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46-422: This aircraft was manufactured by Convair in 1958 and given the tail number 58-0787 . It served with the 71st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron based at Malmstrom Air Force Base adjacent to Great Falls, Montana . During a routine training flight conducting aerial combat maneuvers on February 2, 1970, the aircraft entered a flat spin . The pilot, First Lieutenant Gary Foust, deployed the aircraft's drag chute as

92-524: A different approach and started development of the 787 in 2003 with a new composite frame and more fuel-efficient engines. This would prove to be the smarter choice as the lighter airframe paired with two next generation engines ( Trent 1000 and GEnx ) was much less costly to operate then the quad engine A380. The final blow to the A380 program came when Emirates cancelled a major order in 2018 and left Airbus without enough demand to continue production. It cancelled

138-599: A jet aircraft has confirmed one opinion I had formed after flying as a passenger in the Lancastrian jet test beds, that few, if any, having flown in a jet-propelled transport, will wish to revert to the noise, vibration and attendant fatigue of an airscrew-propelled piston-engined aircraft" The first purpose-built jet airliner was the British de Havilland Comet which first flew in 1949 and entered service in 1952 with BOAC. It carried 36 passengers up to 2500 miles (4000 km) at

184-423: A last resort while attempting to recover. When it failed Foust ejected at an altitude of 15,000 feet (4,600 m). The reduction in weight and change in center of gravity caused by the removal of the pilot, coupled with the blast force of his seat rocketing out of the plane pushing the nose of the aircraft down, which had been trimmed by Foust for takeoff and idle throttle, caused the aircraft to recover from

230-511: A speed of 450mph (725 km/h). Serious structural problems arose not even two years after entering service and prompted several changes in design. The last original Comet was retrofitted in 1958. Also developed in 1949 was the Avro Canada C102 Jetliner , which never reached production; however, the term jetliner came into use as a generic term for passenger jet aircraft. These first jet airliners were followed some years later by

276-623: A superior product: American Airlines ordered the pioneering Comet (but later cancelled when the Comet ran into metal fatigue problems), Canadian, British and European airlines could not ignore the better operating economics of the Boeing 707 and the DC-8, while some American airlines ordered the Caravelle. Boeing became the most successful of the early manufacturers. The KC-135 Stratotanker and military versions of

322-519: A very reliable booster for launching of satellites and continued to evolve, remaining in use into the 21st century, when combined with the Centaur upper stage to form the Atlas-Centaur launch vehicle for launching geosynchronous communication satellites and space probes . The Centaur rocket was also designed, developed, and produced by Convair, and it was the first widely used outer space rocket to use

368-705: Is widely used today to calculate trigonometric functions in calculators , field-programmable gate arrays , and other small electronic systems. General Dynamics announced the sale of the Missile Systems Division segment of Convair to Hughes Aircraft Company in May 1992 and the Space Systems Division segment to Martin Marietta in 1994. In July 1994, General Dynamics and McDonnell Douglas mutually agreed to terminate Convair's contract to provide fuselages for

414-713: The 49th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron , the final Air Force unit to operate the F-106. Foust flew the aircraft again in 1979 while training at Tyndall Air Force Base . Upon its retirement, it was presented to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in August 1986, where it remains on display. 48°10′40″N 110°06′53″W  /  48.17778°N 110.11472°W  / 48.17778; -110.11472 Convair Convair , previously Consolidated Vultee ,

460-513: The BAC One-Eleven and Douglas DC-9 twinjets ; Boeing 727 , Hawker Siddeley Trident and Tupolev Tu-154 trijets ; and the paired multi-engined Ilyushin Il-62 , and Vickers VC10 . The world-renowned supersonic Concorde first flew in 1969 but proved to be an economical disaster. Only 14 ever entered service, and the last Concorde was retired in 2003. The 1960s jet airliners were known for

506-582: The Convair B-36 Peacemaker and Convair B-58 Hustler strategic bombers, and the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger and Convair F-106 Delta Dart interceptors. It also manufactured the first Atlas rockets, including the rockets that were used for the crewed orbital flights of Project Mercury . The company's subsequent Atlas-Centaur design continued this success and derivatives of the design remain in use as of 2023. The company also entered

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552-542: The Mirage fighter planes . One of Convair's most famous products was the ten-engined Convair B-36 strategic bomber, burning four turbojets and turning six pusher propellers driven by Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major radial piston engines. The Convair B-36 was the largest landbased piston engined bomber in the world. The Atlas missile , the F-102 Delta Dagger and F-106 Delta Dart delta-winged interceptors, and

