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Pictured above (and in this issue's header) is C-GSKR (fin #471), built in 1958. It was one of six variants of the Convair 440 ordered by the U.S. Navy but cancelled before being built. They were completed by Convair on speculation and stored pending future sale.
That aircraft was converted to VIP configuration and sold to a wealthy U.S. banking and newspaper publishing family. It was converted to a turboprop 580 in 1962. After multiple subsequent operators it was acquired by the Saskatchewan Government in 2005 and converted to its fire-fighting role.
It's noteworthy for being the second-last of 1,076 ConvairLiner aircraft built by Convair, not counting 10 final aircraft license-built by Canadair in Montreal in 1960/61 for the Royal Canadian Air Force, bringing total ConvairLiner production to 1,086.
Of those, 178 were converted to 580 turboprops using the Allison 501 engine. There was also a less popular Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop conversion program that modified 65 aircraft, 38 original 240's (known as Convair 600) and 27 340's/440's (known as Convair 640). Pacific Western Airlines acquired six of the latter, referring to them as "Javelin Jet-Prop".
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The three aircraft pictured below were built in 1954/55 as military variants of the Convair 340 and delivered to the U.S. Air Force as VIP transports.
After conversion to 580 turboprops and modified for fire-fighting, they were acquired by the Saskatchewan Government. in 2006/07.
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C-GVSK (fin #473)
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C-GYSK (fin #474)
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C-GSKQ (fin #475)
above and below.
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