Convair CV-240 family

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_CV-240_family

The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947
to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3.
Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made
some inroads as a commercial airliner, and had a long development cycle that
produced various civil and military variants. Though reduced in numbers by
attrition, various forms of the "Convairliners" continue to fly in the 21st
century.

The design began with a requirement by American Airlines for an airliner to
replace its Douglas DC-3s. Convair's original design, the unpressurised Model
110, was a twin-engine, low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction, with 30
seats. It was powered by Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engines. It
had a tricycle landing gear, and a ventral airstair for passenger boarding. The
prototype Model 110, registration NX90653, first flew on July 8, 1946. By this
time, American had changed the requirements to include pressurization and deemed
the design too small. Convair used the first prototype for 240 series
development work before it had it broken up in 1947.

To meet the requirements of airlines for a pressurized airliner, Convair
produced a revised design—the Model 240. This had a longer but thinner fuselage
than the Model 110, accommodating 40 passengers in the first pressurized,
twin-engined airliner. The 240 first flew on March 16, 1947.

The Model 240 was followed by the Model 340, which had a longer fuselage,
longer-span wings, and more powerful engines. The 340 first flew on October 5,
1951. In 1954, in an attempt to compete with turboprop-powered airliners like
the Vickers Viscount, Convair produced the Model 440 Metropolitan, with more
streamlined cowlings, new engine exhausts, and better cabin soundproofing. As
the "Super 240" evolved into the CV-340 and CV-440, the design reached the limit
of piston-engine performance, and future development centered on conversion to
turboprop power.


Role
Airliner

Manufacturer
Convair

First flight
March 16, 1947

Introduction
February 29, 1948 with American Airlines

Primary user
American Airlines

Produced
1947–1954

Number built
1,181

Variants
Convair C-131 Samaritan
Canadair CC-109 Cosmopolitan

Convair delivered the first production Convairliner to American on February 29,
1948. They delivered a total of 75 to American—and another 50 to Western
Airlines, Continental Airlines, Pan American Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, Swissair,
Sabena, and Trans Australia Airlines.

A CV-240 was the first private aircraft used in a United States presidential
campaign. In 1960, John F. Kennedy used a CV-240 named Caroline (after his
daughter) during his campaign. This aircraft is now preserved in the National
Air and Space Museum.

After aborted negotiations with TWA and Eastern for "Super 240" orders, Convair
temporarily halted 240 series production. In response to a United inquiry,
Convair redesigned the Super 240, calling it the CV-340. United ordered 55, and
more US orders came from Braniff, Continental, Delta, Northeast, and National.
Other orders came from abroad, and the CV-340 was popular in South America. The
CV-340 earned a reputation for reliability and profitability, and was developed
into the CV-440 Metropolitan, the final piston-engined variant of the
Convairliners.

Kelowna Flightcraft Air Charter, the major remaining operator of this model,
currently holds the type certificate for this aircraft.

Used price for a Convair 240 in 1960 was around £40,000

Specifications (CV-240)

General characteristics
Crew: 2 or 3 flight deck crew
Capacity: 40
Length: 74 ft 8 in (22.76 m)
Wingspan: 91 ft 9 in (27.97 m)
Height: 26 ft 11 in (8.20 m)
Wing area: 817 sq ft (75.9 m2)
Empty weight: 25,445 lb (11,542 kg) (revised 29,500 lb (13,381 kg))
Gross weight: 40,500 lb (18,370 kg) (revised 42,500 lb (19,278 kg))
Fuel capacity: 1,000 US gal (3,785.41 l) - 1,550 US gal (5,867.39 l)
Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-CA3 Double Wasp / CA15 / CA18 / CB3 or
CB16 18-cyl air-cooled radial engines, 2,400 hp (1,800 kW) each
Propellers: 3-bladed Hamilton Standard or Curtiss

Performance
Maximum speed: 315 mph (507 km/h, 274 kn)
Cruise speed: 280 mph (450 km/h, 240 kn) (maximum)
Range: 1,200 mi (1,900 km, 1,000 nmi)
Service ceiling: 16,000 ft (4,900 m)
Rate of climb: 1,520 ft/min (7.7 m/s)




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