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Posted: 26 Oct 2006, 17:54
by Garry Russell
They got a Convair flying, G-ANVP I think it was..the only Convairliner to be registered in the UK, but as you say there were problems.

Garry

Posted: 26 Oct 2006, 18:01
by ianhind
Garry,

From CalClassic:

"Allegheny and the RCAF purchased the 20 Eland conversions, called the CV-540, but when the Eland program was cancelled in 1962, another engine was needed."

So G-ANVP would have been the prototype (?). But I can only find 10 Cv-540 in the list at http://www.xs4all.nl/~rioolpw/main.html which you kindly posted recently. So maybe even 20 was never achieved.

Posted: 26 Oct 2006, 18:18
by Garry Russell
Hi Ian

Could be they never made it to twenty

The Dart version was a bit dissapointing numerically as well

But with the Allison doing the biz and widely availiable there had in the end have to be one winner.

Never really studied the type very closely

Garry

Posted: 26 Oct 2006, 18:36
by DispatchDragon
<--Can own up to having heard an Eland - Napiers had a Lincoln with one in the nose it lived at Luton - Not worried if anyone believes me - But you could use the Tyne sound quite easily for the Rotordyne engines - except as Garry points out - the tip jets and blade sound was so horrendous you never heard anything else. :wink:


Leif

Posted: 26 Oct 2006, 19:19
by John R
Hi all

Found this, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9633v6U0wo

Brilliant :dance:


John

Posted: 26 Oct 2006, 19:25
by Chris Trott
Actually, all of the CV-540s were newly built aircraft (not conversions) from Canadair for the RCAF under the name of CL-66B. The reason for choosing the Eland was that it could fit within the existing cowling which allowed for them to have minimal changes to the aircraft design and give the RCAF a "better" aircraft. However the Elands were underpowered for the aircraft and had a lot of maintenance issues and all of the "CV-540" aircraft that were scratch built were converted to Allisons and became "CV-580s". There were 10 aircraft built, but only 8 survived into the mid-60's when they were converted to CV-580 configuration (CL-66C).

One of the more "stupid" changes that Canadair made was a shorter control column. One of Air Tahoma's planes has the short stick and everyone hates it becuase the plane is very heavy on the controls as is, and the short stick only makes it worse.

Allegheny made an order for the 540 (the civil version of the CL-66) but none were ever completed as the prototype never lived up to the performance that Canadair promised and so instead they went to Allison for their 580 conversion.

Posted: 26 Oct 2006, 20:34
by JohnWillimas
Fantastic!!!!

Ito San certainly has the look of the thing, now if only the flight dynamics were as good...... :roll:

Posted: 26 Oct 2006, 20:42
by ianhind
Sorry to have hijacked this thread for Convair 549 trivia, but from http://www.ruudleeuw.com/convair_tec.htm , seems like a combination of new build and conversion. The bold numbers are the appropriate c/nos:

"But the attempt by the British Napier company in 1955 was more successful, when it flew a Napier 3.000hp engined CV340. Six were converted for Allegheny and received the designation CV540 "Cosmopolitan" [153/154/161/168/445]. Disputed conversion? [15/19] http://www.geocities.com/~aeromoe/fleets/alleghny.html

Three unsold CV440s were converted by Canadair to CV540 standard as CL-66C (1 demonstrator and 2 for Quebecair) [454/462/475]. Canadair had planned to build passenger CV540s as CL-66As, but no civil orders came in. But 10 CL-66B "Cosmopolitans" were produced for the Royal Canadian Air Force (deliveries in 1960 and 1961). The 3 CL-66Cs were transferred to the RCAF, too, in 1962. This ended the Eland-powered conversions, as meanwhile Roll-Royce had taken over Napier Engines in 1962 and production of the Eland-engines for conversion was stopped. The RCAF CL-66s were converted, after 1966, to CV580 standard."

Me, a pedant, what makes you say that :roll: :lol:

But no nearer an Eland sound set.

Posted: 26 Oct 2006, 21:27
by Garry Russell
Thanks for that Ian

Technical hijack maybe..but all good information :smile:

Cheers

Garry

Posted: 26 Oct 2006, 21:50
by FlyTexas
John R wrote:Hi all

Found this, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9633v6U0wo

Brilliant :dance:


John
Well done, John! I enjoyed that video very, very, much. :smile:

Brian