The Conroy Tri-Turbo-Three was a Douglas DC-3 fitted with three Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprop engines by Conroy Aircraft; the third engine was mounted on the nose of the aircraft.
Design and development
First flown on 2 November 1977, the cruise speed of the aircraft was increased to . The engine mounted on the nose could be shut off, decreasing the speed to 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
See also
References
"Airdata File: Specialized Aircraft Tri Turbo-3". Air International, November 1978, Vol 15 No 5. p. 252. Gunston, Bill. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Propeller Airliners. London: Windward/Phoebus, 1980. .