The "holy
grail" for aircraft manufacturers directly after World War II
was to develop a replacement for the DC-3. Convair developed
the Model 110 to an American Airlines' specification.
Although the prototype flew in 1946, it never went into production
as American had already determined greater capacity was needed.
To meet this new requirement, Convair developed
the Model 240 (2 engines, 40 seats) that was first flown in
1947 and went into service in 1948.
If length of service is an indication of success,
the ConvairLiner was a successful aircraft. The Model
240 went through two stretches (the 340 and 440).
The aircraft was purchased by the U.S. Navy and Air Force as well as
the Canadian Forces and the Bolivian, German, Italian and Spanish
air forces.
About 560 ConvairLiners were built of which more
than 240 were converted to turboprop engines. About 80 were
still in service as of 1998.
