I am one of the lead guys who tried to save this plane for over a year. However, the airport where it was stored for so long finally said it had to go. Before we sold it for scrap in early 2008, I saved many items from the plane. A few rows of seats, the wheels and tires, the over wing doors, all the items from the cockpit and the best part, I kept the entire engine number 4, the one those two guys are leaning on in this video. It's still in my storage yard today. The entire cockpit nose section of ship 3 has been restored and is on display at the NJ Aviation Hall Of Fame. I took film of this plane being cut up for scrap and it's sad. We tried to save the plane. We really tried....

Brings back memories! My first flight was in 1964 on a Continental Convair 880. I was 7 years old and the stewardess put wings on my chest, and the captain let me go into the cockpit inflight. I was hooked on aviation; building model airplanes; joined the Civil Air Patrol when I was old enough; then a career in the USAF.

EscapeforMankind The point of this video is to showcase a classic jetliner that was a revolutionary part of commercial aviation history. The CV-880 stands for everything that was 1960's era jet transportation. It was beyond fast, burned a ton of fuel (which wasn't a big deal considering fuel prices in those days), sleek, comfortable and yes...very noisy & smoky. If you say that you appreciate state of the art airliners, you might want to acknowledge the role that this beautiful aircraft played in getting us to where we are today.

Checked out as a TWA captain on the 880 in 1968. Thanks for the memory!

Now that my friends, is a sight no avid aviation enthusiast will tire of seeing. A proper aircraft with a heck of a lot of smoke coming out of it. Simply stunning

Spewing fumes and all-sorts out the back of all four engines like it was powered by diesel… and I absolutely LOVE IT

The red TWA signature crest had faded in harsh conditions out in MHV, so we painted the "sashes" with fresh red in honor of her departure.

I've watched this video many times over the years and I love it more each time. I was a plane spotter before I was 10 and I clearly remember when the CV-880 and CV-990 Coronado were in regular service during the 1960s. They were smokiest jets made. However, back then it was a character trait that wasn't frowned upon like it would be today. I miss those days when plane spotting provided a lot more variety then it does now.

@MVR326, General Electric CJ-805 aka the J79 turbojet. The same type of engine that was used on the F-104 Starfighter, F-4 Phantom II, A-5 Vigilante and the B-58 Hustler.

Outstanding, love the smoke trails,the sound.Those 880s were screamers!

Such a beautiful airplane. Still has one of the sleekest cockpit "cabs" of any jetliner, ever.

I would like to know more about the effort to get this aircraft flying again. Sitting in the desert for almost 20 years and then makes a transcontinental flight.

Wow. The amount of smoke that produces is both amazing and beautiful

My dad was a flight engineer for Delta on the 880, just prior to 1970. I got my first airplane ride on an 880, from Chicago to Atlanta. My dad said that the 880 used the same GE J-79 engines the B-58 Hustler used, albeit without an afterburner. I followed the story of how people were trying over the years to resurrect an 880 -- I'm glad they got it accomplished.

They were pretty fast compared to the other early airliners . I can't imagine how much work was put into making this airframe airworthy for it's last journey .

WOW...First jet I ever flew, with Walt Gunn as the Captain...all of 21 I was...where did those years go...Who remembered that the exhaust was that bad, seemed pretty normal back then!!!

Reminds me of the B-52. I can't imagine leaving the ground in that antique. Since it flys, wash it off, repaint and polish it and put it on display.

I grew up in San Diego and my dad used to take me down to Lindbergh field to watch the planes take off and land. Since the Convair plant on the airport was the final assembly point for these beauties, we saw quite a few of them sitting on the line, awaiting delivery. This would be have been in the early 60s. Great to see at least one still flying..

Beautiful airplane! Just imagine, you roll into the airport in your ride, you already have tail fins left and right in the parking lot. You head inside, nobody's getting patted down unless it's a stewardess and the pilot's involved, everybody's dressed up to fly, dressed in style. You board on the air gate or if the day is nice, there are stairs. Leg room, too. You blast off like that, engines smoking like George Burns in Havana, & have a legitimate in flight meal. With a Martini. Yeah, buddy.

