these airplanes are CRAP! Just like John Schwab, they aren't a proposition that can live, and must destroy themselves. Fat, stupid,and unable to support themselves. I hate that-
I don't care about a little bit of metal getting ripped, but someone spent part of their life designing and building that thing and its a little disheartening just to see it being destroyed. what makes me sad is how little many people appreciate aircraft, especially this rare and be and beautiful work of art. if you gave it to me I totally would have made it into a house to hang out in. I love the convairs :D
A total lack of vision and respect for American aviation history. Certain politicians probably steal more money in one month than it would have cost to mothball and preserve this beauty.
Too bad to see another classic jetliner get cut up. I remember going to Vancouver airport as a kid 40 years ago seeing lots of classic DC8s 707s 727s and Viscount, Vanguard turboliners although I was too young to know what a CV 990 was but it definately brought back memories of those days
Man this is sad, even though this plane never reached the sales numbers of DC and Boeing it was still a milestone and a historical artefact. It saddens me we don't put value in the achievements of our forebearers and realise it's why we are here today with 10000nm range jetliners that are quieter and cleaner.
(part 2)....for the 880,about 6 yrs later, as an apprentice ground mech,b4 my flying career,...on a night shift (12mid-07am), i was assigned on extra work with a bunch of about 10 guys on a 880 ex DELTA, now bought by a smart guy wanting to make a cargo bird out of it....(google ONYX).the new owner gathered us and said that by shift end he wants to see a pipe for a cabin,...."so cannibize"...upholstery, seats, galleys..he failed ....lol using wooden flooring...
...as far as the convair 990,when i was about 15 and located in a middle east airport non arab/muslim country,following my dad in handling MEA ex SWISSAIR 990,out of passion for airplanes,i had the chance to see it and touch it,remembering the weird overwing tanks, and the engine intake by-pass....quite different from a 707 or a DC-8 (cont'd)
these vids are heart breaking ...so you guys watch what my company did to the prototype 727-200 series that we had in our fleet reg SX-CBF.....,search for olympic airways 'old horses'.,...it revenged though, it cought fire while been cut,...so nobody took her,...look also at airliners....
So the last "Coronado" is gone. That´s the way life goes. It is a pitty no museum was interested to safe the last one. But I think the CV-990 was s stillbirth. The market was not ready for a plane like this back in the 60´s. It was made for speed and not for transporting as much people as possible. So this beauty had the same fate as the Concorde in a way. That makes me sad. Good bye 990 ! R.I.P.
@XPLANEFSX Of course, in reality, he doesn't give one damn if we "Get a life" or not...he's not the least bit concerened...Furthermore, one man's life is another man's "Stupid"...
@748cowboy LISTEN 748 ASSHOLE,...I AM A 747 GUY AND I SCREW COWSHIT LIKE YOU FOR BREAKFAST.....,FURTHER ,YOU GET A LIFE OTHERWISE MY GREEK DICK CAN EASILY LOCATE YOUR SWEET LITTLE ASSHOLE, AND SHOW YOU WHAT U, HAVE BEEN MISSING TILL NOW.....!.....NOW GENTLY FUCK OFF, I HAVE SENSITIVE BALLS.....
@748cowboy Steel, not "steal". And there wouldn't be stainless steel, it would be structural steel in the keel and sectional pieces, and aluminum skin. Carbon fibre wasn't used in the 60's either. Other than nothing at all, though, you had everything else right...
@748cowboy eat your boyfriend's chode you fag. Your telling us to get a life when your Username is "748cowboy"....You probably are too poor to even fly in a plane......get a dick
The 880 and 990 were beautiful aircraft but economically unviable as they only had 5 across seating where the DC-8 and 707 had 6. economics trumps beauty unfortunately.
Hey guys how about we look at the positives: like I'm glad they got rid of that dinosaur now theres one less peice of junk that can fall out of the sky!
@sheetbug If that's the case we need to ground all the so called airplanes Scarebus ever built. I would fly on a Convair any day over the best of what EADS can build. The only thing they built that was faster than the 990 was Concorde which was an economical disaster from day one.
@klesmer Scrap dealers DREADED anytime they had to deal with an 880 or 990...very tough to cut up, as they were built so strong.. From what I've read, both the 880 & 990 "Were the jets to be in" when encountering thunderstorms and any other kind of adverse weather.
@mcdonnell220 Amen! They were just too late to the dance that all ready had been pretty much dominated by Boeing and Douglas. Too bad, honest and level competition is a good thing.
@klesmer and the 990 wasn't a disater? It was such a great aircraft they only built 37? Convairs were the A380 of the 50's but nowadays they are better off parked in museums or sent to the scrap yards!
Seeing this plane being taken apart made me so sad. I would hate to dismantle an old aircraft like that. And especially more so because that type was so rare, only a mere 37 were built.
For a couple of years during the 90s I used to pass that aircraft when I worked the ramp at KELP and it is being destroyed right in the same spot where I last saw it, in front of the T-hangers on the heavy ramp. As for giving it away to a pilot rated in the airframe for free to fly away was impossible, in no way shape or form was that bird flight worthy. I don't even want to imagine the ramp fees this jet owed the airport.
Awww...this is very sad. Why couldn't the plane be sold to a college or university for aeronautics and engineering students? At least it would still be in use that way.
Whoever cut this bird up should be charged with crimes against humanity. This airplane was a piece of art, and could have been used once a year to haul college kids to lo-cost spring break destinations.
The Convair C-990, to my mind, was the most elegent passenger aircraft ever to fly! Shame that it could not be saved. Someone might just have to go via Hell, for a few trillion years :D
I just never liked the look of most fuselage-mounted engines especially paired like that. I do like the Russian Be-200/A-40 etc.but I like most all Russian aircraft designs though.
