Convair Model 61 — The Twin-Jet That Could Have Challenged the DC-9 — A Lost Convair Airliner Reconstructed Through CAD (2026)

The Convair Model 61 was a proposed twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner, developed internally during the late Convair era and conceptually continued under General Dynamics. Designed as a smaller, more efficient derivative of the Convair 880/990 family, the Model 61 represents a rare and largely undocumented paper study — one that could have positioned Convair as a direct competitor to the Douglas DC-9, had the company survived in commercial aviation.

The Model 61 was envisioned as a twin-engine turbofan airliner using the CJ805 turbofan series, derived from the Convair 990’s powerplant lineage. In contrast to the four-engine Convair 880 and 990, the Model 61 sought to achieve:

  • Lower fuel burn
  • Reduced maintenance cost
  • Improved dispatch reliability
  • Competitive economics against emerging short- to medium-haul aircraft such as the DC-9
  • The fuselage is shortened to ~87.5% of the Convair 880’s length
  • Approximate fuselage length: ~34.5 m (down from ~39 m on the Convair 880)
  • The reduction lowers structural weight but also reduces passenger capacity
  • The aircraft retains a T-tail configuration, requiring careful CG and pitch-stability balancing
  • Span: 36.58 m
  • Root Airfoil: NACA 64-0012
  • Tip Airfoil: NACA 64-0008

Pack A — 3D Printing Pack (STL + 3MF Only)

Get Convair Model 60 3D Printing Pack Here for $10

Includes:

  • High-resolution STL of the aircraft
  • Included Custom Aircraft Stands
  • Clean watertight mesh suitable for resin or FDM printing
  • 3MF file for layout reference
  • Aerodynamic, smooth loft surfaces just like wind tunnel models
  • Ready for slicing (Cura, PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio, Orca-Slicer)
  • Optional: scaled versions (1:150, but can be re-sized as 1:72, 1:144, 1:48, etc.)

Perfect for: Collectors · Modelers · 3D printer hobbyists



Pack B — RC Maker Pack (DXF + 3MF)

Get Convair Model 60 RC Maker Pack Here for $15

Includes:

  • Full DXF cross-section slices (wing + fuselage) for laser cutting
  • Up to ~50 fuselage stations
  • Wing rib sections
  • Clean orthographic section cuts
  • 3MF file for RC layout reference

Perfect for: RC aircraft builders · Laser-cut foam/balsa makers · Workshops

Pack C — Engineering Pack (CAD )

Get Convair Model 61 — Engineering CAD Pack Here for $20

Includes:

  • Full STEP 214 file (solid bodies + surfaces)
  • Full IGES file (solid bodies + surfaces)
  • Full CATIA file (solid bodies + surfaces)
  • Full Parasolid Binary .X_B (solid bodies + surfaces)

Complete aircraft with precise NURBS lofts Suitable for:

  • SolidWorks
  • Fusion 360
  • CATIA
  • Creo
  • Siemens NX

Engineering-grade geometry

  • Perfect for editing, CFD pre-processing, and derivative design work
  • 3MF file for layout reference included

Perfect for: Engineers · Students · Aerospace researchers




Pack D — Merchandise Art Pack (DXF + DWG + PDF)

Get Convair Model 61 Merchandise Art Pack Here for $7

Includes:

Clean line-art views:

  • 3-side view (top, side, front) + Bonus 1-side view (belly)
  • Isometric view
  • Provided in DXF + DWG + PDF

PDF in both modern black-over-white diagram as well as negative-white-over-black diagram High resolution, ready for:

  • T-shirt designs
  • Posters
  • Stickers
  • Wallpapers
  • Classroom material

Perfect for: Artists · Merch stores · Classroom projects · Aviation fans

Pack E — Blender Artist Pack (OBJ + STEP + 3MF + GLB + GLTF)

Get Convair 990 — Blender Artist Pack Here for $9

Includes:

  • OBJ + GLB file exported from CAD
  • Ultra-smooth wind-tunnel-grade geometry
  • STEP file included for those who want to re-export their own mesh

Ready to import into:

  • Blender
  • Cinema 4D
  • Maya
  • ZBrush
  • 3MF file for layout reference included

Note: Untextured, raw CAD mesh. Perfect for sculpting, kitbashing, rendering, or custom livery painting.

Perfect for: Blender users · Render artists · Hard-surface kitbashers




Ultimate Pack

Includes EVERYTHING in Packs A–E

  • STL + 3MF 3D Print model
  • DXF Cross Section Laser Cut RC
  • STEP 214 + IGES + CGR Engineering model
  • DXF + PDF + DWG Merch Poster
  • OBJ + STEP + 3MF + GLB + GLTF Render Artist

What You Can Do With These Packs

Depending on the pack you choose, you can:

  • 3D print the aircraft
  • Build RC laser-cut models
  • Perform CAD or CFD analysis
  • Render it in Blender
  • Create posters, stickers, and merch
  • Study the engineering form

This product line is divided into clear “factory-floor” production tiers for different users: 3D printers, CAD engineers, RC builders, artists, and hobbyists.

See Also Different Aircraft of the Era