Cruise speed 370 km/h | First flight November 2, 1977 | |
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Engine type Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 | ||
The Conroy Tri-Turbo-Three was a Douglas DC-3 fitted with three Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 engines by Conroy Aircraft; the third engine was mounted on the nose of the aircraft.
Contents
Design and development
First flown on 2 November 1977, the cruise speed of the aircraft was increased to 230 mph (200 kn; 370 km/h). The engine mounted on the nose could be shut off, decreasing the speed to 180 mph (160 kn; 290 km/h) and increasing the range of the aircraft. It was used by Polair and Maritime Patrol And Rescue. It was fitted with skis for use in Polar regions and flew in the North Pole region out of Resolute Bay Airport in Canada. It was uniquely suited for flying long distances and landing on rough, unprepared snow runways.
In this role it was instrumental in opening up the interior of Antarctica to private expeditions and tourism. Most notable was a 1983 expedition transporting eight members of the Seven Summits expedition, plus a crew of three, to the Antarctic for a first-ever assault on Mount Vinson.
In early May 1986 workers at the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport accidentally started a fire in the cockpit of this aircraft, which destroyed the cockpit. A second Tri-Turbo-Three was then manufactured out of the wreckage of the old plane and a different airframe.
Specifications
Data from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Propeller Airliners
General characteristics
Performance