The Il-18 is one beautiful bird. For jets, I have a hard time seeing anything more beautiful than a Boeing 707, and I have a real soft spot for the L1011 Tristar!
She looks like she was painted in the old Denver Ports-of-call colors. If so, I've flown in this very airplane a couple of times back in the early 1980s. Flew in her from Denver to Treasure Key, Bahamas. Since it was a private travel club airline, Air Traffic control put us up high and let us haul ass. I seem to remember that the flight only took something like four hours or so. Beautiful old bird, sorry to see her go this way.
I have to say I'm extremely pissed on learning about this. There is no truely logical reason for the scrapping of this aircraft. There is plenty of scrapmetal elsewhere that they could have used YOU DAMN PENNY PENCHING CHEAPSCATES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A quick revisit and still can't believe that of all the wealthy in this world, nobody would save this a historical commercial airliner treasure. Extremely sad footage.
Had the pleasure of returning from Phoenix, AZ to Detroit, MI in a 990 in about 1964. With it's speed and the jet stream, we had to circle on station for nearly an hour to land at the scheduled time. A beautiful machine.
This is murder!!! At least one plane should be left flyable from every model built....
At the very least.. KEEP THE ENGINES IN AN OPERATIVE CONDITION so that we can listen to the song they sing.... History isn't only text and pictures... sound is part of history too...
Frankly this is the most piggy way of recycling an aircraft. To keep it as it was, abandoned, costed much less than destroying it for absolutely nothing. The way it was dismantled, much material was wasted.
It's like watching the death of a good friend. Unbelievable that nobody stepped in to preserve what looks to have been a fairly pristine historic aircraft. If I had the cash, I would have been first in line to keep from being scrapped. Dammit!
@hondacl0n3 The song is called "Nadia's Theme", but is more widely remembered as the theme music for soap opera "The Young And The Restless". The 990's in the US were forced into retirement in Dec. 1984 when new noise regulations went in effect. Denver-based travel club Ports Of Call (who's paint scheme this plane wore) was the last domestic psgr. operator. NASA flew one till 1995. 990's flown by Spanish charter airline SPANTAX carried psgrs. until 1987.
@hondacl0n3 It was stored intact at El Paso. I got a tour of it in 1992, arranged by a friend. A fantastic experience. Several groups/museums wanted it but owner was asking way too much $. Over time, El Paso demanded its removal. But by the time owners were offering it to anyone who would move it, El Paso was essentially blocking all efforts to rescue it. Time ran out in August 2010.
@hondacl0n3 This 990 (an ex-Ports Of Call ship) did technically fly the last airline 990 operation (in 1988) when it was tapped to fly for Ciskei Int'l Airways in Africa. According to sources, it flew one "pre-inaugural" flight but never began actual service since it never was granted the required operating permits. So it wound up back in the USA (via Belgium) in 1991.
This aircraft was a one to be loved. From it's attributes, environmentalists are probably the only ones happy to see the flyable ones gone. But I'm not happy to see it go and the same with others who are true aviation lovers.
Thanks for sharing, many happy memories of Swissairs 990's in and out of London. By the way where did the TWA 990 go that was flown out of Mojave a few years back?
Emergency-exit doors and overhead bins for oxygen masks that were never needed. This plane has a happy ending, for she delivered all of her passengers safely. Think of the happy trips to places like Disneyland that families may have taken aboard her. She didn't go to waste either, for the recycling of her aluminum saves tremedous quantites of electricity versus smelting virgin ores.
why sad? the metal for this plane came from the melted down bombers, fighters from WWII. Life is change and while it is nice to recall the past, it is just the past. The metal from this acft may be a stove or car or in the next airliner.
I could see if there were several of these laying around or if this bird was beyond repair but come on seriously this is typical lack of interest who's ever responsible for destroying this piece of history which definitely should have been put in a museum even if it had to be dismantled and put back together again
@Radiodj213 How can someone destroy such an aircraft, the history is lost to the economy of some U.S. dollars. the dismantling of this unfortunate bird. I flew these aircraft nuna, extremamante fast, but a little noisy
que sentimento louco esse meu.as lagrimas vieram aos olhos.mais e a lei natural da vida,nascer crescer envelhecer e depois morrer.parabens pelo video.
Covair,estara sempre em nossos coracoes toda familia
How very sad. I know there was a big effort underway to save this airframe for a number of years, Another piece of aviation Americana lost to the ages.
I was fortunate enough to fly on a 990 in June 1973. I was living in Tehran, Iran at the time and my sister and I flew on Swissair to Geneva with a stop in Istanbul. I remember sitting near the rear, left side window. The male flight attendant asked if we wanted a second breakfast, an omlet that he cooked !! Great days to fly.
I was lucky to fly on many 707's, a few DC8's, two Caravelles and one VC10 between 1964-1974. These were great days of travel and great airplanes !
First of all, I agree. We should preserve our aviation history here in the US. But on the other hand, you have to keep in mind that preserving a 120k pound bird is not the same as preserving a car or an oil painting. These things take up quite a bit of real estate. And not many big wigs are willing to shell-out cash to keep these birds around.
This is the saddest thing I've seen in a long time. With all the money in the USA...how anyone with an overflow of cash couldn't outright buy this and put it in a static display is just beyond me. What a terrible end for a piece of American aviation history and a pathetic statement on how much we value it.
That actually hurts to watch. We spent so many years fixing all the discrepencies. Every frame of this slide show gets sadder and sadder. It at least belongs on static display somewhere. The only reason I could see for cutting it up would be if an asteroid was going to strike Earth and we desperately needed the aluminum to build a rocket ship. ;)
Sad and less than dignified end to what was once touted as the fastest production commercial airliner in the world, the Convair 990. Absolutely beautiful photography, documenting the destruction of what could have been a wonderful addition to any aviation museum. Please, mcdonnell220, do NOT remove this video, as it should be a cautionary tale to those of use who marveled at this beautiful bird (noise and smoke contrails made the experience more than memorable). RIP, Rita.
