Convair 340/440 "Metropolitan"
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Richard Troy, e-mail, 18.03.2024 00:04

Bob:
Happened upon your blurb about the CV 340. I was the crew Chief on the aircraft while it was in our possession here at CMA. Unfortunately time and costs caught up with us and to make a long story short it ended up purchased by an eccentric fellow who was setting up an airliner museum somewhere in the country. It is now tied down and rotting at Chino airport California. It will never fly again. I loved that airplane and flew it all over the western U S. So much for nostalgia.
R Troy


Stuart Slaybaugh, e-mail, 11.06.2023 06:52

I became an E5 flight engineer on 140994( left before wearing stripes , but they frocked me. ) Terminal leave . Still have the scars. For 3 years we trained pilots and flew VIPs. Commander of base , COMMANDER Kiffer put in all of his required hours with us . GOODDDD .duty I arrived 82 right after you left , so you remember s chief Haynes, and sc hutchenson don't remember other sc name. 1st class moehrle and Chris Richter mech would have been with you , 1st class Murphy, tin bender was there. 994 and 1018 were special birds because of the men cared for them for years . I bet Haynes snuck in and slept there after retirement . Then after the Caribbean every year, island hopping with head of Russian navy, going everywhere cool with comm kiffer ( most decorated pilot in Vietnam), flying in our own lobsters and Puerto Rican rum, we chgd to 24hr ops out of New Orleans. I left after they went to 24hr ops. Slept upstairs . Recovery, wipe down post op turnaround , rplc ADI transmitter, high pwr turn, wipe down and spray wheel wells and wipe, asflt engineer do all preflight elect and mech checks, sign the log and pull back outside , rest ? Nope 24hrs . But man......they worshipped those two birds , not a splice or compromise anywhere. If we had a frayed wire , I'd replace from. nose to tail . No splicing. If there WAS 15 min Xtra. I was cleaning out adi trmttr orrplcing leaky gaskets. Like a Harley, if it wasn't leaking , it wasn't happy. Fond memories . Pensacola, huh ? Where's 1018 ? E mail me dude !


Scott, e-mail, 23.06.2022 20:21

My Dad, Vance Riley, flew 440's and 404's for Eastern in the late 50s and 60s. He lost an engine just after T/O from Washington on a hot afternoon near gross. Only gained a couple hundred feet all the way around but made it.
Another day nailed a buzzard which then got stuck in the #1 engine. Several deplaning passengers puked on the tarmac from the smell.


Dave McCormick, e-mail, 29.11.2021 04:06

Kevin,
I worked for Saudair in 1966-68. I think we had ten 340's at the time. Good planes but seemed a bit noisy. Probably the rest of them are parked in the dessert near the old Jeddah airport.


Kevin Coleman, e-mail, 14.09.2021 13:12

Does anyone remember the Convair 340's flown by Saudi Arabian Airlines in the late 50's? I saw one or two looking pretty ordinary in the military area of Dhahran Airport in, I think, 1969, and heard that two had been sold to Yemen Airlines for peanuts when the Yemeni airline was founded, and were flying pilgrims cheaply to Jeddah, Taif and Mecca from Yemen. Any hard info, anyone?


David DeBace, e-mail, 26.01.2021 02:20

2009 fire bomber coded 471 i Saskatchewan


Steve, e-mail, 03.12.2020 16:14

Hello, I just found your post on aviastar.org about the parts from a CV-440. I realize that it's been over 5 years since the posting, but would you happen to still have it? I am interested in finding a control wheel/yoke, preferably pilot over co-pilot. Any chance one is available? If so, what would be the condition and price with shipping to California? Thanks for your time (if you got this).

Steve Mullens


Classof62@gmail,com, 28.09.2017 23:00

Flew right seat couple years standby, out of STL- OMA & MSP, WAS STURDY BRD hauling Wall Street Journal, was quite an experience for 4,000 hour CFI ASMEL


Don Miller, e-mail, 20.12.2015 17:45

Had about 8300 hours in cv 340 and 440 aircraft flying for
Braniff, lost two engines in all that time,burst adi tank on
take off, both engines lost power, turned off the adi switch,
everything back to normal. Great aircraft.Miss flying it at
86 years of age.


roger, e-mail, 13.07.2015 23:34

hi joe... i'm in roswell. u know anyone looking for parts from a 440? i have a complete plane...portlandroger@yahoo.com


Joe, e-mail, 21.02.2015 17:05

I'm here at Roswell International Airport looking at two 440's. Tail #N204RA S/N:504 and N3HH in case anyone is tracking the location of these beautiful birds.