598-566: The Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 space probes, the first two to be launched on trajectories that carried them out of the Solar System . In addition to aircraft, missiles, and space vehicles, Convair developed the large Charactron vacuum tubes, a form of cathode-ray tube (CRT) computer display with a shaped mask to form characters, and to give an example of a minor product, the CORDIC algorithms, which

644-768: The Sud Aviation Caravelle from France, the Tupolev Tu-104 from the Soviet Union (2nd in service), and the Boeing 707 , Douglas DC-8 and Convair 880 from the United States. National prestige was attached to developing prototypes and bringing these early designs into service. There was also a strong nationalism in purchasing policy, so that US Boeing and Douglas aircraft became closely associated with Pan Am , while BOAC ordered British Comets. Pan Am and BOAC, with

690-530: The Tupolev Tu-144 , have been superseded. The 1970s jet airliners introduced wide-body (twin-aisle) craft and high-bypass turbofan engines . Pan Am and Boeing "again opened a new era in commercial aviation" when the first Boeing 747 entered service in January 1970, marking the debut of the high-bypass turbofan which lowered operating costs, and the initial models which could seat up to 400 passengers earned it

736-525: The U.S. Air Force using V-2 technology motors in response to the Soviet missile threat. It was first launched in 1957 but its use as an ICBM was soon replaced in 1962 by the room-temperature liquid-fueled Titan II missile , and later by the solid-fueled Minuteman missile . The Atlas rocket transitioned into a civilian launch vehicle and was used for the first orbital crewed U.S. space flights during Project Mercury in 1962 and 1963. The Atlas rocket became

782-405: The jet airliner business with its Convair 880 and Convair 990 designs. These were smaller than contemporary aircraft like the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 , but somewhat faster than both. This combination of features failed to find a profitable niche and the company exited the airliner design business. However, the manufacturing capability built up for these projects proved very profitable and

828-527: The 1950s, used the simpler turbojet engine; these were quickly supplanted by designs using turbofans , which are quieter and more fuel-efficient. The first airliners with turbojet propulsion were experimental conversions of the Avro Lancastrian piston-engined airliner, which were flown with several types of early jet engine, including the de Havilland Ghost and the Rolls-Royce Nene . They retained

874-590: The 300-seat MD-11 airliner. Manufacturing responsibility was to be transferred to McDonnell Douglas, which said it would not preserve the operation in San Diego. General Dynamics had tried for two years to sell the Aircraft structures segment of Convair unit, but the effort ultimately failed. The termination of the contract meant the end of the Convair Division and of General Dynamics' presence in San Diego, as well as

920-484: The 707 remain operational, mostly as tankers or freighters . The basic configuration of the Boeing, Convair and Douglas aircraft jet airliner designs, with widely spaced podded engines underslung on pylons beneath a swept wing, proved to be the most common arrangement and was most easily compatible with the large-diameter high-bypass turbofan engines that subsequently prevailed for reasons of quietness and fuel efficiency . The Pratt & Whitney JT3 turbojets powered

966-526: The 767 on long-distance overseas routes that did not require the capacity of larger airliners. By the late 1980s, DC-10 and L-1011 models were approaching retirement age, prompting manufacturers to develop replacement designs. McDonnell Douglas started working on the MD-11 , a stretched and upgraded successor of the DC-10. Airbus, thanks to the success of its A320 family, developed the medium-range A330 twinjet and

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1012-565: The B-24s, and its associated engineering locations and laboratories — all previously used to make hundreds of Consolidated B-24s, General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark fighter-bombers and General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons , along with dozens of smaller projects — were sold, along with all intellectual property and the legal rights to the products designed and built within, to the Lockheed Corporation . In 1996, General Dynamics deactivated all of

1058-754: The Convair company was bought by the General Dynamics Corporation , a conglomerate of military and high-technology companies, and it became officially the Convair Division within General Dynamics. After the beginning of the Jet Age of military fighters and bombers, Convair was a pioneer of the delta-winged aircraft design, along with the French Dassault aircraft company, which designed and built

1104-435: The advancement of the more economical turbofan technology, which passes air around the engine core instead of through it. Jet airliners that entered service in the 1960s were powered by slim, low-bypass turbofan engines, many aircraft used the rear-engined, T-tail configuration, such as the BAC One-Eleven , Boeing 737 , and Douglas DC-9 twinjets ; Boeing 727 , Hawker Siddeley Trident , Tupolev Tu-154 trijets ; and

