Last Jet Airliner From Convair

 

The Convair 990A is an American narrow-body four-engined jet airliner produced by the Convair division of General Dynamics in response to a request from American Airlines. The 990 began flight testing at the beginning of 1961 and was produced for only two years. The plane was a modified version of its earlier Convair 880. A major change was the large anti-shock bodies on the upper trailing edge of the wings to increase the critical Mach and reduce transonic drag. The larger inboard bodies also carried additional fuel. The anti-shock "speed capsules" and substantial streamlining of the engine pylon/wing interface increased the velocity at which the onset of transonic drag would occur by 0.09 Mach. As such, the 990A was capable of speeds slightly in excess of 700 miles per hour, the fastest airliner in the world until the Concorde.

Aside from its hot-rod good looks and balanced beauty, the aircraft was a total failure due to delays in delivery, high fuel consumption, and limited passenger capacity. The aircraft never lived up to its promise of coast-to-coast nonstop capability and American Airlines soon sold their fleet. The airliner was better suited for the short hops of European carriers. One of the more successful was Swissair, who bought eight of the speedsters and the only airline to call their fleet the "990 Coronado."