Dennis Muia, e-mail, 21.02.2015 02:56

I was a A&P mechanic on the 580 conversion from the 440 to the 580 for allegheny airlines in Pittsburgh PA from 1968 to1972 and I flew the aircraft until 1975.


c w root, e-mail, 19.11.2013 04:12

PBA ... Providence Town Boston Airlines/Naples Airlines, had a couple of the 440's that serviced the northern states in the summer, then were ferried to Naples, Fl for the winter season. I was a passenger on a flight from Naples to Marathon in the Fla. Keys one beautiful night and remember the harmonic and resonant sounds of those P/W's. Nice airplane.


Bob Kusterer, e-mail, 18.09.2013 07:12

I was chief of stan/eval for our C-131 in the MA ANG. We named it "DUMBO". I checked out quite a few jet fighter pilots who had never flown a recip. I flew it to the bone yard at DM but, as it turned out, this was not it's last flight. It was sold and restored and is flying with the CAF at Camarillo, CA.


BOB STREAM, e-mail, 11.09.2013 00:56

The CV 580 that I flew for WIA out of CMH for (22) twenty two Yrs. I have lost track of it's were about, S/N 509 The last I heard the Canadian Gov. Was giving flight training in my old shoe, and it was destroyed in a crash, Would appreciate an update If one might have current info, RMS.


George Lloyd, e-mail, 20.06.2013 03:04

Really like this plane. Worked on them in VR-21 North Island & Alameda in 1959-1961.
Can you post the manual on-line?


Michel Anciaux, e-mail, 09.02.2013 16:47

Dear members and ex Convair Crew
Sorry to insist on the subject but I did send already 2 request on the subject.
It is about a wreck I saw in Chile back in 1974 but up to now I was no able to fin informations on this Convair 240 or 600. I also like to know what became of Convair 240 N17417 as it had the same colors as the one I saw in the south of Chile.
If any person could help me it would be just great.
Thank you
Michel Anciaux


Lowell Todd, e-mail, 15.01.2013 00:14

Hi, I crewed on a CV440 while in VR1 out of Pax. River USNaval station from Dec 1955 thru Jan 1966.VR1 had 14 or 15 of the 440's and the weight&balance was done with a booklet,no slide-rule was available at that time.We did the southern runs ,Pax to Norfolk to Jax to[some times BOCA CHICA in the Keys]Gitmo.R.O.N.then to P.R. or Coco Solo,Pannama back to Gitmo R.O.N.then back to Pax.I also crewed on R5D's,DC3's And a couple of Zebra flights.Only 1 problem in all those flights ,lost both "bird dogs" on a flight to COCO SOLO,Pannama. Those A/C were GREAT MACHINES.


ed bruce, e-mail, 31.10.2012 11:20

About 20 years ago I taught welding at George T. Baker Aviation in Miami, Fl. At that time they had onof these aircraft, it was owned by The Doobie Bros. It was a runout and was donated to the school. Don't know if they still have it.


Cargoleasing SA, e-mail, 08.08.2012 20:05

Hi gents, we are searching for crew on CV580F Candidats will be based at Abidjan (Ivory Coast)please feel free to contact me/Best regards Jean Bidegain owner


vern baisden, e-mail, 08.07.2012 12:38

The R-2800 engines in the Convairs had the nicest sounds. We called it, "the pratt & whitney lullaby".


Michel Anciaux, e-mail, 30.05.2012 01:07

Dear members and ex Convair Crew, back in March this yera, I did send a mail related to a Convair 240 or his turbo prop version that I possibly saw in the south of Chile back in 1974. My memory may have made a joke so I'm willing to accept any other possibility and also I can send the picture to any person interested in this aircraft.


Dane Hays, e-mail, 15.03.2012 17:27

Does anyone remember the 340 that Howard Hughes kept as a flying office in the early 1950s? I have a photo if anyone is interested.


