My grandfather Arthur Windover worked for TAA in the maintenance department.
He was part of the crew that brought the first Convair to the Airport in the 1950s.
The Consolidated Convair 240, joined the TAA fleet based at Essendon in September 1948, making TAA the first overseas airline to introduce the Convair pressurized airliner to domestic operations in Australia.
The Convair being a pressurised aircraft seriously raised the stakes in passenger comfort, with larger cabin capacity, improved environmental control, and improved performance with increased speed.
I get so excited thinking about this as it must have been ground breaking for its time. Today we can fly all over the world in aircraft that can fly longer and faster than the Convair. However, progress occurs when leaps of faith occur and I’m so proud of my grandfather and the role he played.
This article identifies my grandfather Arthur Windover, front row on the right. He is unfortunately no longer with us but was known as the “Angry Ant” whilst working as a Maintenance Manager at TAA.
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