TheConvair 880 is a retired Americannarrow-bodyjet airliner produced by theConvair division ofGeneral Dynamics. It was designed to compete with theBoeing 707 andDouglas 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. TheConvair 990 Coronado was a stretched and faster variant of the 880.
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 fromBoeing andDouglas. Initially the design was called theSkylark, but the name was later changed to theGolden 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 byGeneral Electric CJ-805-3 turbojets, a civilian version of theJ79 which powered theLockheed F-104 Starfighter,McDonnell DouglasF-4 Phantom,[2] andConvair 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, theFederal 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]
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 theBoeing 720, which could be sold at a significantly lower price, as it was a minimal modification of the existing 707.[5] In addition, the General Electric engines had a higherspecific fuel consumption than the Boeing'sPratt & Whitney JT3Cs.
General Dynamics lost around $185 million over the lifetime of the project, although some sources estimate much higher losses.[6] 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.[7]
A more major modification to the 880 became theConvair 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.[7]
As they left commercial service, many 880s were bought byAmerican 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.
TheUnited 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.[7] Unofficially designated UC-880, it was assigned to theNaval Air Test Center atNAS 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.[8] The aircraft was judged to still have been controllable using backup systems had the decompression occurred in flight.[7]
On May 23, 1960, Delta Air Lines Flight 1903, a CV-880-22-1 (N8804E), crashed on takeoff at Atlanta Municipal Airport (nowAtlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport), resulting in the loss of all four crew members. This flight was to be a training sortie for two Delta captains who were being type-rated on the 880. At rotation, the aircraft pitched nose up, rolled left, and then back more steeply to the right, at which time it struck the ground, broke apart, and was consumed by a fire.[25]
On August 26, 1966, a Japan Air Lines CV-880-22M-3 (JA8030)crashed on takeoff fromHaneda Airport during a training flight, killing all five crew members. When the nose lifted up, the aircraft yawed to the left, for reasons unknown. The number one engine struck the runway and the aircraft left the runway and the nose went back down. All four engines separated, as well as the nose and left main gear, and the aircraft caught fire. The aircraft was leased from Japan Domestic Airlines.[26]
On November 5, 1967, Cathay Pacific Flight 033, a CV-880-22M-3 (VR-HFX) overran the runway on takeoff fromKai Tak Airport following a loss of control after the right nosewheel blew, killing 1 of 127 on board.[27]
On June 24, 1969,Japan Air Lines Flight 90, a CV-880-22M-3 (JA8028,Kikyo), crashed on takeoff fromGrant County Airport,Washington, killing three of the five crew members. The flight was to simulate a takeoff with one engine out. Power was reduced to the number four engine during takeoff, but the aircraft continued to yaw to the right until the number four engine struck the runway. The aircraft slid off the runway and caught fire.[29]
On June 15, 1972, a bomb exploded on boardCathay Pacific Flight 700Z over Pleiku, South Vietnam, killing all 81 passengers and crew on board.[30]
On August 20, 1977, a Monarch Aviation CV-880-22-2 (N8817E) struck trees and crashed shortly after takeoff fromJuan Santamaria International Airport,Costa Rica, due to overloading, killing the three crew.[32]
38 –Lisa Marie – On display atGraceland inMemphis, Tennessee:[44][45] Formerly N8809E with Delta, Elvis Presley purchased the aircraft in 1975 and named it afterhis daughter.[46][47] In January 2015, it was put up for sale and eventually bought back by Elvis Presley Enterprises and displayed as part of the Presley Museum collection.[48]
58 – Converted into a lodge inEast London, South Africa:[49] This airframe was converted into abusiness jet in the 1970s (registration N88CH). It was purchased by theCiskei government in 1987 intended for use by presidentLennox Sebe, but remained atBhisho Airport for several years due to a lack of funds to make it airworthy. In 1992, it was bought by Billy Nel (nowEastern Cape Provincial FinanceMEC), who had it transported to his private residence north ofEast London, South Africa. The 1970s, VIP interior with couches, beds and a bar remain intact, and it is used for private functions. The aircraft is on display at the Morganville Farm Private Motorcycle Museum. One of the engines was donated to theStutterheim Engine Museum.[8][50]
