Convair
3 types ยท 0 airframes
Pre-1950 Narrative
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Aircraft Types
Convair B-36 Peacemaker
The Convair B-36 Peacemaker was a six-engined piston bomber, later given four auxiliary jet engines, designed during the Second World War to bomb Germany from bases in the United States. It first flew in August 1946 and served with Strategic Air Command from 1948 to 1959 as the backbone of the early Cold War nuclear deterrent, alongside a large family of RB-36 reconnaissance versions. Production is counted differently by different sources, at 383 to 385 aircraft. The B-36 never flew in combat, and four complete aircraft survive.
Convair F-102 Delta Dagger
The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was a supersonic delta-wing interceptor built by Convair for the United States Air Force, where it became the backbone of Air Defense Command's defence against Soviet bombers. Developed from the XF-92A research aircraft for the Air Force's 1954 Ultimate Interceptor requirement, the YF-102 first flew in October 1953 but could not reach supersonic speed; after a four-month redesign around Richard Whitcomb's area rule, the revised YF-102A exceeded Mach 1 in December 1954. Production aircraft entered service in April 1956, armed with Falcon missiles and rockets in an internal weapons bay and no gun, and Boyne's Airpower Classics profile counts 1,000 built, including the two-seat TF-102A trainer. The type later served briefly in Vietnam, passed to the Air National Guard and to Greece and Turkey, and was retired from United States service in 1976; many survivors became target drones, and others are preserved in museums.
Convair XFY-1 Pogo
The Convair XFY-1 Pogo was an experimental turboprop tailsitter built for a U.S. Navy programme that sought a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) fighter able to operate from the decks of ordinary ships and protect convoys. Convair and Lockheed received contracts in May 1951; Convair completed one flying XFY-1, driven by an Allison YT40 turboprop turning two 16-foot counter-rotating propellers. Test pilot James F. "Skeets" Coleman began tethered flights inside a Moffett Field airship hangar in April 1954, made the first free flight on 1 August 1954, and on 2 November 1954 flew the transition from a vertical takeoff to horizontal flight and a vertical landing. The concept worked, but flying the aircraft demanded exceptional skill, and the Navy closed the programme in 1956; the Pogo is now held by the National Air and Space Museum.