America has become the land of idiots. C'mon really? Europeans care more about commercial airliner history than here in the use, where it's all an obsession about military crap. Even down in Chile there's a preserved 707 in full Lan Chile colors! Not a single 707 in the US preserved in airline livery. Are you kidding me?
Very haunting, apt music. If this had been a military zaircraft of the same rarity as the 990, it would have been saved. What in hell is it that classic jetliners, rare as, are let to bite the dust like this? I mean in 2001, DC-8 'Ship One' got the chop, should have gone to preservation without question. Even if this beauty was never set to fly again, some imagination could have prevailed, turn her into a 60s themed restaurant, retaining the cabin decor, preserving that awseome, greater era.
Beautiful bird - too sad to see it die.... I know about two further CV-990. One is stored (in bad condition) in PMI (Mallorca / Balearic Islands Spain) and the other one is near Geneva and belongs to Swissair....
By the way - what a wonderful song! What is the name of it??
@B707DE The song is "Nadia's Theme", better known as the theme from soap opera "The Young And The Restless". There's two more 990's in addition to the two you mentioned, both at Mojave CA. Ship #2 which flew for APSA Peru is in fairly good condition with full passenger interior. And Ship 29 which was a NASA testbed for Space Shuttle landing gear tests. Rare and beautiful aircraft.
The thing is, unless it was going to be put in a mueseum, it is very unlikely that anyone would be willing to pay millions of dollars to get this in flying shape, and if they did, it would be flown ten or so times, then it would be back where it started as no airline would be willing to fly an old arliner like this. The only reason why QANTAS restored there 707 was that it was the first ever production 707, and it was there first ever jet. But that is a beautiful aircraft.
I don't think it was the last flyable CV-990. There is a Swissair-CV-990 that can be seen at the Swiss Museum of Transport and you can even go into the cabin. I think that one could still be flown if it wasn't at the museum.
BUMMER!!! I remember many times back in the late 90s, taking off from ELP in my Lone Star Airlines DO-328, headed for Chihuahua MX and looking down and seeing the distinctive "canoes" on the wings of that 990 and wandering if it would ever fly again. I say again BUMMER!!! :-(
To the short-sighted minion who signed the order to destroy this aircraft, I wonder what YOUR scrap value would be. Couldn't be much, since there would no heart or soul to salvage. Your step-children must be so proud.
I was very fortunate to have had ramp access at El Paso in May 2009, primarily to shoot the unique MD-220, but also took a few shots of '57C. A few shots of my visit to El Paso can be seen here...
@dpohunter Just a couple weeks ago in El Paso, TX. Still waiting word on whether the nose will be saved or not. I'm kind of thinking no, but one can hope! Part of me feels like a "Dirty guy" for posting this...kind of guilty, and couple of my really good friends won't even watch it, so I may take it down, not sure yet.
I had to stop watching at 0:23. I had the great privilege to be among a group of 990 enthusiasts that got to tour her back in 1992,during which I took lots of video and stills. Ship 24 was had once been the "Flagship Rita" while it flew in full Yellowbird scheme on lease to Northeast in '67-68. It's such a travesty when something so unique and rare is considered worth more dead than alive! Long Live "57 Charlie!" Long Live Rita.
Oops...One GLARING ERROR I made in the slideshow (And some happy news at that!)...There are FOUR, NOT three airframes extant. The APSA bird at Mojave (Along with the NASA 990 gate guard there) is still extant. The best example is the Swissair bird in Lucerne, while the Spantax 990 in Spain is in very rough shape, but at least not hacked up.
Hey Guys-A bit more insight on this over at the CV-990 Yahoo! group. Don't know if you'll be able to read this without being a member, but here are three insightful links:
There is no respect for aviation history out there! This thing was the fastest airliner ever to fly. I believe it made .92 Mach at cruise. With all the money Obama is pissing away, surely he or the Smithsonian could have saved this beautiful machine somehow. But remember, an airplane can't vote!
That was sad, what a shame! NO takers for a free rare airliner???? WTF, theres sombody out there that could have shown her the skys one last time and brought her to a safe haven..... Should really, really preserve that nose and some other parts.
Very sad indeed. Maybe we could atleast preserve the flight deck and turn it into a sim? Just a quick thought... Where is this aircraft (or what's left of it) at Chris?
@incheon I was wondering the exact same thing...if I get any more info on that, I'll be sure to pass it on. We may get more info from the comments here as well. Would be nice if the nose get's saved anyway!!
@incheon@incheon I suggested on a YT coment - about the Connie- that UNESCO should take providences to consider some commercial planes , as being patrimony of mankind. Just consider that they are part of our individual histories and psychological references.
Man, that's a terrible shame. It would have been nice to see more 990s preserved, as they truly were epic, but rare machines for their time. Hopefully they don't get to the only McDonnell 220.
@LOTIL62 No doubt...you can see the SOLE 220 in some of the frames here. They better NOT give her the chop...the only one ever built!! Thanks for your note.
It is beyond humbling, to see that a human-built beauty such as this 990 could be destroyed in just a matter of hours by the same human hands. What many careless individuals don't understand is that when something goes, it'll never come back again to the glory it once was. Ah well, we can only say, that's just the way it is.
I want to cry when i watch these videos,,,,, They can always put one behind my back yard,,,,
Jl777100 4 days ago
Good.
these airplanes are CRAP! Just like John Schwab, they aren't a proposition that can live, and must destroy themselves. Fat, stupid,and unable to support themselves. I hate that-
Flies2FLL 6 days ago
I don't care about a little bit of metal getting ripped, but someone spent part of their life designing and building that thing and its a little disheartening just to see it being destroyed. what makes me sad is how little many people appreciate aircraft, especially this rare and be and beautiful work of art. if you gave it to me I totally would have made it into a house to hang out in. I love the convairs :D
macpilot757 1 week ago
How could no one be interested in a free aircraft? was it publicized at all?
