Eastern Air Lines Convair 440-86  N9317               (c/n   435)

                                    

                                          In the early 1950s Eastern were one of the few carriers to opt for the Martin 4-0-4 rather than
                                          the Convair 240.   They did, however, become a General Dynamics customer in 1957 with an
                                          order for 20 Metropolitans as the Convair 440 was known.  These aircraft were basically used
                                          as replacements for Colonial Airlines ancient fleet of DC-3s and DC-4s.  Eastern had purchased
                                          this historic carrier in 1956 and with it picked up its routes from New York to Montreal and
                                          Ottawa in addition to the Bermuda run .  Bob Garrard captures the essence of the Metroliner
                                          nicely in the shot above taken at Cleveland's Hopkins International in March of 1967.  Looks
                                          like the snow was just melting.     This Convair, along with several other ex Eastern machines was
                                          sold to (the resurrected) Mackey International Airlines in 1970.   (The original Mackey merged with
                                          Eastern in 1967 {see DC-7B}).