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| Announced in April 1956, the Convair 880 was produced as a medium-range jet transport. It was built in two versions: the 880 Model 22 basic model with 49.8kN General Electric CJ-805-3 turbojet engines, flown for the first time on 27 January 1959; and the 880 Model 22-M with 51.8kN CJ-805-3B turbojets, power-boosted rudder and four leading-edge slats. The first 880 Model 22-M flew on 3 October 1960. Most 880s had been withdrawn from service by their original operators by 1973. FACTS AND FIGURES © The engines were a civilian
version of the J79 as used in
the F-104 Starfighter and
F-4 Phantom. © The seating arrangement of five
seats per row gave more passenger
comfort but reduced profitability
compared to the Boeing 707 and
the Douglas DC-8.
© The CV-990 had latge aerodynamic
fairings, named 'Küchmann Carrots',
on the trailing edges. These created
the 'area rule' effect, allowing a higher
Mach number, and the CV-990 was
rhe fastest subsonic airliner ever.
 | A three-view drawing (1346 x 678) |
| CREW | 5 |
| PASSENGERS | 88-110 |
| ENGINE | 4 x GE CJ-805, 51.8kN |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 87540 kg | 192994 lb |
| Empty weight | 42185 kg | 93002 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 36.6 m | 120 ft 1 in |
| Length | 39.4 m | 129 ft 3 in |
| Height | 11.0 m | 36 ft 1 in |
| Wing area | 185.8 m2 | 1999.93 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Cruise speed | 990 km/h | 615 mph |
| Range w/max.fuel | 7100 km | 4412 miles |
| Range w/max payload | 6400 km | 3977 miles |
| GrahamClayton, e-mail, 01.01.2023 05:33 Is it true that Howard Hughes, the controlling shareholder in TWA, wouldn't let Covair sell any 880s to airlines that competed directly with TWA? reply | | David, e-mail, 06.04.2022 02:57 1. The Con Vere 880 Was Fastest Passenger Air Inner of it Time in 01 /01 /1959 . top Speed of 615 M.P.H Or Mack-08079. reply | | Jeff Jarvis, e-mail, 06.05.2016 07:57 My first ride on a jet was on a Delta Convair 880 from New Orleans to Chicago in June, 1962. We loved the DC-6 /7 and the Connies, and we didn't know what to expect. At departure time we wondered when they were going to start the engines, then we felt a slight bump and realized we were moving! Only then did we notice the faint hum that sounded kind of like a Hoover vacuum cleaner. We turned onto the runway and stopped, and after a few seconds we heard a shrieking roar develop with lots of black smoke coming from under the wing, he released the brakes and we were pinned back in our seats. Real soon he rotated and we proceeded to climb at a really steep angle. I looked ay my brother and said something about our beloved prop airliners being finished! And, so they were... After an hour and 55 minutes we were at our gate in O'Hare. I rode many more times on the 880 after that, mostly on Delta, and once on TWA too, but I never got to fly it. I flew the DC-3, DC-4, DC-6, DC-8, DC-10, 707, 727, 747 and A300-600, and liked them all (except the Airbus), but that first ride on the 880 was special. BTW, the CJ805-3 does NOT use water injection. The black smoke is due to the engine design, and the CJ805-23B on the 990 was also a smoker. Burner can changes can eliminate most of that. In the early years, the JT8D also put out a lot of smoke, then the new burner cans were installed in the early '70s and the smoke mostly disappeared. reply | | Bob White, e-mail, 19.03.2016 23:52 The CV-880 was a well-designed and well-built aircraft.Convair invested considerable expense and effort in design,construction and testing of the CV-880.Unfortunately,the plane was not a hit with airlines and its niche of being faster,quieter,and more comfortable than its competitors failed to create demand.Even sadder,there has been little interest in preserving the few remaining airframes of this great american airliner. reply | |
| | Eike Hahn, e-mail, 06.04.2015 17:13 Hello! Thank you for all the info about the convairs and the Lisa Marie and your sympathy for this wonderful aircraft. Could anybody say, when was the very last flight from "880 Echo Papa" and who was the pilots?
And I looking for the pilots who flew for Elvis and like to have a eMail Interview for an german Elvis clubmagazine! Please feel free to write me at eikehahn(at)web.de
Thanks again and have a great time! reply | | tom usrey, e-mail, 27.02.2015 09:06 I flew the 880 as copilot and up graded on as captain in 1968. was a beautiful ac to fly was with twa 25 yrs reply |
| john zaeske, e-mail, 12.02.2015 22:17 My favorite airplane to fly at TWA reply | | Luiz Sergio Pinto Guedes, e-mail, 12.02.2015 00:24 When the Convair-880 had its first flight, I was 10 years old, but I remember the report in the magazine Popular Mechanics, and it was a great happening. Congratulations to the General Dynamics, Convair Division 11-february-2015
Luiz Sergio Pinto Guedes
Avenida Bartolomeu de Gusmão 46 apt 911-D, Embaré, 11045-400, Santos, SP, Brasil
telephones 55-13-32279281, 55-13-991737222
lspguedes@hotmail.com
Skype lspguedes@hotmail.com reply | | capt CHARLES LEAK DAL, e-mail, 01.08.2014 04:39 BEST LANDING AIRCRAFT EVER-DIDN'T EVEN FEEL TOUCH-DOWNS HAIRY ON ENGINE OUT TAKE-OFF AS V1& V2 WERE ABOUT THE SAME. SEE CRASH IN ATL reply | | Dan Jenkins, e-mail, 09.07.2014 21:55 I flew the 880 for Delta as an FE and FO in 1970 and 1971. My introduction to commercial aviation. I have only good memories of that wonderful machine. reply | | kurnia, e-mail, 16.03.2014 04:46 how length runway for these CV 880 M ?