1150-625: The all- cryogenic fuel-oxidizer combination of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen . The use of this liquid hydrogen – liquid oxygen combination in the Centaur was an important direct precursor to the use of the same fuel-oxidizer combination in the Saturn S-II second stage and the Saturn S-IVB third stage of the gigantic Saturn V Moon rocket of the Apollo program . The S-IVB had earlier also been used as

1196-566: The city's long aircraft-building tradition. The defense contractor once employed 18,000 people there, but after selling its divisions, that number is now zero. General Dynamics closed its complex in Kearny Mesa , demolishing the facility between 1994 and 1996. Homes and offices now occupy the site. The Lindbergh Field plant that produced B-24s during World War II was also demolished and the consolidated rental car facility now occupies this space. The Fort Worth, Texas factory, constructed to build

1242-445: The company became a major subcontractor for airliner fuselages. The jets made their first flights on January 27, 1959 and January 24, 1961 respectively. 65 and 37 examples of the Convair 880 and Convair 990 were produced respectively. In 1994, most of the company's divisions were sold by General Dynamics to McDonnell Douglas and Lockheed , with the remaining components deactivated in 1996. Consolidated produced important aircraft in

1288-489: The delta-winged B-58 Hustler supersonic intercontinental nuclear bomber were all Convair products. For a period of time in the 1960s, Convair manufactured its own line of jet commercial airliners, the Convair 880 and Convair 990 Coronado , but this did not turn out to be profitable. However, Convair found that it was profitable to be an aviation subcontractor and manufacture large subsections of airliners — such as fuselages — for

1334-615: The early years of World War II , especially the B-24 Liberator heavy bomber and the PBY Catalina seaplane for the U.S. armed forces and their allies. Approximately 18,500 B-24s were produced by Consolidated and a number of major contractors across a number of versions; it holds records as the world's most-produced bomber, heavy bomber, multi-engine aircraft, and American military aircraft in history. The Catalina remained in production through May 1945, and more than 4,000 were built. What

1380-488: The help of advertising agencies and their strong nautical traditions of command hierarchy and chain of command (retained from their days of operating flying boats ), were quick to link the "speed of jets" with the safety and security of the "luxury of ocean liners " in the public 's perception . Aeroflot used Soviet Tupolevs , while Air France introduced French Caravelles . Commercial realities dictated exceptions, however, as few airlines could risk missing out on

1426-469: The larger airliner companies, McDonnell Douglas , Boeing , and Lockheed . In the 1950s, Convair shifted money and effort to its missile and rocket projects, producing the Terrier missile ship-launched surface-to-air system for the U.S. Navy during the 1960s and 1970s. Convair's Atlas rocket , originally proposed in 1945 with a unique pressurized cylinder airframe, was revived in the 1950s as an ICBM for

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1472-455: The latest widebody airliners are the Airbus A380 (first flight in 2005), Boeing 787 (first flight in 2009) and Airbus A350 (first flight in 2013). These improvements allowed longer ranges and lower cost of transportation per passenger. Sukhoi Superjet 100 and Airbus A220 (formerly Bombardier CSeries) are examples of narrowbodies with similar level of technological advancements. The A380

1518-543: The nearby mountains. He was later rescued by local residents on snowmobiles. Shortly thereafter, the local sheriff and local residents arrived at the scene of the crash. The thrust from the still-idling jet engine allowed the aircraft to slowly drift on its belly across the field after it landed. The sheriff, having contacted the air base, was informed that he should simply allow the jet to run out of fuel, which occurred one hour and 45 minutes later without further incident. A recovery crew from McClellan Air Force Base arrived on

1564-471: The nickname "Jumbo Jet". The Boeing 747 revolutionized air travel by making commercial air travel more affordable as ticket prices fell and airlines improved their pricing practices. Other wide-body designs included the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and Lockheed L-1011 TriStar trijets , smaller than the Boeing 747 but capable of flying similar long-range routes from airports with shorter runways. There

1610-521: The original Boeing 707 and DC-8 models; in the early 1960s the JT3 was modified into the JT3D low-bypass turbofan for long-range 707 and DC-8 variants. The de Havilland and Tupolev designs had engines incorporated within the wings next to the fuselage , a concept that endured only within military designs while the Caravelle pioneered engines mounted either side of the rear fuselage. The 1960s jet airliners include

1656-499: The paired multi-engined Ilyushin Il-62 , and Vickers VC10 . The rear-engined T-tail arrangement is still used for jetliners with a maximum takeoff weight of less than 50 tons. As of April 2023, 15,591 Boeing 737s have been ordered and 11,395 delivered, and it remains the most produced jet aircraft. Other 1960s developments, such as rocket-assisted takeoff ( RATO ), water-injection , and afterburners (also known as reheat) used on supersonic jetliners (SSTs) such as Concorde and

