ONLY CV-5800 IN CANADA! 67 Year-Old Convair CV-5800 Startup & Takeoff From YYJ

British Columbia is home to some of the last Convair CV-580s flying in Canada. After Conair retired their last CV-580 air tankers earlier this year, the only ones left flying in BC are those operated by Kelowna Flightcraft Air.
Kelowna Flightcraft has three Convairs currently active, but with the age of these aircraft approaching 70 years, it is likely that they won't be around much longer. Of those three aircraft, just one is a stretched CV-5800. Only six of these stretched models were produced (conversions were done by Kelowna Flightcraft) and this is the only one in Canada.
Special thanks to the Captain and FO for the cockpit tour!
#cargoplane #turboprop #aviation #yyjairport #convair #planespotting #aviationdaily #aviation4u #aviationlovers
Filmed on October 12, 2022
Camera: Sony AX53, iPhone 13
Editing Software: Davinci Resolve 17
Instagram: @burtonader
@tobynburton
© Nybotor1

[@ericbender3553]

Absolute goosebumps watching this. Thanks for catching such a special flight for me 😊 you guys are the best!

[@nybotor1]

You're very welcome! Thank you.

[@evexperiencecanada5565]

Thank you for this. My father was a leader in the effort to redeploy the CV580 as the CV5800 stretch - he ran the Stretch Program for KF. This was the last big project he took on prior to his retirement and he was so proud of what he and his team at KF accomplished. My father has since passed away so watching this brings back some significant personal emotions for me. What a beautiful aircraft!

[@XRQ9]

Really liked watching the Allison 501-D13H spinning up. As a Naval Aircrewman on P-3s, it brings back memories of watching/listening to the T56 military version of that engine. Even the APU sounds the same as the one on P-3s. I flew on EP-3Es as a Radio Operator and cross-trained as a Spook back in the tube. Good times!

[@NeedtoSpeak]

The 580 was my most favored airliner to fly on….and I did a lot, on Allegheny in the early 70’s. It was very comfortable inside, quiet, and smooth as silk at altitude. Nothing will ever beat the sounds as it powered up.

[@nybotor1]

Very cool! The start up of those old turboprops is one of my favourite start up sounds.

[@TheHDAviation]

What a beauty, that's great to see this classic still going strong. The interior still looks in great condition for its age. Great sound on the startup and takeoff!

[@nybotor1]

Thanks! Yeah, it's great to see this old bird still going.

[@shanelarsen1436]

By the looks of it that plane will be in service for quite a while. Nice!

[@matthewemiddendorf1213]

The 5800 was the absolutely awesome for me as a ramp rat back in the day! My company still flew piston Convairs. Then got introduced to IFL 580s. Then one night a 5800 with its "kinda" single point refueling!!! Don't know why on earth more weren't converted!!!

[@JamesSheppard-wk3qb]

Sure wish Wilbur and Orville were still around to experience what they created, with His help of course!!

[@dryan8377]

Man what a beautiful aircraft! Thanks for the startup sequence!

[@nybotor1]

Indeed, your welcome.

[@johnmajane3731]

I remember seeing them flying out of National (DCA) when I was a kid. Alleghany Airlines. Piedmont had the YS-11 which was similar.

[@calvinnickel9995]

I worked on the conversion of this aircraft in 2001. Stretch #4 under original Canadian registration of C-FKFS.. and sold to IFL Freight out of the US. Most of the work was done by sheet metal workers from Georgia as there was a plan to manufacture these in Tbilisi but it didn’t work out. Small details are: The donor aircraft was a C-131 Samaritan that was taken out of AMARG (the boneyard) in Tucson AZ. It’s different than the 340/440 and 580 in several different ways.. most notably the placement of the lower cargo door which I don’t believe actually functions as a cargo door on this aircraft. The tail surfaces are the original size rather than enlarged like the 580.. owing to the longer arm of the fuselage. Basic differences in travels rigging round it out.. and we always had to be careful which rigging boards we were getting from tool crib. The stretch requires the Allison 501D22H engines which produce more power than the standard D13s. They also use the Hamilton Standard propellers which have the rounded tips vs the Aeroproducts props on the smaller engines that have the square tips. Several KF CV580s originally had D22s and these often served as donor aircraft for the stretches as they were downgraded to D13s. The brake fittings are stainless steel. Aluminum brake fittings melted during rejected takeoffs during certification.. resulting in a minor fire on Stretch #1 (Since these are all cargo, they use flammable red MIL-H-5606 hydraulic fluid rather than Skydrol). This plane was NEW in 2001. It looked like a new plane. It _smelled_ like a new plane… and seeing Honeywell EFIS in it when most KF CV580s had instruments and avionics straight out of the 1960s was something else. Glad to see it still flying. As well as 511 which was the very first aircraft I worked on in a professional capacity.

