NASA CV-990

I worked at NASA Ames Research Center a few years, 1974-1976 in high
school and college work experience programs. They had a 990 mounted on a
pair of cradles outside the hangers, wings and tail torn off. I was told
it had been damaged in a hard landing the Philippines. A few of us
students were selected to cap the torn wings and tail with smooth sheet
metal, to clean up the appearance. We were told it was going to be set
up to train researchers to work in an aircraft setting.

I noticed while browsing Ames via Google Earth, that fuselage is gone.
Anyone know what happened to it?

We had fun that summer, crawling around the belly, and even up into the
center fuel tank. Man, is that a tight squeeze!
Ah, stupid and immortal youth....

Most memorable moment was finding a small hatch near the back. Reaching
up with a length of aluminum angle, we popped it open to find an open
round fitting and a t-handle. Being stupid kids and curious, we
fashioned a lasso and got it around the t-handle and yanked. Well,
someone had been using the aft restroom, and luckily for us, there was
just enough advance gurgling that we -barely- escaped the stream as the
aft toilet reservoir emptied itself on the ground...


I also got to do a bit of work in the flying CV990 they operated then,
working with the journeymen. Ah, those were the days....


Jon

On Sat, 07 Apr 2007 12:12:41 -0700, Jon Anderson
wrote:

I worked at NASA Ames Research Center a few years, 1974-1976 in high
school and college work experience programs.
I also got to do a bit of work in the flying CV990 they operated then,
working with the journeymen. Ah, those were the days....

My first real job in '58-9 was as a high school student "engineering
assistant" for Convair in SD, mostly at Convair Astro out on Kearney
Mesa. They were building the F106 in the long plant along the highway,
on the east end of Lindbergh Field. The 990s were being assembled in
the big hangar on the south side of the airport road, across from
Ryan, which is now the commuter aircraft terminal. That hangar is now
Coast Guard.

The 880 and especially 990 had efficiency and performance advantages
over the Boeing and Douglas birds, but they were late to the game, and
developed without urgency.

Occasionally we'd have a B-36 come in ... really filled up the small
and short Lindbergh runway.

Cheers, Bob