Mr27ace27 4 weeks ago
If I was driving that pickup that had the nose/cockpit I'd have driven it to my house lol...
TG626 1 month ago
A total lack of vision and respect for American aviation history. Certain politicians probably steal more money in one month than it would have cost to mothball and preserve this beauty.
hotelgulf 2 months ago 2
Too bad to see another classic jetliner get cut up. I remember going to Vancouver airport as a kid 40 years ago seeing lots of classic DC8s 707s 727s and Viscount, Vanguard turboliners although I was too young to know what a CV 990 was but it definately brought back memories of those days
rEdf196 2 months ago
Such a shame to see history binned like this, especially something that could still fly!
cashman156 2 months ago
very sad !!!
huvander 2 months ago
Man this is sad, even though this plane never reached the sales numbers of DC and Boeing it was still a milestone and a historical artefact. It saddens me we don't put value in the achievements of our forebearers and realise it's why we are here today with 10000nm range jetliners that are quieter and cleaner.
Foxx1981 2 months ago
Who knows, that aluminum foil I wrapped my lunch in this morning, could have once bee a part of this plane, I am humbled.
1954shadow 2 months ago
(part 2)....for the 880,about 6 yrs later, as an apprentice ground mech,b4 my flying career,...on a night shift (12mid-07am), i was assigned on extra work with a bunch of about 10 guys on a 880 ex DELTA, now bought by a smart guy wanting to make a cargo bird out of it....(google ONYX).the new owner gathered us and said that by shift end he wants to see a pipe for a cabin,...."so cannibize"...upholstery, seats, galleys..he failed ....lol using wooden flooring...
thanx for attention
flyingxk 2 months ago
...as far as the convair 990,when i was about 15 and located in a middle east airport non arab/muslim country,following my dad in handling MEA ex SWISSAIR 990,out of passion for airplanes,i had the chance to see it and touch it,remembering the weird overwing tanks, and the engine intake by-pass....quite different from a 707 or a DC-8 (cont'd)
flyingxk 2 months ago
scrappers hated Convair Jets their metal was thicker than Boeing or Douglas Jets and cutting was harder.
doulasc 2 months ago
these vids are heart breaking ...so you guys watch what my company did to the prototype 727-200 series that we had in our fleet reg SX-CBF.....,search for olympic airways 'old horses'.,...it revenged though, it cought fire while been cut,...so nobody took her,...look also at airliners....
ps.i flew her for 10 years,my first type.....
flyingxk 2 months ago
So the last "Coronado" is gone. That´s the way life goes. It is a pitty no museum was interested to safe the last one. But I think the CV-990 was s stillbirth. The market was not ready for a plane like this back in the 60´s. It was made for speed and not for transporting as much people as possible. So this beauty had the same fate as the Concorde in a way. That makes me sad. Good bye 990 ! R.I.P.
Slaterator 2 months ago
What a shame,great music to go with it. Thank you for sharing this. :(
MrMegaFredzeppelin 2 months ago
HAHHAHAHAH LOLOLOLOLO stupid no life fuck faces crying about a stupid plane get a life loseres
748cowboy 2 months ago
@748cowboy
grow up kid
XPLANEFSX 2 months ago 6
@XPLANEFSX Of course, in reality, he doesn't give one damn if we "Get a life" or not...he's not the least bit concerened...Furthermore, one man's life is another man's "Stupid"...
mcdonnell220 2 months ago
@748cowboy LISTEN 748 ASSHOLE,...I AM A 747 GUY AND I SCREW COWSHIT LIKE YOU FOR BREAKFAST.....,FURTHER ,YOU GET A LIFE OTHERWISE MY GREEK DICK CAN EASILY LOCATE YOUR SWEET LITTLE ASSHOLE, AND SHOW YOU WHAT U, HAVE BEEN MISSING TILL NOW.....!.....NOW GENTLY FUCK OFF, I HAVE SENSITIVE BALLS.....
flyingxk 2 months ago
@flyingxk ITS JUST A STUPID PLANE ITS ALL JUST STAINLESS STEAL AND CARBON FIBRES
748cowboy 2 months ago
Comment removed
therockchannel100 2 months ago
@748cowboy carbon fibre wasn't used back then, and it's steel not steal, and btw why you're wtching it?
therockchannel100 2 months ago
Comment removed
dannobnl 2 months ago
@748cowboy Steel, not "steal". And there wouldn't be stainless steel, it would be structural steel in the keel and sectional pieces, and aluminum skin. Carbon fibre wasn't used in the 60's either. Other than nothing at all, though, you had everything else right...
dannobnl 2 months ago
@748cowboy eat your boyfriend's chode you fag. Your telling us to get a life when your Username is "748cowboy"....You probably are too poor to even fly in a plane......get a dick
MegaBadOFFICAL 2 months ago
The 880 and 990 were beautiful aircraft but economically unviable as they only had 5 across seating where the DC-8 and 707 had 6. economics trumps beauty unfortunately.
completeaerogeek 2 months ago
This is screwed UP! Why would they do that? Use her at an airshow smart ones!
fiverats1 2 months ago
i know its weird but every time i watch these videos i cry a little bit knowing these beutifu aircraft and there legacy are now gone
Mega747400 2 months ago
Question: WHY!? *sob*
ApplePieManFromMars 2 months ago
I needed a Kleenex when watching this.
VIR092 3 months ago
This does not make me happy.
I won't cry for aluminum but I might for the slice of history this plane represents.
The CV-990 was a hell of an airplane.
Only a very few people understand how superior it was to the Boeings.