Michel Anciaux, e-mail, 04.03.2012 19:34

In 1974, on a trip to the south of Chile. I found a Cv 240 or his military version near a lake south of the Temuko area towards the mountains. I have found no informations related to this aircraft and up to now my investagation havn't been succesfull. I would like to know what became of the Convair N17417. Any information welcom


george r mungin sr, e-mail, 23.02.2012 07:39

serve in VR-1 1960 to 1963 we had 6 c131s I flew maint crew on them hauling passengers and cargo, changed a many cylinders doing that time, but i love the 2800 engine--bu.no.141002-141006-141009-1410100-141008-140027vip version


Roger W.Farley, e-mail, 19.07.2011 01:44

Flew as a crew member (in the back) on an USAF C131B (tail no. 37815)from late 50's to early 60's. We did the early flight testing of the Atlas guidance system out of the GE Flight Test Opertion in Schenectady, NY. Loved it.


Vern Baisden, e-mail, 26.05.2011 20:24

Any of the people still out there that flew CV-340-440 aircraft with me? Phil Legg, "Rusty" Herde, Svein Folkvord, Tom Arnold etc. Get in touch.


RC Craemer, e-mail, 03.05.2011 23:26

Flight Crew Plane Captain on C-131F 140994 1977-81. VIP aircraft, flying Admirals in and out of the Norfolk, Va area. Beautiful airplane, factory modified as an executive model, 11 passenger seats. two lavatories,excellent galley.
A real sweetheart to fly and work on. She's in the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola now.


Vern Baisden, e-mail, 01.03.2011 21:45

The man who gave me the flight training and type rating ride
in the convair 440, was, Bill Conrad. The airplane hadn't flown in a year. The first landing, we touched down a little fast, he called for reverse thrust. being it was the first time in this plane, I pushed the throttles too quickly, the no. 2 engine quit and caught fire. no. 1 went into max power reverse. He told me to set the throttles at idle. Then he cooly restarted the no. 2 engine, the fire blew out and we taxied in.


Vern Baisden, e-mail, 01.03.2011 17:32

I flew the Convair 340 and 440, in the late 70s. We flew the Wall Street Journal newspapers between IAD - GSO and CLT. Had over 2000 hrs. in them. It was a rock stable airplane. Rode smoothly in even the most turbulent air. Had to shut down engines a few times, usually, due to cylinder failures. It flew great on one engine. Loved flying them.


Jim Stalker, e-mail, 06.02.2011 22:58

I flew both the 340/440 for B&H Freight owned by Corp Air out of BDL for a little over a year in the early 90's and logged about 1000 hrs of pure fun. We flew contract for Flying Tigers to BOS, ORD, Montreal. During that time we lost 2 clyinders ( one I have at home to do a lamp maybe ) and 1 engine shutdown over McGuire AFB with a landing into PHL. Great airplane and experience . Any B&H pilots out there give me an email


Jim Stalker, e-mail, 06.02.2011 22:58

I flew both the 340/440 for B&H Freight owned by Corp Air out of BDL for a little over a year in the early 90's and logged about 1000 hrs of pure fun. We flew contract for Flying Tigers to BOS, ORD, Montreal. During that time we lost 2 clyinders ( one I have at home to do a lamp maybe ) and 1 engine shutdown over McGuire AFB with a landing into PHL. Great airplane and experience . Any B&H pilots out there give me an email


John Cummings, e-mail, 26.01.2011 02:02

Resort Airlines (last resort airlines) flew two or three of these out of Point Mugu Navy Base daily in the 1980's. We lost an engine on takeoff once at about 200 ft and continued climb through the soup to about 2500 ft to clear on top. They called the equipment and we decended back through the fog and landed without incident.


Bob Stream, e-mail, 08.12.2010 17:32

Hi! back again with this bit of info, for the real buff of the CV240 to CV640 there is a book available at Abebook.com
The Convair Twins 240 to 640, Gary L. Killion, First published in 1979 by Macdonald and Jane's Publishers. OUT.


