Episode
Convair: The Rise and Fall of an Aerospace Titan - Part 2
- Podcast
- Preferred Shares Podcast
- Published
- Feb 17, 2025
- Duration seconds
- 3325
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Summary
Welcome to Episode 18. In this episode, Doug picks up the story from where we left off in Part 1 : its November 1941, when Consolidated Aircraft founder Reuben Fleet decides to sell his personal stake in the company. Doug then shares how Consolidated became Convair, was then acquired by General Dynamics, its disastrous foray into the commercial jetliner market, and its eventual demise in the mid-1990s. In This Episode * (01:26) Reuben Fleet and his decision to sell Consolidated Aircraft. * (03:43) Fleet sells his entire personal stake in 1941. * (07:53) In 1943, Consolidated merges with Vultee Aircraft and becomes Convair. * (09:51) Reasons behind the sale. * (13:01) Rapid growth and decline of the aviation industry during and after World War II. * (14:50) Floyd Odlum and Atlas Corporation acquire a significant stake in Convair. * (16:04) Convair’s success in the 1950s. * (17:40) The B-36 bomber's development during World War II and its features, including its long-range capabilities and large crew, are described. * (20:01) General Dynamics acquires Convair in a two-step process. * (25:56) Convair gambles with Howard Hughes and the development of the Convair 880 jetliner. * Hughes runs into financial trouble and causes delays. * Convair eventually declares the largest losses in business history in the early 1960s due to its failed efforts in the commercial jetliner business. * (37:51) Henry Crown takes charge of General Dynamics to address losses from the Convair program. * (38:35) Convair shifts focus and becomes a subcontractor for the big commercial jetliners and also concentrates on its rocket and missile businesses. * (39:56) The defense industry consolidation in the post-Cold War era. * (42:21) General Dynamics sells off pieces of its Convair business and eventua…