1702-487: The related long-range A340 quad-jet. In 1988, Boeing began developing what would be the 777 twinjet, using the twin-engine configuration given past design successes, projected engine developments, and reduced-cost benefits. In addition, Boeing also released a major update on their 747, the 747-400 . The most modern airliners are characterized by increased use of composite materials, high-bypass ratio turbofan engines, and more advanced digital flight systems. Examples of

1748-660: The remaining legal entities of the Convair Division. Jet airliner A jet airliner or jetliner is an airliner powered by jet engines (passenger jet aircraft ). Airliners usually have two or four jet engines; three-engined designs were popular in the 1970s but are less common today. Airliners are commonly classified as either the large wide-body aircraft , medium narrow-body aircraft and smaller regional jet . Most airliners today are powered by jet engines, because they are capable of safely operating at high speeds and generate sufficient thrust to power large-capacity aircraft. The first jetliners, introduced in

1794-413: The scene and began to dismantle the aircraft, removing its wings for transport aboard a railroad flat car . The damage to the aircraft was minimal; indeed, one officer on the recovery crew is reported to have stated: If there were any less damage, he would have simply flown the aircraft out of the field. Following its misadventure, the "Cornfield Bomber" was repaired and returned to service, operating with

1840-781: The second stage of the smaller Saturn IB rocket, such as the one used to launch Apollo 7 . The Centaur upper stage was first designed and developed for launching the Surveyor lunar landers, beginning in 1966, to augment the delta-V of the Atlas rockets and give them enough payload capability to deliver the required mass of the Surveyors to the Moon . More than 100 Convair-produced Atlas-Centaur rockets (including those with their successor designations) were used to successfully launch over 100 satellites, and among their many other outer-space missions, they launched

1886-428: The spin. The previously set trim then helped stabilize the attitude of the plane after the initial nose down. One of the other pilots on the mission was reported to have radioed Foust during his descent by parachute that "you'd better get back in it!" From his parachute, Foust watched incredulously as the now-pilotless aircraft descended and skidded to a halt in a farmer's field near Big Sandy, Montana . Foust drifted into

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1932-557: The two inboard piston engines, the jets being housed in the outboard nacelles. The first airliner with jet power only was the Nene-powered Vickers VC.1 Viking G-AJPH , which first flew on 6 April 1948. The early jet airliners had much lower interior levels of noise and vibration than contemporary piston-engined aircraft, so much so that in 1947, after piloting a jet powered aircraft for the first time, Wing Commander Maurice A. Smith, editor of Flight magazine, said, "Piloting

1978-761: Was also the market debut of the European consortium Airbus , whose first aircraft was the twinjet Airbus A300 . In 1978, Boeing unveiled the twin-engine Boeing 757 to replace its 727 , and the wide body twin-engine 767 to challenge the Airbus A300 . The mid-size 757 and 767 launched to market success, due in part to 1980s extended-range twin-engine operational performance standards ( ETOPS ) regulations governing transoceanic twinjet operations. These regulations allowed twin-engine airliners to make ocean crossings at up to three hours' distance from emergency diversionary airports . Under ETOPS rules, airlines began operating

2024-399: Was an American aircraft-manufacturing company that later expanded into rockets and spacecraft . The company was formed in 1943 by the merger of Consolidated Aircraft and Vultee Aircraft . In 1953, it was purchased by General Dynamics , and operated as their Convair Division for most of its corporate history. Convair is best known for its military aircraft; it produced aircraft such as

2070-542: Was discontinued in 2019 and the last plane was delivered to Emirates in 2021. Airbus began designing it in the 90s with the expectation that airlines would be moving many people between large hubs with just one flight. Their focus was on building a very large plane with a conventional metal airframe and engines to supersede the Boeing 747 . However, airlines started to operate more direct, point-to-point flights between smaller cities which made twin engine jets more attractive and economical to operate. For comparison, Boeing took

2116-873: Was soon called "Convair" (first unofficially, and then officially), was created in 1943 by the merger of the Consolidated Aircraft Company and the Vultee Aircraft Company. This merger produced a large airplane company , ranked fourth among United States corporations by value of wartime production contracts, higher than the giants Douglas Aircraft , Boeing , and Lockheed . Convair always had most of its research, design, and manufacturing operations in San Diego County in Southern California , though surrounding counties participated as well, mostly as contractors to Convair. In March 1953, all of

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