[@nybotor1]

Very interesting! The crew was telling me about some of those details you mentioned, the different props, upgraded engines, etc... Always neat to hear from the people who have worked on these aircraft!

[@dabfan6924]

Fascinating

[@davidkavanagh189]

Interesting! Do these aircraft have an APU? What is the start noise at the beginning of the video before Engine 2 starts?

[@davidkavanagh189]

@@wm9346 Cool! Thanks for the info!

[@calvinnickel9995]

@ David Kavanagh No APU. It’s called a GTC (Gas Turbine Compressor) and it supplies air only-no electricity. It’s a Garrett GTC-85 located in the RH nacelle and you can hear it “burping” as it starts up before the #2 engine starts. The main engines use air turbine starters like large jets because they are fixed-shaft engines not free turbine like Dash-8, ATR, etc. Some Convairs have one in the tail “stinger” and these are usually APUs.

[@briansadowski7202]

Harkens back to my younger days when working briefly for Summit Airlines at PHL,cargo outfit..The sound of the startups and watching takeoffs inspired me to a career in Aviation now over 40+ years..Thanks for posting this vid.

[@chuckswinden1635]

Put quite a few loads onboard this lady at Skycharter lol

[@fawnlliebowitz1772]

Looks like a airplane is supposed to look like! Loved flying 580's in the navy.

[@tmac709]

Love watching these yesteryear prop planes!

[@karekrmarkolsen7309]

I had my first experience with flying on the 440 in 1959. It was amazing as I was allowed to be in the cockpit. I was 8 years Old!!!

[@eyetrapper]

Fantastic video for a beautiful aircraft. Great stuff

[@nybotor1]

Thanks!

[@Altenholz]

Excellent capturing, beautiful details and light moods- thanks!

[@migfsx]

Perfection

[@nybotor1]

Thanks!

[@JuanIparraguirre]

Magnificent video, thank you very much for the upload, you brought me some childhood memories related with this aircraft whilst was on service with the defunct Avensa in Venezuela.

[@nybotor1]

You're welcome!

[@IMPULSEGOAT]

That video never gets old. Love it !

[@stevehamilton3181]

Nice light!

[@nybotor1]

Thanks! Yeah, this time of year is always the best lighting to catch the Convair's daily cargo flight in the evening.

[@phishbill]

Was the 5800 basically an extension of the 580 still using Allison engines but different props and a fuselage extension? Any help appreciated. Convairs were neat!

[@nybotor1]

Yes, the 5800 is pretty much that! I believe the Wikipedia page on the Convair 340/440 family of aircraft goes into more details on the modifications done to the 5800.

[@gregvangrondelle2138]

Yes it is...about 14 feet longer, bigger engines developing about 4300Hp with Hamilton Standard propellors. Was a big heavy and solid flying platform. With all of its inertia it took a lot of airspace to slow down. As well as flying other CV580 aircraft, I had the pleasure of occaisionally flying this particular machine in New Zealand. I have a lot of great memories...

[@randyreynolds1045]

Really great airplane❤

[@david92xj]

There is a cv5800 that flies over my house in Michigan. Always flying low and doing a lot of sharp turns and maneuvers. Wonder what they are doing with it.

[@jebb125]

training

[@jorgeperez7048]

Excelente

[@robertfencl4401]

North Central/Republic used to fly them to their smaller cities.

[@diegoerazo5453]

nice vid.

[@bernardanderson3758]

There is no other plane like the Convair

[@murrayhelmer8941]

How many 5800s were built. I worked next to a flight craft office and heard lots about the new stretch being built. Helped on some ground runs on the 580s and a once in a while lent a hand with a bit of maintenance

[@nybotor1]

I believe only five were built. Cool!

[@denisgermain5904]

I have over 5000hrs as F/O and Capt on this "flying tank" ...

[@jdesmo1]

What kind of starter is used on these engines?

[@tomsamuelson8512]

Well....the 5800 conversion is not 67 years old. It was converted in the early 2000's.......

[@bernardanderson3758]

What you put in it will carry

[@user-yf3rj8uo6z]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤...!!!...