It just hit the market too late, everyone had committed their bucks to Boeing and Douglas already.
hammerogod 3 months ago
@hammerogod so true for the fastest passenger jet ever....RIP
flyingxk 2 months ago
YOUNG AND RESTLESS THEME? OOOOO k
jetcat4445t 3 months ago
Any word on the cockpit - was it saved?
57buickcentury 3 months ago
Hey guys how about we look at the positives: like I'm glad they got rid of that dinosaur now theres one less peice of junk that can fall out of the sky!
sheetbug 3 months ago
@sheetbug If that's the case we need to ground all the so called airplanes Scarebus ever built. I would fly on a Convair any day over the best of what EADS can build. The only thing they built that was faster than the 990 was Concorde which was an economical disaster from day one.
klesmer 3 months ago
@klesmer Scrap dealers DREADED anytime they had to deal with an 880 or 990...very tough to cut up, as they were built so strong.. From what I've read, both the 880 & 990 "Were the jets to be in" when encountering thunderstorms and any other kind of adverse weather.
mcdonnell220 3 months ago
@mcdonnell220 Amen! They were just too late to the dance that all ready had been pretty much dominated by Boeing and Douglas. Too bad, honest and level competition is a good thing.
klesmer 3 months ago
@klesmer and the 990 wasn't a disater? It was such a great aircraft they only built 37? Convairs were the A380 of the 50's but nowadays they are better off parked in museums or sent to the scrap yards!
sheetbug 3 months ago
@sheetbug Bullshit. They just arrived too late in an all ready saturated market. By your way of thinking the Vulcan should be scrapped.
klesmer 3 months ago
Imagine all the thousands of people it carried to new adventure, sad video, well made.
pcvideogamer 3 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
why even upload this ?
haworthhoarder 3 months ago
Seeing this plane being taken apart made me so sad. I would hate to dismantle an old aircraft like that. And especially more so because that type was so rare, only a mere 37 were built.
compdude100 3 months ago
those workers probably feel nothing and have no clue how much grief they are bringing to the aviation world..
MrRockoutLoud 3 months ago
so young... now so restless.. :P
andrewcbro 3 months ago
That is so sad - my favorite airliner - mostly cause - I flew on one from BHX to Palma on a holiday flight once - amazing aeroplane
alantew 3 months ago
For a couple of years during the 90s I used to pass that aircraft when I worked the ramp at KELP and it is being destroyed right in the same spot where I last saw it, in front of the T-hangers on the heavy ramp. As for giving it away to a pilot rated in the airframe for free to fly away was impossible, in no way shape or form was that bird flight worthy. I don't even want to imagine the ramp fees this jet owed the airport.
CatPilot 3 months ago
A very good question.. this technology made sense.
josephdupont 3 months ago
Thanks for sharing...so sad, such a classic plane! :(
rockymountainrandom 4 months ago
Awww...this is very sad. Why couldn't the plane be sold to a college or university for aeronautics and engineering students? At least it would still be in use that way.
cupcakefairy87 4 months ago
very nice music!
ijzerable 4 months ago
Sad demise, excellent presentation, thanks for sharing!!
drobinson220 4 months ago
so sad to see sucha lovely aircraft torn to pieces !!
HITHEREFOLKS 4 months ago
Rita is right ..... this great Convair 990 had the distinction of flying in the Northeast Yellowbird livery. RIP.
voyeurcurioso 4 months ago
Very, very sad... It'S a shame that they didn't keep it as a museum!
@ mcdonnell220
There is a group that is "renewing" the SPANTAX CV-990 still located in Palma de Mallorca. You will find them ec-bzo.com....
Starglance 4 months ago
This makes me really sad. Love the music though.
smacdiesel 4 months ago
Whoever cut this bird up should be charged with crimes against humanity. This airplane was a piece of art, and could have been used once a year to haul college kids to lo-cost spring break destinations.
TheCannonofMohammed 5 months ago
very sad
amddwr 5 months ago
what a waste of man hours used to put this graceful bird together and like we say in the hot rod circles extinction is forever
oneeye4263 5 months ago
Why no museum was interested in this beauty?
HamburgMobile 5 months ago 19
@HamburgMobile
There is one! Visit the Swiss Transport Museum at Luzern, and you will see a CV-990M in original Swissair colours, with fully intact interior.
PeterNGloor 4 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@HamburgMobile because the world is FUCKED UP... and it will always be
pcblah 3 months ago
The Convair C-990, to my mind, was the most elegent passenger aircraft ever to fly! Shame that it could not be saved. Someone might just have to go via Hell, for a few trillion years :D
noggin48 5 months ago
I just never liked the look of most fuselage-mounted engines especially paired like that. I do like the Russian Be-200/A-40 etc.but I like most all Russian aircraft designs though.
The Il-18 is one beautiful bird. For jets, I have a hard time seeing anything more beautiful than a Boeing 707, and I have a real soft spot for the L1011 Tristar!
kevjay777 6 months ago
Such a wasteful species we humans are
clearbrainstall 6 months ago
Well thats shit :(, those convairs were something else... such ashame.
tom211t 6 months ago
She looks like she was painted in the old Denver Ports-of-call colors. If so, I've flown in this very airplane a couple of times back in the early 1980s. Flew in her from Denver to Treasure Key, Bahamas. Since it was a private travel club airline, Air Traffic control put us up high and let us haul ass. I seem to remember that the flight only took something like four hours or so. Beautiful old bird, sorry to see her go this way.
panzerrat 6 months ago
That is very ignorant of them. This plane could have gone to a museum and been on display. A Very Beautiful Air Craft
WorldAirwaysMD11 6 months ago
I have to say I'm extremely pissed on learning about this. There is no truely logical reason for the scrapping of this aircraft. There is plenty of scrapmetal elsewhere that they could have used YOU DAMN PENNY PENCHING CHEAPSCATES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
amthomas0412 6 months ago
A quick revisit and still can't believe that of all the wealthy in this world, nobody would save this a historical commercial airliner treasure. Extremely sad footage.
hotelgulf 6 months ago
Beautiful aircraft. The lost of the last remaining flyable is a tragedy.
