1/24/1961: Convair 990 Coronado Maiden Flight

DALLAS — Today, in 1961, the Convair 990 'Coronado' made its inaugural flight. Convair developed this American-built, narrow-body, four-engined aircraft in response to a request from American Airlines (AA).

Although AA had not operated the Convair 880, they had extensively studied the airliner. However, due to its limited capacity, the Convair 880 would not have been profitable on AA's transcontinental routes. As a result, AA requested a larger airframe with transcontinental capabilities.

American Airlines wanted a jet that could fly coast-to-coast 45 minutes faster than its competitors, the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8. They named this new aircraft the 'AstroJet' and sought to improve their transcontinental service.

The Convair 990 Coronado was a stretched version of the Convair 880, with a longer fuselage that increased passenger capacity to between 96 and 121, although still fewer than the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8. Despite being faster than its competitors in cruise, the Convair 990 did not meet the promised specifications and failed to deliver on its coast-to-coast nonstop capability.

Numerous Upgrades

Convair introduced the 990 'Coronado,' named after the California resort city on a peninsula in San Diego Bay. To accommodate a higher number of passengers, Convair elongated the jet ten feet, allowing it to carry between 110 and 149 passengers. Several improvements were made to the aircraft's wings, fuselage, and avionics, and General Electric upgraded the engines to the CJ805-23B powerplant.

However, the performance of the Convair 990 did not meet the expectations set by the company. AA expressed dissatisfaction and significantly reduced its original order for 25 jets, with an option for 25 more. Despite its introduction in 1962, AA began phasing out the 990s as early as 1967.

To improve the aircraft's prospects, Convair developed the 990A. Various enhancements were implemented, including the addition of fairings to the engine nacelles. However, the aircraft still fell short of its initial promise. AA opted to go with the competing Boeing 707/720 instead of adopting the 990A variant.

Swissair (SR) was one of the airlines that embraced the Convair 990, introducing it in 1962 for long-range flights to destinations such as South America, West Africa, and the Middle East.

A New Lease of Life

Spantax (BX), a Spanish charter carrier, emerged as another significant operator of the Convair Coronado. In May 1967, BX acquired four 990s from AA, followed by an additional eight by 1972 and four more from Swissair (SR) in 1975. This made BX the largest operator of the Convair 990, with the aircraft remaining in their fleet well into the mid-1980s.

Regrettably, the Convair 990 did not achieve the level of success that Convair had anticipated. Production of the aircraft ceased in 1963, with only 37 units being manufactured. Despite this, the 990 held the distinction of being the fastest subsonic airliner for many years. It boasted a maximum speed of 540 knots at 20,000 feet and a standard cruise speed of 484 knots at 35,000 feet.

Featured image: CONVAIR 990 Coronado of American Airlines ("Stratojet") being fueled in August of 1963.