Beautiful! My only question is who are the 24 people who disliked this video and how hard did their parents beat them as children?

Looks so great! Thank you for sharing this rare video (with sound!!!) with us!

Oh how I wish I could've been alive in those days... The A350 is cool, but this is what got it to where it is. Amazing video!

WOW! I never thought i would see a cv880 in action! Thank you Ryan and Craig, for making this possible.

i think any video of a plane taking off AWAY from Mojave is a great vid...nothing worse than a perfectly good airplane rotting away in the desert

I love old footage of aircrafts like this Convair jet. Never knew much about them because they were way before my time. Excellent video!

I miss this plane so much I have that planes number 3 engine cowl in my garage. before you say no I don'r I was there during the scraping of the plane it was flow out to atlatic city and I was given the chance to go toake some goodies before it was destroyed. I also have the captain's home the entire throttle quadrant and 4 egt and fuel flow gages. As well I have the rudder peddals and a full set of wheels and an emergency escape hatch(over the wing)

7:01 Almost 30 years ago even the lady is shocked with all that smoke coming out of that bird! 😂😂😂

Thanks for posting. Watched this video I don't know how many times. Never gets old.

I appreciate the comment and the compliment! We've got a ton of classic / rare airliner footage that will slowly be unveiled. Ryan

JESUS!!! when I saw all that smoke, I swear I thought that plane was on fire

Thank You for all your hard work. Now we have a HD video of this classic airliner for the future to see.

Absolutely brilliant!

Probably the only Convair to leave Mojave the same way it arrived.

Absolutely unbelievable...after all these years in the desert, it still works! I just wished it was flying to a museum. Seriously!

What a fantastic video. I don't ever remember seeing an 880 flying here in the UK as a kid, but my local airport, Birmingham (BHX/EGBB) used to have a Spantax CV-990 on a Saturday afternoon, and I loved watching and hearing that thing going over. Great memories. Thanks sooo much for uploading.

incredible footage!! so glad someone thought to make this ;) so others can enjoy!

Pretty amazing they were able to prep the aircraft for a cross-country flight after being stored for 18 years. Wish more of them had been built.

Just came upon this. Quick story.. My Grandfather was a engineer at Convair and was the lead on the design of this series of AirCraft (he helped design the wing of the spruce goose too) I took him up to Mojave in a private aircraft and we walked around all the stored 880s up there. This was in the late 80s. He would have gone crazy to see one of them take off!

Great that you had the time and patience to log this preparation and takeoff of a marvellous chapter in aviation history.

An absolutely superb piece of history!!!!!!!!!! Well done for posting it..

What an awesome video! I love seeing this plane flying and doing what it was meant to do. In terms of supersonic flight, etc, the 880 was an extremely fast airliner and set a few records that still stand today. Although I haven't found anything saying that this plane did break Mach 1, that doesn't mean that it never happened. I do know that the Douglas DC-8 DID go supersonic but it was in a shallow dive. If the 880 ever did go supersonic, then it most likely would have happened the same way. Remember that this plane, along with the Douglas DC-8 and the Boeing 707 paved the way for current airliners. Yes they were smoky, loud, and not very fuel efficient but they were early pioneers in the Jet Age. This plane (even though there were only 65 built) earned it's way into the history books. I personally would love to see one restored into flying condition and tour various airshows. The same goes with the DC-8 and 707. Sitting in the Mojave desert is no way for a plane to die. They belong in the air, doing what they were built for.

She was a beautiful plane, that was addicted to smoking! Don''t forget, she helped to lead the way to the planes of today. Too bad she was scrapped eventually in 2008. I know that we have to move forward, but these old planes, trains, ships and cars deserve respect and we can still enjoy those that have been preserved. Just like the Commodore 64 computer that was so popular in its day. Now we have PC's and Apples. However, I do have fond memories of that vintage computer.

honestly this video brought tears to my eyes!! thank you

Mojave is a great place to see classic Jetliners...... 707's, 720's, and an absolutely beautiful pristine DC-8 !!!

Love it! First it was the 707, then the DC-8 and then the Convair 880. The 880 was the fastest and the loudest. Love it.