101HeyNow 6 months ago
I was reading the specs of this airplane, not familiar with it, and I was astounded that the 990 cruised at .91 Mach. DAYUM!
Transam941 6 months ago
Say please, name of the composer of the music. ))))
Kukumor 7 months ago
@Kukumor this is the theme from The Young and the Restless soap opera
johng669 6 months ago
@johng669 Thank you! The Beautiful music.
Kukumor 6 months ago
It's always sad when an airplane goes extinct
imaudie43 7 months ago
Had the pleasure of returning from Phoenix, AZ to Detroit, MI in a 990 in about 1964. With it's speed and the jet stream, we had to circle on station for nearly an hour to land at the scheduled time. A beautiful machine.
tuneposter 7 months ago
This is murder!!! At least one plane should be left flyable from every model built....
At the very least.. KEEP THE ENGINES IN AN OPERATIVE CONDITION so that we can listen to the song they sing.... History isn't only text and pictures... sound is part of history too...
The737NGdude 7 months ago
VERY sad...
frankmunoz27 7 months ago
Frankly this is the most piggy way of recycling an aircraft. To keep it as it was, abandoned, costed much less than destroying it for absolutely nothing. The way it was dismantled, much material was wasted.
Flyermac 7 months ago
It's like watching the death of a good friend. Unbelievable that nobody stepped in to preserve what looks to have been a fairly pristine historic aircraft. If I had the cash, I would have been first in line to keep from being scrapped. Dammit!
hotelgulf718 7 months ago
So sad............
mycarvideos21 8 months ago
Can i have the name of this song please. & when they retired last year they were still flying them in the USA or in other countries?
hondacl0n3 8 months ago
@hondacl0n3 The song is called "Nadia's Theme", but is more widely remembered as the theme music for soap opera "The Young And The Restless". The 990's in the US were forced into retirement in Dec. 1984 when new noise regulations went in effect. Denver-based travel club Ports Of Call (who's paint scheme this plane wore) was the last domestic psgr. operator. NASA flew one till 1995. 990's flown by Spanish charter airline SPANTAX carried psgrs. until 1987.
dpohunter 8 months ago
@dpohunter so if mcdonnell220 said they scrapped it last year, was it in like display or what exactly? But ay thanks for the reply back.
hondacl0n3 8 months ago
@hondacl0n3 It was stored intact at El Paso. I got a tour of it in 1992, arranged by a friend. A fantastic experience. Several groups/museums wanted it but owner was asking way too much $. Over time, El Paso demanded its removal. But by the time owners were offering it to anyone who would move it, El Paso was essentially blocking all efforts to rescue it. Time ran out in August 2010.
dpohunter 8 months ago
@hondacl0n3 This 990 (an ex-Ports Of Call ship) did technically fly the last airline 990 operation (in 1988) when it was tapped to fly for Ciskei Int'l Airways in Africa. According to sources, it flew one "pre-inaugural" flight but never began actual service since it never was granted the required operating permits. So it wound up back in the USA (via Belgium) in 1991.
dpohunter 8 months ago
This aircraft was a one to be loved. From it's attributes, environmentalists are probably the only ones happy to see the flyable ones gone. But I'm not happy to see it go and the same with others who are true aviation lovers.
SketchUp707 9 months ago
Was this parked at ELP for years? Seems I remember taxing by it on the way to the FBO dozens of times back in the mid 90's.
patjparks 9 months ago
Lovley plane, but I think the subsonic speed record, for the atlantic anyway is held be the VC-10
beeblebroxthe2nd 9 months ago
Thanks for sharing, many happy memories of Swissairs 990's in and out of London. By the way where did the TWA 990 go that was flown out of Mojave a few years back?
beeline458 9 months ago
sob sob...
alruin4531 10 months ago 12
Emergency-exit doors and overhead bins for oxygen masks that were never needed. This plane has a happy ending, for she delivered all of her passengers safely. Think of the happy trips to places like Disneyland that families may have taken aboard her. She didn't go to waste either, for the recycling of her aluminum saves tremedous quantites of electricity versus smelting virgin ores.
Starfish99100 10 months ago
sad to see such a beautiful plane dying....
drome123 10 months ago
why sad? the metal for this plane came from the melted down bombers, fighters from WWII. Life is change and while it is nice to recall the past, it is just the past. The metal from this acft may be a stove or car or in the next airliner.
HuasoPodrido 11 months ago
Should have saved this... :'( My grandad knows how to fly the Convair and he is in his 60s. :((((( SORYYYY
TheWebFix 11 months ago
I could see if there were several of these laying around or if this bird was beyond repair but come on seriously this is typical lack of interest who's ever responsible for destroying this piece of history which definitely should have been put in a museum even if it had to be dismantled and put back together again
Italian144 11 months ago
guys, nasa still has their cv-990 on display at the mojave spaceport :D.there is always a glimmer of light at the end of a dark tunnel
legomaster335 11 months ago
People do STUPID THINGS! This was 1 of them!!! Should have gone to the Smithsonian!
Radiodj213 11 months ago
@Radiodj213 How can someone destroy such an aircraft, the history is lost to the economy of some U.S. dollars. the dismantling of this unfortunate bird. I flew these aircraft nuna, extremamante fast, but a little noisy
valdegaga 10 months ago
They should be accused for murder!
DetEJagDe 1 year ago
A sad ending to a wonderful plane. This plane should have been flowen to an aircraft musium.
mustangmooney21 1 year ago
que sentimento louco esse meu.as lagrimas vieram aos olhos.mais e a lei natural da vida,nascer crescer envelhecer e depois morrer.parabens pelo video.
