USA 1990s CONVAIRLINERS

A selection of my photographs of Convairs seen on USA visits during the 1990s

Convair 440 N357SA at Spokane, Washington in October 1991 was a freighter with Salair.

Convair 240 N1022C at Daytona Beach, Florida in November 1991 was one of three being flown by Trans Florida Airlines.


Convair 240 N295M was a freigher seen clearing Customs at Miami FL in November 1991.
This aircraft had been delivered new to Australia in August 1948 as VH-TAQ for Trans-Australia Airlines.

Convair 240 N386CG at Camarillo, California in March 1995 had a stylishly furnished executive cabin.
It also began life with Trans-Australia Airlines, delivered in October 1948 as VH-TAS.

Another ex-Australian. Convair 440 N912AL seen at Fort Lauderdale, Florida in November 1991 with large freight door,
had earlier been Royal Australian Air Force A96-353 operated as a VIP aircraft.

Convair 240 N240HH at Chino, California in November 1990 had an extended nose cone for flight trials of various avionics.
After being retired from experimental work it had been donated to Planes of Fame Air Museum at Chino.
Convair 340 N4813C was a retired freighter being stripped for parts at Fort Lauderdale FL in November 1991.

End of the line for this Convair 340 N118, stripped as a Salair spares ship at Spokane WA October 1991.

The sad sight of an airliner Convair graveyard at Carlsbad-Palomar Airport California in November 1992 where ten former
Air Resorts Airlines passenger Convairs were being slowly stripped and scrapped.

Convair 440 N8042T awaits her fate in the Carlsbad CA graveyard in November 1992.

Ex American Eagle Convair 580 N73145 was parked at Opa Locka, Florida in November 1991

Ex Sierra Pacific Airlines Convair 580 N73106 was stored at Marana, Arizona in November 1991.

In November 1991, Hamilton Aircraft's car parking lot at Tucson Airport AZ held six stripped Convair 600s waiting to be
 collected by a scrap metal dealer. They were former Wright Airlines and SMB Stage Lines aircraft.

Convair 640 N866TA was in service with Kitty Hawk on night freight schedules at Billings, Montana in October 1992.

Large scale surplus sales of military Convairs in 1970s-80s brough a variety of US Air Force and US Navy transport and
training variants on to the civil market. This former USAF T-29D N31325 (ex 52-1183) was with five others undergoing
civilian overhauls at Santa Rosa Air Center, California in November 1990.

N87981 at Santa Rosa Air Centre in November 1990 had just completed its conversion from a USAF T-29C 52-1101.

This former US Coast Guard Convair HC-131A N54215 had been repainted in the same Coast Guard scheme to highlight its
military lineage by warbird dealer Wally McDonell. It was parked at his hangar at Calfornia City CA in November 1992. 

This former US Navy T-29B had become N144GT with Georgia Institute of Technology before being sold. It was parked at
Tamiami, Florida in November 1991. The following year it was blown away and wrecked there by Hurricane Andrew.

Former USAF C-131D N865TA was at Fullerton CA in February 1995, grounded with structural damage to the tailplane.

US Navy Convair T-29C 52-1119 was in a storage area at Hill AFB Museum, Utah in October 1992. It was waiting to be
restored for display in USAF markings.
 

Military Convairs were still available for sale from the civilian contractor yards that lined the Davis Monthan AFB aircraft
storage yard boundary fence. Convair C-131F 141026 was photographed in one of the yards in October 1991.

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