*help reply | | jerry diez, e-mail, 08.01.2014 21:41 I owned and operated a Convair 880-22 (N55NW) hauling meat out of Miami to Venezuela. I converted the airplane from a passenger interior to a bulk freighter in 27 days at Miami International and on day 28 we were already operating our first flight between Miami and Puerto Orzaz (Ciudad Bolivar) with 55.000 lbs. of beef, strapped down with 5G nets. I leased with an option to purchase the airplane at at incredible low price and the maintenance reserves were also very low, so with jet fuel in Miami at $0.34 a Gallon (1977) and much lower in Venezuela, the operation was profitable even returning empty. I was a young 707 piloto then but never flew the 880 as captain, however I flew right seat from the beggining, a real hot airplane. Our 880 was the first four-engine jet to land in Puerto Ordaz and Barquisimeto, Venezuela and it was fun coming into those runways. Our heavy take-offs were from MIA and we rolled 10,200 feet (accelerate-stop_ out of the 10.500 foot Runway 09L. A remarkable airplane, strong, low maintenance, although a handful to fly. It was the first jet I owned, so N55NW holds a special place in my heart. It ended down in Maiquetia, Venezuela and I saw often when I lived and flew out of there a few years ago. reply | | Daniel Sproat, e-mail, 30.09.2013 05:00 My father was part of of the Propulsion Group on the 880 project. Bernie Simons, chief project engineer, was a good friend.the engines ran a little rich- so they were smokey. They did not use water injection like the first DC-8s and 707s. They didn't need extra power to get up. reply | | BJ Smith, e-mail, 13.02.2012 04:52 I flew the CV880 as a stew for Delta in HOU from 5 /65 for 2 years (with a brief stint in ATL on the 8). DL didn't rename stews as f /a's until 1974. At the time I flew DL, all the ship numbers were in the 900s -- Elvis' plane would have been ship 904, and definitely NOT 804, because by that time, DL had DC-8s, and THOSE were numbered in the 800s.
The CV880 was an AWESOME bird! One experience I remember vivdly was approching JFK -- we were very close to touchdown, when, all of a sudden we shot up at a VERY sharp angle -- the plane before us had not cleared the runway.
As I remember it, the CV880 was the pilot's dream! And for me -- so beautiful a bird, and so awesome to work. reply | |
| | BJ Smith, e-mail, 13.02.2012 04:43 I flew the CV880 as a stew for Delta in HOU from 5 /65 for 2 years (with a brief stint in ATL on the 8). DL didn't rename stews as f /a's until 1974. At the time I flew DL, all the ship numbers were in the 900s -- Elvis' plane would have been ship 904, and definitely NOT 804, because by that time, DL had DC-8s, and THOSE were numbered in the 800s.
The CV880 was an AWESOME bird! One experience I remember vivdly was approching JFK -- we were very close to touchdown, when, all of a sudden we shot up at a VERY sharp angle -- the plane before us had not cleared the runway.
As I remember it, the CV880 was the pilot's dream! And for me -- so beautiful a bird, and so awesome to work. reply | | john e wallace, e-mail, 27.11.2011 13:36 The 880 had the same engines as the B-58 Hustler. Like all other early jet airliners it was designed when fuel was $.25 was a lb. The bean counters would go nuts today. Black smoke was from water injection. Not the ideal aircraft for noise abatement either. reply | | David Ellis, e-mail, 13.11.2011 19:41 I was fortunate enough to fly as an S /O instructor and later as a F /O on Delta's CV-880s. Probably the most responsive engine response (variable stators) and attitude stable aircraft on final approach thet I ever flew; 3000 pph per engine in cruise and final approach was a good staring point. reply | | Don Kaufman, 07.10.2011 17:43 Worked for Northeast at IDL, LGA and MIA... Started with them on the DC 3's, then DC 6B, then Viscount finishing on the 880's... Fond memories, golden years,we had Captians, Co-Pilots, Flight Engineers and Stews..We looked forward to going to work... the Golden Years.. dgk reply | | ron strauss, e-mail, 12.05.2011 03:51 My correct email rstrauss@cfl.rr.com reply | | Ron Strauss, e-mail, 12.05.2011 03:49 I flew the CV880 880M 990 all were great planes.Also flew the Lisa Maria for Elvis 1975 77.Iam giving talks on flying Elvis for free. 386 453 6575 reply |
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COMPANY
PROFILE
All the World's Rotorcraft
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tom usrey
You may not remember me but I lived around the corner from you when you lived on east 38th terrace in Independence. In fact, I mowed your lawn the summer of 1970 just before I started high school. One day you arrived home from a flight while I was mowing. You got out of your car wearing your captain’s uniform & carrying your flight bag and suitcase. A short while later you came out the back door and wearing a pair of shorts and put a large steak on the grill. I remember thinking “what a life that must be!†I began reading everything I could put my hands on that had to do with flying. I entered college 3 years later and began flight training along with my regular studies. By graduation I had earned my private certificate & instrument rating.
Although my college major took me in a different career path I am still an active pilot. I am retired now after spending most of my career in logistics management for several major companies.
Not sure if you will even see this but thought I would share and also thank you for inspiring me to pursue my love of flying.
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