Convair CV-880
Convair · United States · first flew 1959 · airliner
The Convair CV-880 was an American four-engine jet airliner designed to be the fastest commercial airliner of its day, competing with the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 through speed rather than capacity. Its narrow fuselage and high speed came at the cost of efficiency and economics.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, swept |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 4 × turbojet, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Narrow fuselage with 4-abreast seating — smaller than Boeing 707 and DC-8 |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Slim fast early American jet airliner — fastest commercial airliner of its era at entry
- Four General Electric CJ805 turbojets underwing
- Narrow fuselage with 4-abreast seating — smaller than Boeing 707 and DC-8
Sleek narrow-body four-engine jet with a slimmer fuselage than the 707 or DC-8, swept low wings, and four GE turbojets in under-wing pods.
Specifications
- The Convair CV-880 has a length of 39.42 m (129 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 36.58 m (120 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 980 km/h (609 mph).
- Typical crew: 3 flight crew.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Launched in the late 1950s targeting operators who valued speed over seat count, the CV-880 first flew in January 1959. Delta Air Lines and TWA were the primary US customers. Despite its impressive speed — the '880' name referenced 880 feet per second cruise speed — the aircraft was expensive to operate and its narrow fuselage limited revenue. Only 65 were built; financial losses from the CV-880 and CV-990 programmes contributed to Convair's withdrawal from the airliner market.
Variants
The CV-880M was a slightly modified version with more fuel; the related CV-990 Coronado was a longer, higher-capacity development with distinctive aft-fuselage nacelles.
Where you'll see it
Operated by Delta, TWA, Northeast Airlines, and Cathay Pacific; retired from Western airlines by the mid-1970s; a few flew for cargo operators and charter airlines afterward.
Related aircraft
- Convair CV-990 Coronado
- Convair B-58 Hustler
- Convair F-106 Delta Dart
- Convair CV-440 Metropolitan
- Antonov An-24
- Boeing 720
- Sud Aviation Caravelle III
- Vickers Vanguard
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