It is really a shame that no flyable 880's or 990's exist. My Dad flew the 880 for Delta for years until they phased them out in 1972. It was his favorite jet. Noise? Yes. Smoke. Definitely. But the plane was and still is the fastest American jetliner ever and still holds the transcontinental speed record. When you think about it, Convair was the one of the first innovative California companies before silicon valley.They were descended from Ryan in San Diego who built the Spirit Of St Louis. Delta would depart 20 minutes after an American 707 from ORD to MIA and arrive 45 minutes earlier. All that while kicked back smoking and eating filet mignon.

Wow! For an old bird, she still has it where it counts and can still fly! I too forgot how much smoke those things emitted. But it's always a pleasure for me to watch the old classic jetliners take to the skies and relive their glory heydays. Nice video!

Fantastic! I like how the guys touch the engine to probably feel if it's gonna blow! And the low pass at the end! Just a great old bird. And Elvis had one! Thanks

Aaaaah the good old days! Ear busting noise and eye watering smoke. Plane watching just isn't like that any more.

Noisiest and most smoke belching airliner ever... When Delta's 880s would fly over my boyhood home in suburban New Orleans, they were so loud that you could tell just by the sound that it was not a 707 or DC-8.....

That's completely stunning... I used to watch Delta Air Lines CV-880s take off from Atlanta airport when I was a child... they were so impressive.

Super, and very emotional for me, was an a/c mechanic ages back 1963 (with Swissair then using CV-880 and later CV-990). Thanks a lot.

The crackle and smoke! I miss going to Shea as a kid in the early 70's: they'd pause the game as an LGA 13 departure -- typically a DC-9 or three-holer -- would rock the stadium in a right-wing-low initial climb. Great video and sexy plane...thanks!

If you saw an airliner smoking like that today you'd rightly assume a mayday had been issued. Par for the course back in the day though. The BUFF still does it a bit.

When I joined TWA in 1975 they had retired the 880 by the time I got on line....I used to hear funny stories from the senior gals I worked with about the 880 and the paper dresses the TWA hostesses used to wear!! They use to carry masking tape to tape the dresses if they ripped!! LOL!!! They said that the 880 was noisy, shaked rattled and rolled on landing...but was a treat to work on..

How could you NOT like this !!!! Best from New Zealand.

When jets sounded like jets...love that sound

Still lower emissions than a VW

This is great! This is what i saw when I was a child. America is great and so free! Thank you from Germany

Ryan - all I can say is awesome video mate, awesome upload and stunning jet, sleek, beautiful rake on the nose too, no worries about the smoke either, as I enjoyed a B&H while watching this..cheers

Always nice to see an aircraft leave this desert especially this former TWA jet, oh the days of the smokey engines, very nice.

Just perfect....I loved the smoke, loved the smell, and loved that crackling popping those engines made - especially on a cold day. Ahh the days...now they all have dual engines, look alike and sound alike...oh yeah, what sound? ho hum.....

Great vid--thanks for the post, RyanBonar. The Convair 880 was a quite the technological artifact. The smoke reminds of the old KC-135 tankers I flew with water injection J-57s.

Wow, I forgot how much smoke those older engines made. Glad to see this video. Thanks for posting it. I've lived near ATL all my life, so I like the newer clean burning, more efficient and less noisy engines of today. But I would get a kick out of seeing one of these once more.

My favorite aircraft of all time smoky loud awesomeness

@MVR326, it was the JT8D, the JT9D was used on seven-fours. Interestingly, early on in development Boeing took a look at the Rolls-Royce Spey to power the 727 & 737. One quick side note, the 737 was originally operated using a 3 man cockpit due to union requirements.

simply one of the best videos about planes I`ve ever saw!1 This is really a treasure, thank you for sharing!!!!!!!

Fondly remember riding a TWA 880 from CMH to ORD in it's last days in First Class. Quite a ride!

She just wanted to keep on flying!

