What Happened to Convair?
Andrew Madison
After reading several articles mentioning the B-36, the B-58, the 880 &
990, it strikes me that I haven't the faintest clue as to what happened
to Convair. Did the company just go bankrupt, get bought out... a
combination of both? Not exactly a dominant aircraft manufacturer, but
the company certainly made some interesting planes.
--
A.J. Madison PHONE: (508) 490-6972
Stratus Computer Inc.
55 Fairbanks Boulevard INTERNET: a...@sw.stratus.com
Marlboro, MA 01752 OR: Andrew_...@Vos.Stratus.com
NeilKrey
They were a leading producer of cruise missiles until that portion of the
business was sold to Hughes and moved to Tucson, AZ about two years ago. The
remaining portion, still in San Diego, builds fuselage sections for the MD-11.
Northrop and others have expressed interestin buying this business over the
last two years, but to my knowledge it hasn't happened yet.
Neil Krey
FlightSafety International
Hurst, Texas USA
Mark Scott
In a roundabout kind of way I'll try to answer his question:
Until recently I worked for DHL Worldwide Express in their European airline
division called European Air Transport (EAT). As part of their fleet of
aircraft EAT operates 11 Convair 580's and thus we dealt regularly with
Convair who is still in operation and although they are quite small still
stock original components (complete with 1950's inspection tags) for the
Convair aircraft. I am not entirely sure if they have been bought by someone
perhaps someone else would be able to answer that question.
It is interesting to note that despite their age (one of the aircraft in
operation is over 40 years old) and the correspondingly high number of cycles
and hours on the airframe the Convairs give less trouble and cost much less
to maintain than the other aircraft in the fleet (727-100's) even if you rate
them for their carrying capacity.
Mark Scott
Duane P Mantick
>After reading several articles mentioning the B-36, the B-58, the 880 &
>990, it strikes me that I haven't the faintest clue as to what happened
>to Convair. Did the company just go bankrupt, get bought out... a
>combination of both? Not exactly a dominant aircraft manufacturer, but
>the company certainly made some interesting planes.
Convair became a division of General Dynamics. This aircraft
concern was sold to Lockheed sometime back.
As a historical note, I *think* that "Convair" was a sort of
conglomerated name that stood for "Consolidated Vultee Aircraft" or
something therabouts.
Duane
Karl Swartz
>concern was sold to Lockheed sometime back.
Convair did indeed become a division of General Dynamics, but its not
the piece of GD that was sold to Lockheed. Convair still happily does
work on commercial aircraft (notably MD-11 fuselage sections) in San
Diego. Lockheed acquired GD's Fighter Aircraft Division in Fort
Worth, Texas, known these days for the F-16 though also the producer
of the F-111 and other military aircraft.
>As a historical note, I *think* that "Convair" was a sort of
>conglomerated name that stood for "Consolidated Vultee Aircraft"
>or something therabouts.
Yep, Consolidated Vultee.
--
Karl Swartz |INet k...@ditka.chicago.com
1-415/854-3409 |UUCP uunet!decwrl!ditka!kls
|Snail 2144 Sand Hill Rd., Menlo Park CA 94025, USA
Send sci.aeronautics.airliners submissions to airl...@chicago.com
David R. Smith
: >Convair became a division of General Dynamics. This aircraft
: >concern was sold to Lockheed sometime back.
: Convair did indeed become a division of General Dynamics, but its not
: the piece of GD that was sold to Lockheed...
: Lockheed acquired GD's Fighter Aircraft Division in Fort
: Worth, Texas, known these days for the F-16 though also the producer
: of the F-111 and other military aircraft.
GD Fort Worth was once (actually twice) part of Convair. Indeed, it developed
and built the B-58. I believe the F-102 and F-106 were also built by the
Convair Fort Worth Division, but I don't have documentation of that.
Quoting from The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of the World's Aircraft:
Consolidated Aircraft Corporation
Original factory was quickly outgrown by the company formed 29 May 1923
and moved to Buffalo, NY, leasing part of a wartime Curtiss factory, in
1924... Thomas Morse Aircraft acquired 1929... In Autumn 1935 company
moved to San Diego, CA, gaining a harbor for testing its maritime
designs... A 34% controlling interest in Consolidated acquired December
1941 by Vultee Aircraft Inc. and management links from then led to merger
of the two companies on 17 March 1943 as Consolidated Vultee Aircraft
Corporation.
Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation
By the end of WW2 Consolidated Vultee was largest aircraft manufacturing
organization in the USA, with factories at San Diego and Vultee Field,
California; Fort Worth, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; Wayne, Michigan;
New Orleans, Louisiana; Miami, Florida; and Allentown, Pennsylvania;
plus modification centers at Tucson, Arizona; Elizabeth City, North
Carolina; and Louisville, Kentucky... In the early 1950's Consolidated
Vultee began calling its products "Convair" types, and on 30 April 1954
it became the Convair Division of General Dynamics Corporation.
Convair
Convair Division of General Dynamics Corporation; title adopted from 30
April 1954 by Consolidated Vultee following acquisition in 1953 of major
shareholdings by General Dynamics. Major products have been the Convair
F-102 Delta Dagger and F-106 Delta Dart interceptors; B-58 Hustler
supersonic bomber; and Convair 880 and 990 four-jet commercial
transports. Developed subsequently F-111/FB-111 variable-geometry combat
aircraft, now the responsibility of GD's Fort Worth Division. Convair
was grouped with GD's Fort Worth and Pomona Divisions in September 1970
to form single Convair Aerospace Division, but Fort Worth was again made
a separate division in June 1974.
General Dynamics Corporation
A major reorganization in 1961 resulted in General Dynamics' 12 operating
divisions being divided into two major groups. On the aerospace side,
the Western Group contained components of the Convair division...
General Dynamics Corporation, Fort Worth Division
Separate division of General Dynamics since June 1974, before which it
was a part of Convair division.