| Tri-Turbo-Three | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tri-Turbo-Three at Farnborough Airshow in 1978. | |
| Role | Transport aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Conroy Aircraft |
| First flight | 2 November 1977 |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users | Polair Maritime Patrol and Rescue |
| Number built | 1 |
| Developed from | Conroy Turbo-Three |
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.
First flown on 2 November 1977, [1] 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.[ citation needed ] 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. [1] 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. [2]
Data from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Propeller Airliners [3]
General characteristics
Performance
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version of the Douglas DC-2. It is a low-wing metal monoplane with conventional landing gear, powered by two radial piston engines of 1,000–1,200 hp (750–890 kW). Although the DC-3s originally built for civil service had the Wright R-1820 Cyclone, later civilian DC-3s used the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engine. The DC-3 has a cruising speed of 207 mph (333 km/h), a capacity of 21 to 32 passengers or 6,000 lbs (2,700 kg) of cargo, and a range of 1,500 mi (2,400 km), and can operate from short runways.
The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 is a turboprop aircraft engine produced by Pratt & Whitney Canada. Its design was started in 1958, it first ran in February 1960, first flew on 30 May 1961, entered service in 1964, and has been continuously updated since. The PT6 consists of two basic sections: a gas generator with accessory gearbox, and a free-power turbine with reduction gearbox. In aircraft, the engine is often mounted "backwards," with the intake at the rear and the exhaust at the front, so that the turbine is directly connected to the propeller. Many variants of the PT6 have been produced, not only as turboprops but also as turboshaft engines for helicopters, land vehicles, hovercraft, and boats; as auxiliary power units; and for industrial uses. By November 2015, 51,000 had been produced, which had logged 400 million flight hours from 1963 to 2016. It is known for its reliability, with an in-flight shutdown rate of 1 per 651,126 hours in 2016. The PT6A turboprop engine covers the power range between 580 and 1,940 shp, while the PT6B/C are turboshaft variants for helicopters.
The Ayres Thrush, formerly the Snow S-2, Aero Commander Ag Commander, and Rockwell Thrush Commander, is an American agricultural aircraft produced by Ayres Corporation and more recently by Thrush Aircraft. It is one of the most successful and long-lived agricultural application aircraft types in the world, with almost 2,000 sold since the first example flew 68 years ago. Typical of agricultural aircraft, it is a single-seat monoplane of conventional taildragger configuration. Originally powered by a radial piston engine, most examples produced since the 1980s have been turboprop-powered.
The IAR-825 Triumf is a Romanian-designed tandem multirole trainer aircraft based on the IAR-823 built for the Romanian Air Force. The aircraft is roughly in the same class with the Brazilian EMBRAER Tucano. The IAR-825 is equipped with the Canadian Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop engine. The type's first flight took place on the 12 June 1982.
The Embraer EMB 121 Xingu is a twin-turboprop fixed-wing aircraft built by the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, Embraer. The design is based on the EMB 110 Bandeirante, using its wing and engine design merged with an all-new fuselage. The EMB 121 first flew on 10 October 1976.
The Grumman G-164 Ag Cat is a single-engined biplane agricultural aircraft, developed by Grumman in the 1950s.
The Short 360 is a commuter aircraft that was built by UK manufacturer Short Brothers during the 1980s. The Short 360 seats up to 39 passengers and was introduced into service in November 1982. It is a larger version of the Short 330.
The Piper PA-31T Cheyenne is a turboprop development of the earlier PA-31P Pressurized Navajo.
The Beechcraft Model 99 is a civilian aircraft produced by Beechcraft. It is also known as the Beech 99 Airliner and the Commuter 99. The 99 is a twin-engine, unpressurized, 15 to 17 passenger seat turboprop aircraft, derived from the earlier Beechcraft King Air and Queen Air. It uses the wings of the Queen Air, the engines and nacelles of the King Air, and sub-systems from both, with a specifically designed nose structure.
The Beriev Be-30 is a Russian regional airliner and utility transport aircraft designed by the Beriev Design Bureau. It was developed specifically for Aeroflot local service routes using short, grass airstrips. It was also designed to be used in the light transport, aerial survey and air ambulance roles. It competed against the Antonov An-28 and the Czechoslovakian LET-410.
The Aérospatiale N 262 is a French twin-turboprop high-wing airliner built first by Nord Aviation. The aircraft was also known as the Nord 262.
The Saunders ST-27 was a regional aircraft built in the 1970s by the Canadian Saunders Aircraft Company based at Gimli, Manitoba. The aircraft was designed as a conversion of the earlier de Havilland Heron. The conversion program was extensive and featured two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprops and a stretched fuselage. Despite its promise as a regional airliner, the project collapsed when Manitoba government funding was withdrawn in 1976.
The Basler BT-67 is a utility aircraft produced by Basler Turbo Conversions of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It is a remanufactured and modified Douglas C-47 Skytrain / Douglas DC-3; the modifications are designed to significantly extend the DC-3's serviceable lifetime.
The PZL-106 Kruk is a Polish agricultural aircraft designed and built by WSK PZL Warszawa-Okęcie.
The Beriev Be-112 is a proposed amphibian aircraft with two propeller engines, projected to carry 27 passengers. The Beriev firm lacks a production amphibian aircraft in this size.
The Avtek 400A was an American prototype turboprop-powered business aircraft, which was developed in the early 1980s. Its configuration was unusual and distinctive : a low-wing monoplane with two pusher engines mounted above the wings, and a large canard mounted atop the forward fuselage. The aircraft's sleek, futuristic design earned it a guest appearance on the Airwolf TV series as the X-400, which was used by the villain, Lou Stappleford in the Eagles episode.
The Conroy Turbo-Three was a series of two Douglas DC-3s modified with turboprop engines by Conroy Aircraft. The first conversion first flew on May 13, 1969. Two Rolls-Royce Dart Mk. 510 engines from a crashed Vickers Viscount previously operated by United Airlines were used to replace the original Pratt & Whitney radial engines. Because the new turboprops were much lighter than the radial engines, they had to be mounted further forward to maintain the aircraft's center of gravity. The replacement engines increased the aircraft's cruising speed from 170 mph to 215 mph. The prototype was later converted into the Conroy Tri-Turbo-Three.
The Weatherly 620 is a 1970s American agricultural monoplane designed and built as an improved variant of the Weatherly 201 by the Weatherly Aircraft Company of McClellan, California.
The Lockheed L-1249 Super Constellation was a turboprop-powered version of the Lockheed Constellation aircraft family. Built in 1954 and 1955, the aircraft were used as prototypes for possible future military transport aircraft for both the United States Air Force and United States Navy. Both aircraft saw very short lives and the airframes were later used to build L-1049 Super Constellations.
The Douglas R4D-8 is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3S airliner. It was used by the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps during the Korean War and Vietnam War.
