The Convair 580 is an awesome looking beast. Everything about it looks large. It sits well off the ground, seems to have long wings, it has two big turboprop engines, and what can I say about those props??!!! I'm not sure that they would be that efficient, but they are large! There's not much ground clearance on the props, so this would have to be a beast for fairly smooth runways and taxiways only. Convairs are also noisy and smokey [nice!] - just a shame it was not starting up while I was there!
This particular example is still doing ATO's [Air Transport Operations] around New Zealand and is operated by Pionair Adventures Ltd.
The first picture shows off the wingspan of this magnificent aircraft. The second is a front-quarter view and the third is a closeup of the nose and those huge paddles [note the prop ground clearance]!
4 comments:
Great photos. It's a shame you did not hear it running. Until the past couple years we got them during college basketball season hauling teams. The beast will rock our world. You can feel it in your chest. The 580 is a little over powered and climbs like a rocket. I had the thrill of jump seating in one five years ago for several flights. And many years ago I had a turn at the controls of a 340. It was so cool. I miss them. That's a REAL plane
It sure is an impressive looking plane. It's the props that get me. Huge! :-)
I wonder if the tips turn fast enough to get close to being supersonic? Those props are massive alright.
Hmmm, don't know about blade tip speeds.
Post a Comment