Production of Convair 440 aircraft concluded in 1958, by which time nearly 1000 CV-240/340/440 transport aircraft had been built, with almost half delivered to the US Army. While Convair focused on the CV-880/990 series, Pacific Airmotive began converting several CV-340/440s to Allison 501 turboprops for various airlines, resulting in the CV-580.
Simultaneously, the Canadian Air Force was seeking a twin-engine turboprop aircraft in the market. An agreement between Convair and Canadair led to the transfer of jigs and tools for CV-440 production to Canadair’s plant in Cartierville (Montreal). In cooperation with the British engine company Napier, Canadair proposed combining new, already produced, CV-440 airframes with Napier Eland turboprop engines, releasing the aircraft under the designation Canadair 540 (CL-66 in Canadair’s own terminology).
Development and First Flight
Two pre-series aircraft, which were actually CV-440s, were used for demonstration purposes and crew training for the Royal Canadian Air Force. These were designated Canadair 540C and were later purchased by Quebecair as civilian variants capable of carrying 52 passengers. The first production aircraft of the 540 series made its maiden flight in January 1960.
Ten aircraft were built for the Royal Canadian Air Force under the designation CC-109 Cosmopolitan. As a civil passenger aircraft, this model was offered in a variant capable of accommodating 48 to 64 passengers, depending on the configuration. The RCAF variant underwent modifications, including a reinforced floor, a cargo door measuring 3.05 m, and a payload reaching 6486 kg.
Service and Modernization
In addition to its 10 Cosmopolitan aircraft, the RCAF subsequently acquired two aircraft from Quebecair plus the Canadair demonstration variant. All these aircraft were then re-equipped with new Allison 501 turboprop engines.
Technical Specifications
| Modification | CL-66 |
| Wingspan, m | 32.11 |
| Aircraft length, m | 24.84 |
| Aircraft height, m | 8.59 |
| Wing area, m2 | 89.54 |
| Empty weight | 14395 |
| Maximum takeoff weight | 24131 |
| Internal fuel, l | 7684 |
| Engine type | 2 Turboprop engines Napier Eland NEl.6 Mk 504A |
| Power, ehp | 2 x 3500 |
| Maximum speed, km/h | 547 |
| Cruising speed, km/h | 518 |
| Ferry range, km | 3660 |
| Practical range, km | 2002 |
| Service ceiling, m | 8060 |
| Crew, crew members | 2-3 |
| Payload | 56 passengers or 6486 kg of cargo in cabin |
Image gallery of the Canadair CL-66 Cosmopolitan
