential for larger-scale aviation operations.
Mid-1930s – Lockheed’s reputation for precision engineering attracts both private and government attention. The Antelope Valley becomes recognized within aviation circles as an ideal environment for high-speed, high-altitude testing.
1937 – The U.S. Army Air Corps begins using Muroc Dry Lake for training and gunnery practice, laying the foundation for what will become Muroc Army Air Field in 1938. Lockheed’s earlier presence in the area helps establish its suitability for military and industrial testing.
By the end of the 1930s, Lockheed was producing advanced aircraft such as the Model 14 Super Electra, and the Antelope Valley’s airfields were becoming integral to regional aerospace testing. These developments mark the beginning of the desert’s long association with flight research, innovation, and the aerospace industry that would define it in the decades to come.