Convair 990 Coronado

The Convair 990 Coronado was an American narrow-body, four-engined jet airliner built by the Convair division of General Dynamics between 1961 and 1963. It was a stretched Convair 880, lengthened by about ten feet at the request of American Airlines for nonstop coast-to-coast flights, and seated 96 to 121 passengers. Anti-shock bodies on the wing trailing edges reduced transonic drag, and the General Electric CJ805-23 aft-fan engines made it some 25 to 35 miles an hour faster than the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8. It first flew on 24 January 1961. The type missed its fuel and range targets and was overtaken by the Boeing 720 and 727, so only 37 were built. Many later flew for charter airlines such as Spantax, NASA used one as a research aircraft, and a few are preserved.