Bob Stream, e-mail, 07.12.2010 16:56

I was flying the convair 580 based in Columbus, OH for 22yrs. the company bought the 580 in 1972 an operated untill 1995. S/N 509. When the aircraft was sold in 1995 it's total airframe time 9,989 hr. engines and props 935.0 hrs. since new. Great aircraft.


bob Harrell, e-mail, 28.11.2010 21:59

I flew the 340 for about 4 years with United. It was not fast, but dependable. The "hot wing and tail" deicing system worked great. It rode hard in turbulence with that Davis airfoil wing, but all-round, a good airplane.


Bob Hargreaves, e-mail, 29.09.2010 14:31

Hi,

Iwas a maintainer on the T-29 at Harlingen AFB from 1953 to 1958. It was a great aircraft to work on, flew like a dream.


fred erdman, e-mail, 26.09.2010 08:40

Hi Again...

Maybe this will help some one if they would like to know more about the Convairs:

CV-240 WITH ROLLS-ROYCE ENGINES BECOMES A CV-600

CV-340 / CV-440 WITH ROLLS-ROYCE ENGINES BECOMES A CV-640

CV-340 / CV-440 WITH NAPIER ENGINES BECOMES A CV-540

CV-340 / CV-440 WITH ALLISON ENGINES BECOMES A CV-580

CV-580 STRETCH IS A CV-5800

THE CV-770 ON THE DRAWING BOARD WAS A TWIN ENGINE JET. SEEN A PICTURE OF THIS DRAWING AT CONVAIRS FORT WORTH P.R. DEPT.

I KNOW EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT THE CV-880 AND CV-990 LOOKS LIKE. NOTE: NORTHEAST AIRLINES WAS THE ONLY MAJOR AIRLINE TO FLY BOTH THE 880 AND 990 IN THE SAME COLOR SCHEME.

I HOPE I HELPED SOMEONE WITH THIS INFORMATION....THANKS FOR READING....FRED


fred erdman, e-mail, 26.09.2010 08:17

Hi...

thawkins on 23.09.2007 said the picture is a CV-600 and it is not a CV-340...well everybody is wrong...CV-600 is a turbo CV-240 with Rolls-Royce engines and CV-240's has right hand pax door. This aircraft has a left hand pax door. This aircraft is a CV-540, because it has Napier engines on it. Allegheny Airlines is the only airline to fly the CV-540 in the U.S. They were all converted to CV-580. Napier Enland of Canada done the 540 conversions. The picture shows the "C" regs letter on the tail for Canada. Thank you....Fred


Randy Moore, e-mail, 23.09.2010 23:24

I've just now found this website but two of the comments caught my interest about the 340 that went in by Gorman. I fly that Convair today. It's the oldest 340 (now a 580) in existence, serial number 2. Number 1 went down in the jungles of South America. Number 2 is still going strong, very strong. Look up N580HW for pictures of it on the web.


Dennis LaCruze, e-mail, 10.09.2010 19:14

I believe that this was the basis for the USAF T-29, used for training EWO's and navigators. There were some at Keesler AFB, MS. in the late 50's


Bruce Sorensen, e-mail, 08.09.2010 04:38

Braniff had a predominate fleet of CV-340's but also had CV-440's. Several of the BNF Convair 340's were sold to North Central Airlines and converted to CV-580's. N3428 was one I recall offhand. Those same aircraft also wore the Northwest colors after the NWA/RC merger.


BR, e-mail, 23.08.2010 19:00

Flew the C-131F for VR-30 from 1969-1972 during which time we were involved in a midair with a USMC F4. We lost 6 feet of wing but still was able to land safely. Later learned that the same aircraft 141010 was involved in a fatal crash.


Steve Litchfield, e-mail, 23.08.2010 01:20

Flew the 340/440 for quite a while, and loved every minute. Changed a couple of cylinders as well, but there were times that it became necessary to accomplish the mission, or in places you would not really like to spend a lot of time at. I have meant some of the finest pilots, and greatest people that ever lived within aviation, and I will never forget my round engine days.


zenmarc, e-mail, 20.07.2010 16:38

شات


don carty, e-mail, 03.05.2010 22:24

Strangly I could find no mention of Bensen Gyrocopters in the listing. The USAF bought 2 models (one glider and one powered by a 90 HP drone engine) for use in trying of all things to make a flyaway evection seat for the F-15.They were designated as the X-25A and B> As far as I know the X-25 powered versoin is hanging the WPAFB museum. I was the first USAF pilot to fly it.


