Eastern Short Haul in the 50s: Martins to Metropolitans

In the late 1940s the first batch of DC-3 replacement aircraft were coming onto the scene. With Lockheed and Douglas pre-occupied by their long-haul types the main competition in the USA was between the Glenn L. Martin company's Martin 2-0-2 and Convair's CV-240. The unpressurised Martin got into service first, in 1947, but was soundly beaten by the pressurised Convair. Only 47 2-0-2s were sold and the type quickly became a disaster when design problems caused major structural failings in the wings (which were literally torn off). The 2-0-2s issues left Eddie Rickenbacker's Eastern in serious trouble since it had invested $11 million in its development. Rickenbacker rallied and found a way to save Martin from collapse whilst enabling them to redevelop the 2-0-2.

Part 1: Rickenbacker's Martins

Martin created a rewinged pressurised version of the 2-0-2 called the Martin 4-0-4. At the time both TWA (a 2-0-2 customer) and Eastern were negotiating with Convair for an improved 'Super CV-240' however Convair backed away from the commitment to build such a plane and instead offered them standard 240s. This swung both airlines firmly back to Martin with TWA taking 40 and Eastern ordering 60.

Eastern Martin 4-0-4 N460A at La Guardia in 1954. From the Ed Coates collection

Rickenbacker was confident that the Martin was the better plane after Eastern worked directly with Martin to make some 260 design improvements. Following this loss of sale Convair would improve the 240 for United to make the Convair 340 enabling Convair's sales to far surpass those of the Martin 4-0-4. Eastern's first Martins didn't arrive until October 1951, the same month of the first flight of the Convair 340. The Martins were registered N440A-N499A with the last aircraft being delivered in February 1953. In service they were known as 'Silver Falcons' partly because Rickenbacker didn't want people to know they were Martins after the awful publicity Northwest's Martin 2-0-2s had gained from a series of crashes in 1950.

One of the most interesting things about the Martin was its unusual exaggerated low nose approach landing style which at least made it an easy aircraft to pilot. Rickenbacker's faith in the Martin product was rewarded by excellent service from the 4-0-4 which sufferred no crashes due to the airframe. Four aircraft were lost but all due to pilot error. Eastern's Martin fleet were sold in 1961/62 with many going on to have long secondary careers, especially with Southern Airways who operated the type until 1978.

A beautiful sight as 9 Southern Martins line up in 1972. Photo by RuthAS from Wikipedia

Sadly no Martin 2-0-2s or 4-0-4s exist in 1:400 but hopefully that'll change in the future.

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Part 2: Colonial Convairs

Eastern CV-440 N9303 at Atlanta in 1967. Photo by Jon Proctor from Wikipedia

In 1956 Eastern won the war to takeover the small Trunk carrier Colonial Airlines which operated DC-3s across a short haul network in the Northeast. Colonial's main assets however were international routes to Montreal and Ottawa as well as south to Bermuda. These longer services still utilised DC-4s so the whole of Colonial's fleet was elderly and obsolete. Eastern found it needed to replace Colonial's aircraft and to do so ordered 20 of Convair's even further improved CV-440 Metropolitan. The CV-440 had increased seating for up to 52 passengers as well as improved cabin sound-proofing and a host of aerodynamic improvements. It was not really a match for Vickers turboprop Viscount but still sold well with 178 produced for civilian customers.

Eastern's CV-440s were delivered over 3 months from April-July 1957 and registered N9301-N9320. Eastern had a large piston-liner fleet and the CV-440s were actually ordered a year after it had ordered its first jets - a clear sign of Rickenbackers distrust of turboprops and jets in general. The CV-440s actually didn't directly replace Colonial's fleet either instead they replaced some of the Martins which then could be shifted onto Colonial's routes. The CV-440s regardless of their modernity gave good service to Eastern for over a decade and it was one of the very last of the trunk airlines to operate piston engined equipment. In fact the last CV-440s weren't disposed of until December 1970.

The CV-440s wore at least four variants of Eastern's colours in service. Delivered in the 'Silver Falcon' scheme they were progressively repainted into the '720 colours' and the 'New Mark' whilst at least one wore one of the test variants of the 'New Mark' hockeystick.

Eastern Air Lines Convair CV440-86
Registration    N9302
CN    416
Delivery Date    04/57
Sale Date    06/70

By 1975 N9302 was still in her basic Eastern colours albeit heavily faded but by 1978 she was with Argosy Airlines when on 12th May she crashed on take off from Columbus into the Ohio River when both engines failed.

Eastern Air Lines Convair CV440-86
Registration    N9308
CN    422
Delivery Date    05/57
Sale Date    06/70

This aircraft ended up with North East Bolivian Airways as CP-1040. She remained in service with them until at least 1991. In 2001 she was exported to Denmark and re-registered as OY-CVR. Work to make her airworthy ceased in 2004 and she was eventually scrapped in November 2006.

Eastern Air Lines Convair CV440-86
Registration    N9315
CN    433
Delivery Date    06/57
Sale Date    06/70

During the mid 1960s Eastern trialled several variants of what were to become the New Mark colours including the one worn by N9315. During a long subsequent career she has worn many different registrations and been converted to a freighter. During the 1980s she saw service with amongst others Key Airlines (N31KA), Liberty Airlines (N234LA) and General (N455GA). During the 1990s she served with Air Alaska Cargo, Sion Air Express, Four Star Aviation and Jet One Express all as N155JR. As of 2009 she was still operating.