Convair 990 coronado

The internet at large has been ablaze recently with stories about a radio-controlled scale convair 990 coronado of a World War II German King Tiger tank whose job was to drill holes in over-pressurized Space Shuttle tires during ground tests, convair 990 coronado. Now, whether a Second World War German tank serving as the basis for this vehicle has any explanation other than NASA engineers being the most lovable dorks in the Milky Way or not is up for some debate.

While many aircraft came to the market during the 50s and early 60s, two significant rivals were the Boeing and Douglas DC-8, two quad-engine jet airliners. And as promised, it delivered speeds of Mach 0. According to Key Aero, established by an ex-Iberia pilot, Spantax initially grew its fleet during the first half of the s with various Douglas aircraft, such as the DC-3, -4, -6, and -7 not specifically in that order. Although the carrier hoped to dive into the jet age by adding the DC-8 to its lineup of Douglas planes, the cost was too steep. Fortunately, there were Convair s to go around. The Spantax purchased 14 between American Airlines and Swissair, which is impressive since the manufacturer only built 37 of them.

Convair 990 coronado

In the early jet age, the market was dominated by two American quad-engine long-range airliners, the Boeing and the Douglas DC These aircraft flew faster, higher, and further than their piston-powered predecessors, drastically changing the world of aviation forever. Breaking into such a market was going to be no easy task, and Convair, a subdivision of the larger General Dynamics Corporation, thought it might know just the secret to breaking into the jet market. The manufacturer would build the fastest aircraft to ever take to the skies at the time, flying 25 to 35 miles per hour faster in cruise than the and DC But this aircraft would never quite succeed in the market, and only 37 of the type were ever built. The project was a commercial failure, and Convair would never enter the civilian airliner business again. The plane was ultimately built on a false promise: the idea that speed would sell aircraft over fuel efficiency. In this article, we will take a deeper look at the story behind the Convair Coronado. The Convair has its roots in the manufacturer's series. This four-engine design was Convair's first attempt at competing with the aforementioned Boeing and Douglas DC

Photo: Rob Hodgkins via Wikimedia Commons.

Convair developed this American-built, narrow-body, four-engined aircraft in response to a request from American Airlines AA. Although AA had not operated the Convair , they had extensively studied the airliner. As a result, AA requested a larger airframe with transcontinental capabilities. American Airlines wanted a jet that could fly coast-to-coast 45 minutes faster than its competitors, the Boeing and Douglas DC The Convair Coronado was a stretched version of the Convair , with a longer fuselage that increased passenger capacity to between 96 and , although still fewer than the Boeing and Douglas DC

This aircraft was the Convair Coronado. Outside of the box engineering allowed it to cruise faster than any other airliner that came before it and quicker than any plane we have today. All of this is amazing when you consider it was developed in the early s for transcontinental flights. While it might have been busy breaking speed records, it was also breaking the bank. Built by a division of General Dynamics in response to a request from American Airlines, the Convair Coronado was a stretched version of the company's earlier Convair The Convair Coronado was 10 feet longer than the allowing for between eight and eleven more passengers, which equated to between 96 and Despite the increase in passenger numbers, the plane was still unable to match the capacity of the Boeing or the Douglas DC-8 to

Convair 990 coronado

On 5 January , a Convair Coronado operated by the Spanish airline Spantax crashed shortly after take-off from Stockholm Arlanda Airport , killing five of the ten people on board. The aircraft was earlier that evening about to fly to Mallorca with Swedish travelers, but at take-off the number 4 engine developed a fault. The take-off was aborted and the aircraft returned to the gate and the passengers were allowed to leave the aircraft. At hours the aircraft started its take-off roll on runway

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Retrieved Sources: Key Aero , Airways. Private jets, the operators of which are mostly unconcerned with fuel costs, exist in a market where speed can be compromised for fuel efficiency. The 's niche was soon captured by the Boeing and Boeing B , derivatives of the Boeing , and later by the Boeing What Convair required was an all-new airliner platform on the basis of the but with many of its design's shortcomings addressed to satisfy American Airline's requirements. American Airlines' timetables show little or no difference in scheduled time between and A flights. Many changes were made to counter the transonic drag, such as a new 39 degree swept wing and nacelle fairings, but the did not perform as promised. Later during the design period, Convair modified the design to include fuel in the outboard pods as well, but during the initial test flights the extra weight caused the outboard engines to oscillate in certain conditions. Retrieved 26 September Miami, Florida: World Transport Press, And don't forget, they can be personalized with more than that to make a special gift.

The Coronado is gradually being restored. Gabriel Alomar.

Although the carrier hoped to dive into the jet age by adding the DC-8 to its lineup of Douglas planes, the cost was too steep. By the turn of the 60s, Convair was already intimately familiar with jet power. Like this story? There were 37 CVs produced. The CV PlaneTags are available now at planetags. But at the start of the program in the late s, Convair genuinely wanted to re-invent the wheel with the jet. Unfortunately, the cost to keep the airline afloat and fuel for the very thirsty Coronados began to take a toll on the once-prominent Spanish carrier. American Airlines' timetables show little or no difference in scheduled time between and A flights. Proctor, Jon. December Miami: World Transport Press.