The Conroy Tri-Turbo-Three was a
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the 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 ...
fitted with three
Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprop
A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller.
A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...
engines by
Conroy Aircraft; the third engine was mounted on the nose of the aircraft.
Design and development
First flown on 2 November 1977,
[''Air International'' November 1978, p. 252.] 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
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...
to private expeditions and tourism.
Most notable was a 1983 expedition transporting eight members of the
Seven Summits
The Seven Summits are the highest mountains on each of the seven traditional continents. On 30 April 1985, Richard Bass became the first climber to reach the summit of all seven.
In January 2023, ''Climbing (magazine), Climbing'' said "Today, t ...
expedition, plus a crew of three, to the Antarctic for a first-ever assault on
Mount Vinson
Vinson Massif () is a large mountain massif in Antarctica that is long and wide and lies within the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains. It overlooks the Ronne Ice Shelf near the base of the Antarctic Peninsula. The massif is located a ...
.
Specifications
See also
References
* "Airdata File: Specialized Aircraft Tri Turbo-3". ''
Air International
''AIR International'' is a British aviation magazine covering current defence aerospace and civil aviation topics. It has been in publication since 1971 and is currently published by Key Publishing Ltd.
History and profile
The magazine was fir ...
'', November 1978, Vol 15 No 5. p. 252.
*
Gunston, Bill. ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Propeller Airliners''. London: Windward/Phoebus, 1980. .
External links
''Tri-Turbo 3''Goleta Air and Space Museum
{{Douglas DC-3 family
1970s United States airliners
Tri-Turbo-Three
Trimotors
Low-wing aircraft
Three-engined turboprop aircraft
Douglas DC-3
Aircraft first flown in 1977
Aircraft with retractable conventional landing gear