Seat 2A

I just want to say thanks for all the follow up information regarding the Convair 580s, Comet, et al. Great stuff! ^

WHBM

QUIZ QUESTION. One of Frontier's former Convair 580 aircraft is still operating, in 2013, Scheduled passenger service. Where ?

jlemon

And since we are on a topic that concerns turboprops, here's another quiz item as well.

This company produced a turboprop airliner that was based on a successful business aircraft design. The aircraft featured Rolls-Royce engines. Only a handful were ever produced which were operated by at least two U.S. regional airlines who were known as commuter air carriers at the time.

Identify the company that produced this airplane as well as the name and model of the aircraft. Also identify two airlines that operated it in scheduled passenger service in the U.S.

Wally Bird

VH-PDW of Pionair (Australia) is the former N73136 but it's a freighter. The only passenger CV580 I can think of is ZK-CIB Air Chathams (NZ) but was never with Frontier (ex-N8444H).

Gulfstream American conversion (10ft stretch) of the Grumman G.159 operated by Chapparal (American Eagle) and Air North (Brockway).

WHBM

Nearly there, Wal, it is indeed Air Chathams, who operate from New Zealand out to the Chatham Islands, a long 900 km overwater stretch for a near 60-year old aircraft, and they also operate up to Tonga. But one of their little fleet is ex-Frontier, Convair #381, was N73167 with Frontier, nowadays ZK-CIF.

http://www.airchathams.co.nz/our-aircraft.html

The Grumman Gulfstream 1 was also surprisingly popular in Britain back in the 1980s for a number of third level airlines. A few even ran in British Airways livery on routes, mainly out of Aberdeen in Scotland, and they also gave Birmingham Executive Airways, the basis of the later BA base at Birmingham, their start. Those are big Rolls-Royce Dart engines off the F27/Hawker 748 for an aircraft about two-thirds of their size.

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Birmi...99588bca1320bc

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Aberd...99588bca1320bc

jlemon

Our man by the Salish Sea is correct! The Grumman Gulfstream 1-C (G-159C) was a rare bird indeed as I believe there were only about five of them operated in sched pax service. One fine day I saw one at DFW in AA Eagle livery that was being operated by Chaparral Airlines. I was struck by how sleek the aircraft appeared - it was one heck of a fine looking aircraft! Alas, I never had the opportunity to fly in one......

jlemon

Thanks for the great photos!

A U.S. operator of the standard fuselage length Grumman Gulfstream I (G-159) was Royale Airlines, a commuter/regional air carrier based in Shreveport (SHV). Royale operated some of their G-Is as Continental Connection flights feeding CO's hub in Houston (IAH) as well as also operating a small independent hub in New Orleans (MSY). Alas, I never had the chance to fly in the standard G-I, either.....although I have been on board the G-Is younger sibling, being the turbofan powered Gulfstream IV.

And speaking of Royale Airlines, here's a quiz item: Although this carrier primarily operated turboprops during its existence, it also flew jet equipment at one point. Identify this aircraft type (hint: it was not a regional jet).

Plus, a question that is not a quiz item as I do not know the answer! What other airlines here in the U.S. as well as elsewhere in the world operated the Grumman Gulfstream I?

Wally Bird

Too many "airlines" worldwide to list; browse your way through this:
http://rzjets.net/aircraft/?typeid=119

I think the 3 mentioned were the only US operators.

Lovely airplane the G1.

WHBM

There was a full article in quarterly Propliner magazine (which all aficionadoes of this thread should read - if not why not !! ) just three months ago (issue 131) about all the British airline operators of the Gulfstream 1.

http://www.propliner.co.uk/index.html

jlemon

Thanks Wally! And it is a lovely airplane! Looks like most of the airframes on this list were used as business aircraft although there are a few airlines noted here and there.....

BTW, NASA operated a Grumman Gulfstream I at one point during the Apollo program. This aircraft was used to transport personnel between NASA's various space centers. My Dad (who was an aerospace engineer with Boeing's space division based in Houston during the Apollo program) would fly on the NASA operated G-I from Ellington Field (EFD, which was a U.S. Air Force base at the time) to Huntsville, AL (home of the Marshall Spaceflight Center) and also to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. I saw this aircraft several times while driving Dad to and from EFD from our nearby residence in the Clear Lake area near the Johnson Space Center.....

jlemon

It's interesting to note that Grumman was apparently never especially interested in producing regional airliners based on the Gulfstream I.

Of course, they certainly had quite a history with regard to producing fighter aircraft ranging from the F4F Wildcat which saw action during WW II (and a version of which was also operated by the British Royal Navy) to the supersonic, swing wing F-14 Tomcat. Grumman also built all of the Apollo Lunar Modules which landed on the moon, and then went on to manufacture the wings and vertical stabilizers for the space shuttles as a subcontractor to Rockwell International, the prime contractor for the STS orbiters.

I do not believe the Grumman Gulfstream II business jet was ever used in scheduled airline service as well, or any of the subsequent Gulfstream models for that matter.....

Wally Bird

They had 5, one of which is under restoration at the Pima museum:
http://www.pimaair.org/collection-detail.php?cid=127

jlemon

Yep, that paint scheme looks very familiar! And I was not aware that NASA operated that many Gulfstream Is!

Seat 2A

Alrighty then - here's what's left from that original group of fifteen questions. By the way and once again, anyone desiring further information, clarification or verification on the answers to my questions, please let me know and I'll be happy to post a link to the source for my answers.

As for the remaining questions:

2. What airline was the launch customer for the MD-83?

7. Which airport of a major U.S. city was originally named for a man who had died in an airplane crash on the land upon which that airport is built?

The next 2 questions are based upon schedules in 1981

12. This airline offered the only nonstop between Houston and Cincinnati

13. These two airlines provided the only nonstop flights between Milwaukee and Kansas City

jlemon

Found what I think were a couple of other European operators of the Gulfstream I, being Air Provence and Cimber Air........