Convair 116 / 118 / ConvAirCar
![]() Convair Model 116
After the end of the War, in 1946 Ted Hall and Tommy Thompson from the Consolidated Vultee Aircraft designed and built the two-seat Convair Model 116.
![]() Convair Model 116
![]() Convair Model 116
This prototype completed 66 test flights, and Hall designed another model, named the 118 (or the Convair Car). Two prototypes were built.
![]() Convair Model 118
![]() Convair Model 118
![]() Consolidated Vultee bought rights to the original roadable design by their own Chief Development Engineer, Ted Hall. His creation was unusual in that the car portion looked exactly like a scaled‑down conventional automobile of the period, though suspended beneath its self‑contained 'flight module'. The automobile had a streamlined glassfibre body with four seats, and was powered by a 26‑hp Crosley car engine.
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Where the ConvAircar also differed from previous roadables was that the company planned to sell only the car part, for $1500. Aircraft modules with 190‑hp Lycoming aero‑engines would be rented out by the hour or day when the owner wanted to go flying. Convair spent $800,000 on building two prototypes at their San Diego plant and gearing up for a planned production run of 160,000 ConvAircars. The 725 lb auto-plane prototype first flew during November 1947. All went well until the third test flight, late in November 1947. The ConvAircar took-off with minimal gasoline in its tanks. The ConvAircar ran out of fuel and was wrecked, and shortly afterwards Convair ran out of enthusiasm.
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