Covair,estara sempre em nossos coracoes toda familia
desde o Brasil
joao fernando
joaofernandocosta 1 year ago
Very sad! :(
GohanDBZReturns1 1 year ago
RIP CONVAIR :'(
MrPaki1996 1 year ago
RIN CONVAIR
MrPaki1996 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
who gives a fuck its a plane LOL not a person ahahaha
Vorox144 1 year ago
@Vorox144 So then its alright to say id kill your family and then ask everyone... Who Gives a Fuck...?
DYLAV8R 1 year ago
Thanks to all you aluminum hunting assholes out there.
madisonelectronic 1 year ago
How very sad. I know there was a big effort underway to save this airframe for a number of years, Another piece of aviation Americana lost to the ages.
sgtgtneal 1 year ago
Very very sad...
TMLAviation 1 year ago
I hope the same fate doesn't happen to the S.S. United States in Philadelphia.
jfbenzl 1 year ago
damn shame.
jfbenzl 1 year ago
omg this video make me sad, i dont know why but it does
gregdog550 1 year ago
Sad sad sad F.....g sad
grooteschuur62 1 year ago
I was fortunate enough to fly on a 990 in June 1973. I was living in Tehran, Iran at the time and my sister and I flew on Swissair to Geneva with a stop in Istanbul. I remember sitting near the rear, left side window. The male flight attendant asked if we wanted a second breakfast, an omlet that he cooked !! Great days to fly.
I was lucky to fly on many 707's, a few DC8's, two Caravelles and one VC10 between 1964-1974. These were great days of travel and great airplanes !
guintube 1 year ago
First of all, I agree. We should preserve our aviation history here in the US. But on the other hand, you have to keep in mind that preserving a 120k pound bird is not the same as preserving a car or an oil painting. These things take up quite a bit of real estate. And not many big wigs are willing to shell-out cash to keep these birds around.
Einhander49 1 year ago
This is the saddest thing I've seen in a long time. With all the money in the USA...how anyone with an overflow of cash couldn't outright buy this and put it in a static display is just beyond me. What a terrible end for a piece of American aviation history and a pathetic statement on how much we value it.
hotelgulf718 1 year ago
That actually hurts to watch. We spent so many years fixing all the discrepencies. Every frame of this slide show gets sadder and sadder. It at least belongs on static display somewhere. The only reason I could see for cutting it up would be if an asteroid was going to strike Earth and we desperately needed the aluminum to build a rocket ship. ;)
JetMechMA 1 year ago
Sad and less than dignified end to what was once touted as the fastest production commercial airliner in the world, the Convair 990. Absolutely beautiful photography, documenting the destruction of what could have been a wonderful addition to any aviation museum. Please, mcdonnell220, do NOT remove this video, as it should be a cautionary tale to those of use who marveled at this beautiful bird (noise and smoke contrails made the experience more than memorable). RIP, Rita.
MrDBCooper727 1 year ago
America has become the land of idiots. C'mon really? Europeans care more about commercial airliner history than here in the use, where it's all an obsession about military crap. Even down in Chile there's a preserved 707 in full Lan Chile colors! Not a single 707 in the US preserved in airline livery. Are you kidding me?
mayi757 1 year ago
@mayi757 Doesn't Travolta own a 707 in QANTAS livery?
432ps1 5 months ago
Very haunting, apt music. If this had been a military zaircraft of the same rarity as the 990, it would have been saved. What in hell is it that classic jetliners, rare as, are let to bite the dust like this? I mean in 2001, DC-8 'Ship One' got the chop, should have gone to preservation without question. Even if this beauty was never set to fly again, some imagination could have prevailed, turn her into a 60s themed restaurant, retaining the cabin decor, preserving that awseome, greater era.
Pullisto 1 year ago
Don't tell Howard.
NOTABOOS 1 year ago
Beautiful bird - too sad to see it die.... I know about two further CV-990. One is stored (in bad condition) in PMI (Mallorca / Balearic Islands Spain) and the other one is near Geneva and belongs to Swissair....
By the way - what a wonderful song! What is the name of it??
B707DE 1 year ago
@B707DE The song is "Nadia's Theme", better known as the theme from soap opera "The Young And The Restless". There's two more 990's in addition to the two you mentioned, both at Mojave CA. Ship #2 which flew for APSA Peru is in fairly good condition with full passenger interior. And Ship 29 which was a NASA testbed for Space Shuttle landing gear tests. Rare and beautiful aircraft.
dpohunter 1 year ago
What a shame! So uncerimonious too... makes me sad (even though I was not a big fan of the Convair.)
runway34r 1 year ago
lovely, thanks
weav8060 1 year ago
The thing is, unless it was going to be put in a mueseum, it is very unlikely that anyone would be willing to pay millions of dollars to get this in flying shape, and if they did, it would be flown ten or so times, then it would be back where it started as no airline would be willing to fly an old arliner like this. The only reason why QANTAS restored there 707 was that it was the first ever production 707, and it was there first ever jet. But that is a beautiful aircraft.
thestig747 1 year ago
I don't think it was the last flyable CV-990. There is a Swissair-CV-990 that can be seen at the Swiss Museum of Transport and you can even go into the cabin. I think that one could still be flown if it wasn't at the museum.
Still, it's a pity that this one was destroyed!
MisterSRG 1 year ago
BUMMER!!! I remember many times back in the late 90s, taking off from ELP in my Lone Star Airlines DO-328, headed for Chihuahua MX and looking down and seeing the distinctive "canoes" on the wings of that 990 and wandering if it would ever fly again. I say again BUMMER!!! :-(
SteveD328 1 year ago
The sight of an old airliner getting scraped allways brings a tear to my eyes... R.I.P. N8357C.
MrFlightfan 1 year ago
what a mindless waste!
slh950 1 year ago
What the plane-man buildeth, the scrap-man taketh away....
