The Mountain Master: Frontier's Convair 580s
The outstanding high altitude performance of the Convair 580 in Frontier service led to it being nicknamed "The Mountain Master"
Frontier's Convair 580s were called the "Mountain Master" because of their performance in serving the high-elevation short-runway airports in the Rockies in Frontier's network.
Re-engining the Convair 340s with the Allison T56 turboprop engine and the big four-bladed Aeroproducts propeller had a dramatic impact on the performance compared to piston power. In late 1964, Frontier had three Convair 580s in service alongside ten Convair 340s.
The number of passengers carried went from 44 to 52. The speed went up from 255mph to 355mph, the gross takeoff weight went from 47,000 lbs to 53,200 lbs. From a mile-high elevation airport, the rate of climb went from about 700 fpm to 1900 fpm. Range with a full load was increased by 450 miles and the engine TBO (time between overhauls) went from 4000 hrs to 14000 hrs.
Frontier was the first to get the Convair 580s into service, followed by Avensa in Venezuela. The average stage length for the Convair 340s in Frontier's network was 275 miles, for the 580s the average stage length was 315 miles.
Frontier was so pleased with the impact of the conversion that its entire fleet of Convair 340s was converted to 580s by the middle of 1966.
Images: AWST, eBay postcards