Built in 1952 for Continental Air Lines then, after numerous ownership changes and conversion to CV580, it was imported for Kelowna Flightcraft as above in 1997. I spoke with its tech. support guy at KF Aerospace in October 2022 who said it is one of four still flying for Purolator Courier (as here) and there were no plans to retire it.

C/N 002, this CV-580 was the main fixture out front the KF Center in Kelowna until the Conair one showed up. Nice to see this early example so well preserved. Some great history here, and well worth the visit!

Originally a Convair 340 with United Airlines (N73142) delivered in 1953, Lake Central Airlines bought this aircraft in 1960. Later converted to a 580 and merged into Allegheny Airlines (N5837) in 1968, Commuter Airlines acquired it in 1978. Sister company Freedom Airlines flew it on routes around the Great Lakes 1982 - 84 until it was sold to Air Ontario in Canada (C-GWJ). Last with Canair Cargo (1990 - 94), the aircraft was broken up at St Jean, QC.

Wet leased to Conquest Air Cargo, this CV580 was ready to depart for Nassau.

Basic Nor-Fly livery

At the time it was operated by the US Immigration and Naturalisation Service but later it was re-registered N191FL with Contract Air Cargo.

The aircraft had been used as a freighter by Air Chathams but was withdrawn from use in 2008 and used as a spares source to support the operation of the rest of their Convair 580 fleet. In January 2014 the aircraft was removed by road to a local recycling centre and removed from the NZ register the same month.

Built in 1953 as N73142 a CV340 for United Airlines, it was converted to a CV580 by Pacific Airmotive at Burbank in 1967 and acquired by Air Ontario in 1984. It was bought by Canair Cargo in 1990 but from there its ownership becomes confused, however what is known is that in November 1992 C-GGWJ, hotly pursued by Canadian Armed Forces CF-18 fighters, landed at Casey Emergency Airstrip north-east of Montreal and was found to be loaded with 4,343 kilos of cocaine flown from Colombia and said to have a street value of C$ 2.7 billion. The aircraft was later flown out and broken up at St. Jean, QC.

Its long career with Honeywell over, this lovely Convair has made its last flight to Kelowna where it is on outside display at the fantastic new KF Centre for Excellence in Kelowna. New museum and a lovely place to visit. One more Convair to escape the cutters torch thankfully.

K25 slide scan. Built 1953 as CV-340 N3415 for Braniff. Allegheny 1962, converted to CV-580 N5827 1967. Great Lakes 1976, Summit Airlines 1978, converted to Freighter. European Expedite OO-EEA 1989, Canair C-FHEO 1990, Trans Air Link N582HG 1999. Ran out of fuel and ditched Sunny Isles Beach while flying from Ft. Lauderdale to Opa Locka 6 December 2001.

Removed from the Canadian aircraft registry on 2021-10-06.

After 30 years of service as a company transport as N76Y, AVENSA acquired the Convair 580 and used it for short-haul airline services for 11 years. It was sold to SERCA / SEC Colombia, and ended up its days as HK-3675 in April 1995, when it was destroyed after trying to take off from a gravel strip near Espinal, apparently on a drug run.

slide scan from the NK collection. - N76Y has been operated as a company transport since it was built in 1954, the first ten years as a -340 version, and as a -580 version after the rebuilt to turboprop in 1964. It was sold to AVENSA in 1984.

LN-BWN seen here at Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) in 1982. Nor-fly Charter of Norway operated a Saturday flight from LBA to Haugesund for the tour operator Visit Norway. Scanned from an original photograph, photographer unknown.