AccessAir 1 year ago
Eventhough i`m a pilot and LOVE to fly, come on... it`s just an aircraft.
daniloivensmina 1 year ago
How sad to watch it!
marcospaiva15 1 year ago
Very sad. :(
mariogeo17 1 year ago
This video made me cry!
The Coronado is my favourite airplane and it was a shame seeing this true legend finishing their days by this way. R.I.P. great machine!
wrctube 1 year ago
To the short-sighted minion who signed the order to destroy this aircraft, I wonder what YOUR scrap value would be. Couldn't be much, since there would no heart or soul to salvage. Your step-children must be so proud.
dpohunter 1 year ago
Collections like yours will help to never forget these wonderful machines.
Thank You
DPilot154 1 year ago
it's a shame, thinking about the effort spent on building them ..
stenic2 1 year ago
I can imagine ribbons of black smoke stretching off to the horizon in mourning for this bird. R.I.P.!
TFinSF 1 year ago
I was very fortunate to have had ramp access at El Paso in May 2009, primarily to shoot the unique MD-220, but also took a few shots of '57C. A few shots of my visit to El Paso can be seen here...
andrewmartin.fotopic.net/c1803854.html
Very sad to see this beauty scrapped...
lioii 1 year ago 5
@lioii Thanks a MILLION for the link, and PLEASE let me know if Joe's book on the 220 got published/is available. Best, Chris
mcdonnell220 1 year ago
What date did this take place? Was anything saved (engines, seats, spares) or was it ALL destroyed?
dpohunter 1 year ago
@dpohunter Just a couple weeks ago in El Paso, TX. Still waiting word on whether the nose will be saved or not. I'm kind of thinking no, but one can hope! Part of me feels like a "Dirty guy" for posting this...kind of guilty, and couple of my really good friends won't even watch it, so I may take it down, not sure yet.
mcdonnell220 1 year ago
Comment removed
mayi757 1 year ago
Comment removed
dpohunter 1 year ago
I had to stop watching at 0:23. I had the great privilege to be among a group of 990 enthusiasts that got to tour her back in 1992,during which I took lots of video and stills. Ship 24 was had once been the "Flagship Rita" while it flew in full Yellowbird scheme on lease to Northeast in '67-68. It's such a travesty when something so unique and rare is considered worth more dead than alive! Long Live "57 Charlie!" Long Live Rita.
dpohunter 1 year ago
Sad. Truly sad.
stansdds 1 year ago
...Like sands in the hour glass - These are the days of our lives.....
TalksWithDirt 1 year ago
Oops...One GLARING ERROR I made in the slideshow (And some happy news at that!)...There are FOUR, NOT three airframes extant. The APSA bird at Mojave (Along with the NASA 990 gate guard there) is still extant. The best example is the Swissair bird in Lucerne, while the Spantax 990 in Spain is in very rough shape, but at least not hacked up.
mcdonnell220 1 year ago
Hey Guys-A bit more insight on this over at the CV-990 Yahoo! group. Don't know if you'll be able to read this without being a member, but here are three insightful links:
groups.yahoo.com/group/Convair990/message/247
groups.yahoo.com/group/Convair990/message/248
groups.yahoo.com/group/Convair990/message/255
Doesn't make it any less painful, of course. :-(
mcdonnell220 1 year ago
That's Pathetic!!!! Why didn't the YAHOO go after one of the other less rarer but more common aircraft for scrap such as a 727?
Crowflug 1 year ago
There is no respect for aviation history out there! This thing was the fastest airliner ever to fly. I believe it made .92 Mach at cruise. With all the money Obama is pissing away, surely he or the Smithsonian could have saved this beautiful machine somehow. But remember, an airplane can't vote!
OperaPilot 1 year ago
That was sad, what a shame! NO takers for a free rare airliner???? WTF, theres sombody out there that could have shown her the skys one last time and brought her to a safe haven..... Should really, really preserve that nose and some other parts.
mytmousemalibu 1 year ago
In all my years of business traveling, I had one flight on a Convair 990. I knew it was rare, but didn't know it was that rare.
GutpileCharlie 1 year ago
Really sad to see all these classics passing away... Golden age of flying is just a more distant memory with every day...
spitfiremk9 1 year ago
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
heil08 1 year ago
A crying shame.
ALFAGOMMA 1 year ago
Very sad indeed. Maybe we could atleast preserve the flight deck and turn it into a sim? Just a quick thought... Where is this aircraft (or what's left of it) at Chris?
incheon 1 year ago
@incheon I was wondering the exact same thing...if I get any more info on that, I'll be sure to pass it on. We may get more info from the comments here as well. Would be nice if the nose get's saved anyway!!
mcdonnell220 1 year ago
@mcdonnell220 That's right!
incheon 1 year ago
Comment removed
miguelmouta 1 year ago
@incheon @incheon I suggested on a YT coment - about the Connie- that UNESCO should take providences to consider some commercial planes , as being patrimony of mankind. Just consider that they are part of our individual histories and psychological references.
miguelmouta 1 year ago
"The Maserati Of The Air..."
mcdonnell220 1 year ago
Man, that's a terrible shame. It would have been nice to see more 990s preserved, as they truly were epic, but rare machines for their time. Hopefully they don't get to the only McDonnell 220.
LOTIL62 1 year ago
@LOTIL62 No doubt...you can see the SOLE 220 in some of the frames here. They better NOT give her the chop...the only one ever built!! Thanks for your note.
mcdonnell220 1 year ago
...sad.
wallexus 1 year ago
It is beyond humbling, to see that a human-built beauty such as this 990 could be destroyed in just a matter of hours by the same human hands. What many careless individuals don't understand is that when something goes, it'll never come back again to the glory it once was. Ah well, we can only say, that's just the way it is.
SSSCLimitedTrademark 1 year ago