Convair 880

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Convair 880
Convair 880 N8802E Delta ATL 15.04.72 edited-2.jpg
The Convair 880 is a low-wing airliner with four underwing turbojets.
Role Narrow-body jet airliner
National originUnited States
Manufacturer Convair
First flightJanuary 27, 1959
IntroductionMay 1960 with Delta Air Lines
Retired1998
StatusRetired
Primary users Trans World Airlines
Delta Air Lines
Japan Airlines
Swissair
Produced1959–1962
Number built65
Variants Convair 990 Coronado

The Convair 880 was a retired American narrow-body jet airliner produced by the Convair division of General Dynamics. It was designed to compete with the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 by being smaller but faster, a niche that failed to create demand. When it was first introduced, some[ who? ] in aviation circles claimed that at 615 mph (990 km/h), it was the fastest jet transport in the world. [1] [ better source needed ] Only 65 Convair 880s were produced over the lifetime of the production run from 1959 to 1962, and General Dynamics eventually withdrew from the airliner market after considering the 880 project a failure. The Convair 990 Coronado was a stretched and faster variant of the 880.

Contents

Development

A Convair 880 prototype. The model made its maiden flight on 27 January 1959. Air-to-air with a Convair 880.jpg
A Convair 880 prototype. The model made its maiden flight on 27 January 1959.

Convair began development of a medium-range commercial jet in April 1956, to compete with announced products from Boeing and Douglas. Initially the design was called the Skylark, but the name was later changed to the Golden Arrow, then Convair 600 and then finally the 880, both numbers referring to its top speed of 600 mph (970 km/h) or 880 ft/s (268 m/s). It was powered by General Electric CJ-805-3 turbojets, a civilian version of the J79 which powered the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom, [2] and Convair B-58 Hustler.

The first example of the Model 22 FAA Type Certificate, [3] initial production version (no prototype was built) made its maiden flight on 27 January 1959. [2] After production started, the Federal Aviation Administration mandated additional instrumentation, which Convair added by placing a "raceway" hump on the top of the fuselage, rather than ripping apart the interiors over the wing area. The final assembly of the 880 and 990 took place at the Convair facilities in San Diego, California. [4]

Design

Convair 880 cockpit Convair 880 Lisa Marie Graceland Memphis TN 2013-04-01 007.jpg
Convair 880 cockpit

The airliner never became widely used, and the production line shut down after only three years. The 880's five-abreast seating made it unattractive to airlines, while Boeing was able to outcompete it with the Boeing 720, which could be sold at a significantly lower price, as it was a minimal modification of the existing 707. In addition, the General Electric engines had a higher specific fuel consumption than the Boeing's Pratt & Whitney JT3Cs.

General Dynamics lost around $185 million over the lifetime of the project, although some sources estimate much higher losses.[ citation needed ] The aircraft were involved in 17 accidents and five hijackings.

A modified version of the basic 880 was the "-M" version, which incorporated four leading-edge slats per wing, Krueger leading-edge flaps between the fuselage and inboard engines, power-boosted rudder, added engine thrust, increased fuel capacity, stronger landing gear, greater adjustment to seating pitch, and a simpler overhead compartment arrangement. [5]

A more major modification to the 880 became the Convair 990, produced in parallel with the 880-M between 1961 and 1963. Swissair named theirs Coronado, after an island off the San Diego coast and where the first 990 landed. [5]

Operational history

The 880 entered service with Delta Air Lines in May 1960. DAL-Convair-880inflight.jpg
The 880 entered service with Delta Air Lines in May 1960.

The design entered service with Delta Air Lines in May 1960, slightly modified as the 880-22M, having newer-version 805-3B engines. The 880s were flown by Cathay Pacific, Delta, Japan Airlines, Northeast Airlines, Swissair, TWA, and VIASA.

As they left commercial service, many 880s were bought by American Jet Industries for various uses. One example was converted to freighter use in 1974, and flew until 1982 with various companies. Another was used to train FAA flight examiners until it was destroyed by a minor explosion in the cargo hold in 1995. Most of the remaining examples were scrapped by 2000.

The United States Navy acquired one 880-M in 1980, modifying it as an in-flight tanker. It had been purchased new from Convair by the FAA, and used for 18 years. [5] Unofficially designated UC-880, it was assigned to the Naval Air Test Center at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, and employed in Tomahawk cruise missile testing and aircraft refueling procedures. The UC-880 was damaged in a cargo-hold explosive decompression test at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, in 1995. [6] The aircraft was judged to still have been controllable using backup systems had the decompression occurred in flight. [5]

Operators

Lounge interior of Trans World Airlines, the 880 major operator TWA Convair 880 Lounge Publicity Photo.jpg
Lounge interior of Trans World Airlines, the 880 major operator

Civil operators

(♠ = original operators)

Military operators

The Convair UC-880 refuelling an F-14 Tomcat DN-ST-92-10041.jpg
The Convair UC-880 refuelling an F-14 Tomcat
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States

Accidents and incidents

Surviving aircraft

Elvis' Convair 880, named Lisa Marie after his daughter Lisa Marie.jpg
Elvis' Convair 880, named Lisa Marie after his daughter

Specifications

The 880 was powered by four underwing General Electric CJ-805 turbojets. Convair 880 N801TW.jpg
The 880 was powered by four underwing General Electric CJ-805 turbojets.
Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1965–66 [49]
Variant2222M
Crew3
Capacity110 passengers / 24,000 lb (11,000 kg)
Length129 ft 4 in (39.42 m)
Height36 ft 3.75 in (11.07 m)
Wing120 ft 0 in (36.58 m) span, 2,000 sq ft (190 m2) area (7.2 AR)
Airfoilroot: NACA 0011-64 (modified); tip: NACA 0008-64 (modified)
Empty weight87,400 lb (39,600 kg)94,000 lb (43,000 kg)
Fuel capacity10,584 US gal (40,060 L)12,538 US gal (47,460 L) [lower-alpha 1]
MTOW 184,500 lb (83,700 kg)193,000 lb (88,000 kg)
4 × turbojets General Electric CJ-805-3 General Electric CJ-805-3B
Unit thrust11,650 lbf (51.8 kN)
Cruise470–534.5 kn (870–990 km/h) [lower-alpha 2]
Ceiling41,000 ft (12,000 m)
Range2,472 nmi (4,578 km) [lower-alpha 3] 2,503 nmi (4,636 km) [lower-alpha 4]
Wing loading92.25 lb/sq ft (450.4 kg/m2)96.5 lb/sq ft (471 kg/m2)
Take-off8,750 ft (2,670 m)7,550 ft (2,300 m)
Landing [lower-alpha 5] 6,250 ft (1,900 m)5,350 ft (1,630 m)
  1. with optional centre-section tanks
  2. max. cruise at 22,500 ft (6,900 m) (at MTOW), econ. cruise M0.82 at 35,000 ft (11,000 m) and 140,000 lb (64,000 kg) weight
  3. 22,500 lb (10,200 kg) payload and 14,000 lb (6,400 kg) reserve fuel
  4. 24,000 lb (11,000 kg) payload and 16,000 lb (7,300 kg) reserve fuel
  5. at 135,000 lb (61,000 kg)

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

Related Research Articles

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References

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Further reading