I think the Boeing 707 was the most beautiful aircraft ever built. The slim but terribly inefficient engines contributed greatly to its appeal. Beginning in 1964, 707s have taken me all over the planet, most of the time in first class. They consistently flew well over 600mph. Overseas, there were no jetways then. We departed via stairs forward and aft, and a number of times immediately boarded a coach through very wide center doors and almost no seats. The trip to the building was typically about two minutes. Friends and family could meet you at the gate or walk with you to the departure area. Airports were almost empty compared to today. I stopped traveling in 1999, yearning for the golden age of travel that is now lost forever.

Beautiful video, the 880 Coronado was a real clasic to compete with the 707 and the DC-8, good to see this one back in the air.

amazing the 880 =) thanks for the video

I have been back and watched this video so many times. I wonder whether anyone filmed it on arrival at Atlantic City.

and like that, we lost another survivor. #13 the engines looked so puny, yet this was the fastest jetliner out there when built. amazing!

Absolutely an excellent video. Thank you... This is a treasure for we who love airplanes. Frank

Very cool video - thanks for posting.

One would think with all this unimaginable video technology available, stretched aspect ratios would be a thing of the past! That's a priceless video and it needs to be pulled off and corrected. Preferably 4:3, not zoomed in. History needs to be preserved and properly presented.

Ahhhh the good old days of smoke and fumes!

It's wonderful that there is a channel like this, with old and cool airplanes. Nowadays there only eco-friendly, silent and clean aircrafts. Nice to see and hear plane like this Convair!

I stumbled on to this today, man what a blast!.Thanks Ryan!.i was a passenger on one in 1969.rt window over the wing, TWA flt from LAX-DTW . i still have my playing cards. the stewardess gave to me (not for sale!).my parents kept them all these years and found them while going threw my dads old trunk stuffed in a closet.

"The runway literally went IFR after about the first two airplanes launched." XD Good 'ol days indeed.

that thing runs on coal

No problem, glad you enjoyed it!

Awesome video, I never saw a Convair jet fly, before my time. There some ex Spantax ones at Palma Majorca parked up when I first when in the early 90's.

The plane was parked from 1973-1991???? Then fire up the engines and go??? WOW!!!!! 18 years waiting for her chance to get airborne aigain. I wonder if a modern jet would start up after 18 years so easy? I think not - first update the software..........

He is with the carburetor deregulated :P

I remember the 880 when I was little. How times change! Then it was the "future" to me... now it's a smoker!! Either way... how beautiful! Thanks for posting!

Stunning!! No other word for this.

This was such a HOT and may I say a SEXY jet!

The CV880 was the first plane I ever flew in. Delta from Houston to ORD and then many times to JFK. It was my favorite plane to fly in. It was comfortable and yes a little noisy, but when you sat in first class it didn't matter. The plane was replaced with a 727. You can keep that hunk of junk.

man, that aircraft is a Smoker! When my dad finally took me to KBWI for my 13th birthday trip last month i saw a Gulfstream III landing and taking off with those very smoky Speys but THIS takes it to a WHOLE new level!

That’s so cool to see it airworthy again .. I used work in Mojave 1998-2000. ... they had this and another 880 or maybe a 990 parked side by side.. also had 2 C-133s parked as well ..

Aviation noob here. Could someone explain to me why you can't see fan blade spinning on those engines? Thanks!

Neat old school bird! But damn, it's a good thing these aren't in service any longer, considering the massive dump they take on the environment!

Thanks Ryan. Love those smoke trails. I remember Elvis Presleys 880 the Lisa Marie sitting at Hollywood-Ft. Lauderdale AP after his death in the 70s. It sat there for a period of time before it was flown out and finally displayed at Graceland.

I worked for DL at ORD, starting in '71. I can remember that we would usually push back the 880s from H8B or H10A and TWA was directly across the ramp from us. When both pushed back, tail to tail, from a distance it looked like the terminal was on fire, with all the smoke. My one regret at DL was that I never got to ride on Ol' Smokey. Great footage......keep it up.

Why are the two homeless guys putting their hands on the engines? Are they holding them up? Is it a form of prayer? They are worshiping the plane!

how can they find somebody still legally able to fly this thing? i mean you have to be proficient, in others words fly it constantly

Nice vid! Thanks for posting.

Great video, keep them coming.