Jim Dawson, e-mail, 20.04.2010 17:56

A minor correction to Richard Chambers comments. The surviving Convair 770 that LTV sold was purchased by Alton Box Board Company in Alton, IL. I flew it for a few years until we sold it and bought a Hawker. Our training consisted of studying the LTV produced manual and a few flights with an LTV pilot, then a type ride with an FAA air carrier examiner from Dallas. I have a lot of good memories from that airplane.

Jim


Ove Niemi, e-mail, 09.04.2010 07:11

Iam searching a chance to buy a old passenger aircraft
and save it..ilove flying and Convair Metropolitan is a
classiq aircraft--


Richard Chambers, e-mail, 12.01.2010 02:58

Two 340s were retrofitted with turboprop engines and were designated Convair 770s. One was scrapped at Oklahoma City after a few years. The other was modified from a passenter seat configuration to an executive transport with updated avionics. I flew it for Texstar and for LTV who sold it to a Canadian firm, I believe, and may still be flying.


Joe Panza, e-mail, 09.01.2010 04:37

The Convair C-131 was my first flying assignment out of pilot USAF Flight Training in 1966. Flew for the 10AMS Medevac unit at McGuire AFB. Great bird and great mission.... 10 to 12 stops a day picking up and dropping off patients. For a new jock it was a great way to build up flying experience operating in and out of all manner of airfields in all kinds of WX. One of my best assignments.


Steve McEwan, e-mail, 28.06.2009 15:19

The photo is actually a Convair 540. When Napier shut down the Eland engine program the aircraft were reconverted to recips. The photo can't be a 600 because that was the Rolls conversion of the 240. Rolls powered 340s were known as 640s.


ghazi badeeb, e-mail, 25.06.2009 20:49

this is a peace of art lovly airplan fun to fly


Tommy Olsson, e-mail, 25.03.2009 09:26

Hi!
We have a wonderful fully functional simulator of a CV440 Metropolitan at Vasteras Aviation Museum in Vasteras, Sweden. I myself work as a sim-instructor on this and the old Swedish jet-fighter, J35 Draken.
If you want to take a look in the cockpit in our Metropolitan-simulator, here is a VR-link:
http://www.4pisr.se/AllFullScreen.php?id=MetropolitanSimulator


Bill Query, e-mail, 30.08.2008 23:39

Flew the C-131 with the Navy 1965/68 while attached to the Commander of Naval Air Recerve staff in New Orleans. During this period I had 3 single engine landings--two from swallowed valves and one from an oil fire caused by ruptured valve housing. Even still, this was the best multi-engine plane (prop) I have flown.


Ted Goetz, e-mail, 01.06.2008 19:40

I was flying the C-131 out of El Toro when this happened and remember the incident well. In partial answer to Mike Dixon's question, The pilots had been making several short enroute stops and had been leaving the right engine running while unloading (right engine had the air conditioning/pressurization pump).Because of the fuel imbalance they decided to open the fuel crossflow valve while in flight. This was a big NO NO that we thought all Convair pilots knew because the valve often malfunctioned leaving you with no source of fuel. I later looked at the spot they put it down in and all I can say is they did one hell of a job since the plane had the glide characteristics of a streamlined safe


thawkins, e-mail, 23.09.2007 02:29

The picture is a Convair "600". Note the turbo-prop engines. The "340" had radial engines.


Dayana, e-mail, 28.03.2007 02:36

Hi, Iґm so happy to find this page, this is great.
Well, Iґm a Flight Assistant and this month Iґll fly this plane (Convair 340), and I would like to know if you have the manual from this plane, please I really thank you if you send the manual to my e-mail. thank you very much and congratulations for the page, so beatifull.


Mike Dixon, e-mail, 31.12.2006 05:46

Do you have any information on a United Airlines 340 that lost power in both engines and bellied into a field in the Tejon Pass near Gorman, California. It was on a flight from Bakersfield to Los Angeles. As I recall it was in the early 1960's. The plane was repaired and flown out of the field it dropped into.
Thank you




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