Company Hopes to Build a Stretched Convair 580

Ted Vallas and James (Skeets) Coleman view the cartons packed in a corner office at Palomar Airport in Carlsbad as tangible proof that Convairs, the dependable prop-driven passenger airplanes built during the 1950s, can continue to fly in an increasingly jet-propelled world.

The boxes contain engineering work completed on different proposals to make the venerable airplanes more attractive to regional passenger airlines around the world.

But many airline industry observers doubt that Vallas and Coleman will succeed in their quest to stretch a Convair Super 580 airliner by inserting a “plug” that would transform the Convair into a 76-passenger aircraft.

“The proposal has been around a long time in a lot of different forms,” observed Paul Turk, an executive with Avmark Inc., an Arlington, Va., firm that compiles aircraft industry data.

The stretched 580 is not a new idea. During the past decade, several companies have toyed with the idea of stretching a Convair, but none has produced a stretched airplane. The most recent attempt involved a Santa Monica-based company that shelved a plan to stretch 10 airliners after financing fell through.

Despite a string of setbacks, Vallas believes his wholly owned Super 580 Aircraft Co., with Vallas as president and Coleman, a former test pilot, as vice president, is ready to finally produce a stretched Super 580 that would be certified to fly well into the 21st Century.

Vallas pumped new life into the stretch proposal earlier this month when he announced that the Super 580 Aircraft Co. had negotiated an agreement in principal to take over production rights to the stretched Super 580 from General Motor’s Allison Gas Turbine Division.

Vallas said that he will pay Allison $3 million for sole rights to produce the stretched Convair.

Allison holds the Federal Aviation Administration air-worthiness certificate for the Super 580, the most recent version of the Convair, and has completed some engineering work on the stretched version. The Super 580 is essentially a regular Convair with new, more powerful engines and a restructured tail assembly.

About 150 of the 170 Convairs that were reconditioned as 580s during the 1960s are still flying. Two of those 580s were converted into Super 580s in 1984, through the addition of newer, more powerful engines and advanced avionics.

Allison, which has built the engines used on Convairs, has spent an estimated $7 million on engineering studies for the Super 580 and the stretched version.

But the GM division has decided not to spend more money on the project because the division is “in the engine building business,” according to a spokesman; “We’re not an airframe manufacturer.”

Allison isn’t opposed to the idea of stretching the 580 because it would benefit from increased engine sales and the sale of replacement parts for existing engines.

Other companies also would benefit if the 580 is stretched: United Technologies’ Hamilton Standard Division would build the propellers used on the Allison propjets, and General Dynamics’ Convair Division would enjoy the prestige of keeping its venerable Convair aircraft flying into the 21st Century. Its replacement parts business might also benefit.

However, General Dynamic’s interest in the Convair aircraft has waned as the San Diego-based Convair Division shifted its emphasis from passenger planes to military contracts and rockets.

Not surprisingly, General Dynamics, Hamilton Standard and Allison do not want to spend an estimated $15 million that would be required to complete engineering studies on the stretched airplane, then order the tooling, build the production facility, hire a work force and get the required FAA certificate.

But those barriers don’t mean the proposal isn’t worthwhile, according to industry experts.

“Ted and Skeets have blown a lot of hot air over this for years,” added one observer who is familiar with the stretch proposal. “But maybe they’re closer to it this time than they’ve been in the past.”

“It’s still a viable airplane,” suggested one airline industry observer. “And there’s no reason (other than funding) it can’t be done.”

The Convair’s dependability is proved by the fact that hundreds of Convairs are still flying. Northwest Airlines recently announced that it would spend $13 million to upgrade the passenger cabins of the 13 Convair 580s that it uses on flights to cities such as South Bend, Ind., and Appleton, Wis.

And newer airplanes are not necessarily better airplanes than the Convair, according to industry observers, because the Convair remains a phenomenally well-designed airplane.

Good for 20 Years

For example, airlines that are willing to spend enough money can have their Convairs certified to fly for another 20 years.

However, while a stretched Convair would fill a niche in the aircraft industry market, observers question how much of a demand there is for the proposed 76-seat propjet, which Vallas and Coleman also envision as a dependable, cost-effective alternative for air-freight handlers.

Northwest, which is upgrading the interiors of its 580s, isn’t interested in stretching its fleet because “a 76-passenger Convair is starting to bump up against” its fleet of 78-seat DC-9 jets.

Airlines also are hesitant to pump money into their Convairs because the airplanes generally cost more to operate than most new jets, according to maintenance reports from airlines that operate both Convairs and more modern jets.